Almost 2,000 teachers have said they feel that there is a lack of trust in their abilities, a new survey has revealed.

A survey by the Guardian Teacher Network has revealed that many staff feel that they are undervalued, spend the majority of their time defending themselves and are often questioned over their lack of professionalism.

Many teachers responded to the survey stated that ‘they love teaching but…’ and indicated that a lack of confidence in their ability and low levels of trust were the driving force behind staff quitting, rather than low wages or lengthy working hours, The Guardian reports.

Problems highlighted in the profession by staff included: Government targets and interference, senior managers who bullied colleagues to achieve those targets, Michael Gove and Conservative party policy, league tables, Ofsted, bureaucracy, unsupportive parents, declining parenting skills, deteriorating student behaviour, disappearing pensions and lack of respect.

Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, who has done major studies on workplace stress, said he is not surprised by the findings. He commented:

“Global evidence is clear, lack of control and autonomy in your job makes you ill. It is stressful to be in an occupation where you feel you have people looking over your shoulder and where you can be named and shamed. All those characteristics were there in teaching 10 years ago, but it is worse now because jobs in the public sector are no longer secure.”

“Teachers want autonomy and respect, the people who go into it have a real vocation; they don't do it for the money. We should train all our Headteachers in engaging their staff in the decisions that affect their jobs, and the Government needs to stop dictating top-down to teachers and instead discuss ideas with them. It should then undertake systematic pilots of ideas, which are evaluated. It needs to start treating teachers as professionals.”

When asked why they had considered leaving the teaching profession, 62 per cent quoted excessive Government interference in schools as the reason; 50 per cent blamed student behaviour; 44 per cent workload or exhaustion; 30 per cent parent behaviour; 25 per cent said lack of career prospects and just 22 per cent had considered leaving for a job where they could earn more money.

Teacher Support Network recently conducted a survey about the public perception of teachers. 79 per cent of the teachers that responded to the survey felt that the media did not present a positive image of teachers. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) believed that more positive media coverage could help improve the public perception of teachers, while another quarter (23 per cent) thought publicity campaigns to raise awareness of teachers' good work were necessary, in order to highlight the positives rather than the negatives.

If you are feeling stressed, have considered leaving your job or need somebody to talk to in confidence, ring our confidential Support Lines on: 08000 562 561 (England) or 08000 855 088 (Wales.)

How do you think the public perception of teachers can be improved? Tell us here in our Teacher Image Forum.

Alternatively, try our related factsheets for information on dealing with stress, change and how to improve your overall wellbeing:

• Stress
• Staff health and wellbeing - summary
• How do you deal with change?