Problem & Solution Essays: Part 1

Task 2: teaching

Reading

Select text to highlight it; click a highlight to remove it.

Teaching is 'one of the least popular jobs in the UK'

1The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary school teaching (pupils aged 11–16), and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now face great difficulties in finding people who want to be teachers. Since the 1980s, the number of graduates who say they would 'seriously consider' teaching as a career has fallen sharply, from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today. The report suggests that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates into teaching.

2The main drawback of secondary teaching, according to the report, is the low salary. Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs, and this means that fewer and fewer young people decide to be teachers. Joanne Manners, 24, is a good example: 'I graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher-training course to become a maths teacher – but when I looked into the details, it became clear that teaching isn't a very lucrative job these days. I saw I could earn twice as much if I worked in marketing or advertising, and so I decided not to become a teacher.'

3It's not just about the money, however. The survey concluded that another reason why people don't want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school. A lot of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the same respect for teachers as in the past. Here's the view of Dave Hallam, an accountant from London: 'When I was at school, we were taught to look up to our teachers, and to do what we were told. No one would ever disobey the teacher or be rude to him or her. But now, this has completely changed, and it is difficult to control the pupils in class. I think parents are to blame. They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also teach their children to have more respect for teachers.'

4'I love teaching, it's my passion. I've been a secondary-school teacher of Spanish for ten years now, and although it's a very demanding job, it's very satisfying. When I see my students passing their Spanish exams, or singing along to Spanish pop songs, it makes me feel so proud,' says Brian Jones, who works in a secondary school in London. So what does he think the government should do to encourage more people to become teachers? 'My view is that the government should reduce the burden of work on teachers, by appointing more teaching assistants. I find that I always have too much work to do, and I'm always snowed under with paperwork. I have to stay at work late, and this is really bad for my family. I've got two young kids, and I often don't get home until after they've gone to bed. My work-life balance is terrible. If the government employed more teaching assistants, it would make teaching a much easier and less stressful job, and more people would be interested in it.'

5The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortages is a very serious one. It says that the government should raise teachers' pay significantly, to catch up with workers in other professions. It also suggests that the government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of teaching to young people. Another solution could be to set a maximum number of hours per week that teachers can work, in order to reduce stress on teachers. 'Hopefully,' the report concludes, 'these solutions can improve the poor image of secondary teaching, and increase the number of young people who want to become teachers in the future.'

Language lab

These tasks build the language you need for a problem and solution essay.

Model essay

Select text to highlight it; click a highlight to remove it.

A generation ago, teaching was seen as a respected and secure career, and in some countries it still is. However, in many parts of the world the number of young people who wish to become secondary-school teachers has fallen sharply. This essay will examine the main reasons for this trend and suggest some practical solutions.

The first cause is that teachers are poorly paid compared with other graduate professions. For example, in Pakistan a newly qualified engineer or software developer often earns considerably more than a school teacher with the same degree. Private schools may pay better, but public-school staff, who teach the majority of pupils, rarely do. Consequently, ambitious graduates choose other careers. The solution is for the government to raise starting salaries and link pay rises to experience, which would make teaching financially competitive.

A second cause is that teachers are overloaded with marking, paperwork and large classes. In many state schools, for instance, a single teacher may be responsible for more than fifty pupils. As a result, many teachers work late into the evening and have little time for their families, so they become exhausted and leave the profession. One way forward could be to appoint more classroom assistants and to limit the number of hours a teacher may work each week. This would make the job far less stressful and more attractive to newcomers.

A third cause is poor pupil behaviour, which makes lessons difficult to manage. That is to say, teachers frequently deal with students who ignore instructions or are rude, and this discourages potential applicants. To tackle this issue, parents should teach their children to respect their teachers, and schools should apply clear and consistent rules. In addition, schools could provide training in classroom management so that new teachers feel prepared.

To sum up, low salaries, heavy workloads and indiscipline have made teaching a much less popular career. Although these problems are serious, I believe they can be solved. Unless governments and parents act soon, however, the quality of education will inevitably decline. In my view, the main responsibility lies with the government, but families must also play their part.