Conditions of work and professional well-being of teachers in the situation of introducing an effective contract

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No. 1 (90), 2016 Author:  N. Kozina, S. Kosaretskiy, M.Pinskaya In 2014 the National Research University – Higher School of Economics jointly with the Levada Analytical Center continued the series of sociological surveys of teachers of secondary general education schools in the framework of monitoring of education markets and organizations conducted by the Higher School of Economics since 2002.

In 2014 the National Research University – Higher School of Economics jointly with the Levada Analytical Center continued the series of sociological surveys of teachers of secondary general education schools in the framework of monitoring of education markets and organizations conducted by the Higher School of Economics since 2002.

The survey focused on the following thematic areas: general information about teachers of secondary general education schools, training and working conditions of teachers, structure of employment and salaries, motivation and satisfaction with one’s job, professional growth and professional priorities.

The changes that have taken place during the past two years in the social status of teachers, their working conditions and the climate in school communities were analyzed.

Upon completion of the survey of teachers of secondary general education schools an analysis of the obtained data was performed and an information bulletin presenting the results of the survey was prepared. The analysis was concerned with the current status of the teaching staff, its changes under the influence of the implemented educational policy, the specific features stipulated by the territorial differences and characteristics of different types of institutions and different forms of property.

There were surveyed 1777 teachers of general education organizations, including:

- 200 teachers from 17 integrated schools;

- 250 teachers from 21 elite schools;

- 1250 teachers from 100 state (municipal) educational institutions and 250 teachers from 25 non-state (private) educational institutions.

An adequate salary is still one of the most important factors in the teaching work, giving way only to such characteristic of teacher’s work as one’s interest as far as the significance of teachers’ work is concerned. Apart from the fact that teachers’ work is interesting and well paid, such social benefits of their work as its security and undoubted benefits to society are important for teachers. Teaching and administrative work at school are sources of income for 93% of teachers, the salary is 27304 Rubles on the average.

During several years the data of the monitoring of education markets and organizations has testified to a stable growth of teachers’ salaries.

No relation between the rate of salary and type of a locality can be traced. The least satisfied with the rate of salary, besides teachers of rural schools, are those working at schools in major regional centers.

There is no substantial difference between the salaries of teachers at private and state schools. However the salaries of teachers at advanced schools (gymnasiums, lyceums and general education schools with profound studying in certain subjects) are considerably higher than those of teachers at educational organizations of the general form. The salary of teachers working at educational complexes is also substantially higher.

Almost two thirds of the surveyed teachers (63%) believe their salary to be competitive. At the same time 17% of teachers are fully confident of this and 46% say that it is rather competitive.

In the interregional comparisons one would trace a definite territorial differentiation in teachers’ assessments. In the Central, Volga and Northwestern Federal Districts teachers evaluate higher the competitiveness of their salaries. In the Urals, Southern and Far Eastern Federal Districts the situation is opposite.

The proportion of teachers involved in tutoring remains considerable. It can be explained by the growing demand for the preparation for “higher stake exams”, namely the unified state exam. On the whole the situation in tutoring shows that one of the tasks of the effective contract, that of giving a teacher an opportunity to concentrate on one’s main activity at school, has not been resolved so far, and an active additional employment correlates with the rate of teachers’ satisfaction with the payment for teaching and administrative work. At the same time, it should be taken into consideration that 50% of teachers are employed at school for more than one pay rate, and 20% have a work load over 1.5 pay rates.

Only a third of teachers are fully satisfied with work at their educational organization. The main reasons of dissatisfaction for a quarter of teachers remain a low salary and insuffucient social benefits.  The growth of the unproductive load, such as reporting, has undoubtedly become a negative effect.

At the same time the number of teachers who are not willing to change the place of work has increased considerably, constituting almost three-quarters of the surveyed.

The implemented forms of incentives have not become a tool of managing the quality of teachers’ work. On the periphery of attention are indicators which characterize teaching and processes taking place in the class and the degree of activity and form a basis for professional growth.

The positive effects include the emerging changes in the climate of a school community, in the formation of professional communication and educational environment.

A convincing progress in the field of teachers’ competence, an expansion of frameworks of modern teaching based on the usage of information technologies have become a part of positive changes. The growing attention to professional skills which allow for individualizing the instruction in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard and professional standard has become of current interest.

Positive is the fact that a considerable part of teachers set the tasks of increasing the professional competences as they are dissatisfied with the skills they possess.

The changes taking place in the course of the integration of schools that became one of the central directions of the transformation of the school system are complex. One of the consequences of the integration was the reduction of salaries in a centain portion of integrated schools. The teachers’ opinion concerning the integration of schools is not yet consolidated. Teachers in Moscow who were affected by the amalgamation of schools to a greater extent, compared to others, assess it more negatively: in Moscow it is supported by a quarter of teachers, while in other territories – over a half.

Prepared by  Natalia Kozina