Teacher Megan Quinn says she works a minimum of 56 hours per week - not to mention a few more on marking and lesson preparation.
She is just one of many thousands of teachers in England said to be burning the professional candle at both ends.
According to the Education Policy Institute, most full-time teachers work an average of 48.2 hours per week.
But one in five works 60 hours or more - 12 hours above the limit set by the European working time directive.
A teacher for eight years, Megan feels well supported by her school in north London and considers herself one of the lucky ones. She says she would love to commit to the job for the rest of her working life, but is not sure it is sustainable.
"Between the hours of 09:00 and 15:30 I am in my absolute element," she says.
But she says coping with government changes in assessment and accountability, and, as she sees it, with national tests set at too high a level for some of her children, she sometimes doubts whether she can continue in the job she loves.
Teachers in England work longer hours than almost anywhere else in the world, according to new analysis.
The study found secondary school teachers work an average of 48.2 hours per week, with one in five working 60 hours or more – 12 hours above legal limits set by the European Union.
It means teachers in England work an average 19 per cent longer than those in other countries. They do an extra 2.7 hours per week compared to teachers in the USA, 11 hours more than colleagues in Korea and a full 19.8 hours per week more work than educators in Italy.
Of the 36 countries and jurisdictions surveyed, only Japan and Alberta in Canada had teachers working longer hours than England.
For years teachers have warned that their workloads are unsustainable. Many say their mental health has suffered as a result of work pressures, while others cite workload as a reason for leaving the profession. So far, politicians have done little to tackle the issue. Our analysis, published this week, provides yet further evidence that policymakers must act.
Using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data, we found that full-time teachers in secondary schools in England now work an average of 48.2 hours per week. This is the third highest out of 36 education authorities surveyed. It is also 19% longer than the OECD average.
We examined what impact this has on students, and what politicians can do about the problem.
Long hours, low starting pay
England’s secondary school teachers spent an average of just four days on continuing professional development (CPD), including courses, observational visits, seminars and in-service training. This is far lower than the average of approximately 11 days across schools in other OECD countries. Work schedules are a barrier to accessing CPD according to 60% of teachers in England, compared to an average of 49% elsewhere.
This has obvious implications for teacher effectiveness. But difficult working conditions also make the job less appealing compared to other professions, especially when relative pay is considered too. England is typical in that teachers are paid less than other workers of similar qualification levels. However, in England the ratio between teachers’ working hours and the average for the whole economy is 17% greater than the average ratio across 13 other, mainly European, countries assessed.
Long hours, low starting pay and limited access to professional development create a risk of teacher burn out, especially in the early stages of careers. Only 48% of teachers in England have more than 10 years’ experience, compared with an average of OECD 64%. According to the OECD, England has also had one of the fastest reductions in the proportion of teachers aged over 50 in secondary education between 2005 and 2014.
Whether or not a teacher can cope with long working hours is therefore likely to have as great an influence on whether they remain a teacher for the duration of their career as their effectiveness in the profession. Combined with extremely low levels of CPD, which might otherwise improve the effectiveness of teachers who need support to improve, this does not suggest a labour market that will help pupils flourish.
Does this signal a national problem or, rather, bad practice in certain schools?
