Reimagining Teaching in an Accelerating World

1. The evolving teaching profession

The expectations we place on teachers keep rising. We want them to know their subject inside out, but also to understand who their students are and how real learning actually happens. We know that what teachers know, and what they care about, can change the trajectory of a child’s life.

But in practice, our expectations stretch far beyond any formal job description. We ask teachers to be scholars, coaches, social workers and moral guides all at once. We expect them to be passionate and compassionate; to make learning irresistible, not compulsory; to spark curiosity while nurturing responsibility. We expect them to reach students who come from different backgrounds, have different abilities and speak different languages; and to foster tolerance and social cohesion, and to create classrooms where every student feels seen, valued and included.

On top of that, we ask teachers to constantly assess, guide and give feedback, while also turning learning into a team sport, not a solo race. And we don’t just want collaboration among students; we want teachers collaborating with one another, across schools and with families. It’s hard to imagine students becoming lifelong learners if they don’t see adults doing exactly that: stretching their own horizons, questioning old assumptions and staying curious in a changing world.

Now add the digital layer. Today’s teachers are working with learners who are always connected, always scrolling, always flooded with information. They are expected to help students navigate everything from information overload and plagiarism to online fraud, privacy violations and cyberbullying. Teachers are asked to be guides in a noisy digital marketplace; helping young people develop a healthy media diet, become critical consumers of online content, make informed choices, and steer clear of harmful behaviors.

And yet, for all the talk of skills, standards and systems, the most powerful part of teaching remains stubbornly human. Ask almost any successful adult, and you’ll hear the same story: there was one teacher who made a difference. One who believed in them before they believed in themselves. One who showed up at the right moment - with encouragement, high expectations or simply care.

These moments don’t fit neatly into spreadsheets. They’re hard to measure, impossible to automate and essential to success. But if we design schools and work cultures that nurture these human qualities, we dramatically increase the odds that every student, not just the lucky ones, gets the chance to thrive.

This chapter illustrates the evolving teaching profession with selected findings from OECD’s TALIS

survey.

What is TALIS?

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the world’s largest international survey about teachers and school leaders. Conducted by the OECD, in 2024 it sampled about 280 000 teachers in 17 000 schools across 55 education systems. The report highlights teachers’ experiences in the classroom, information about their working conditions and professional development, and examines themes including AI in education and increasingly diverse student populations.

By capturing the voices of teachers and principals, TALIS helps policymakers and education leaders craft informed strategies to improve teaching quality and learning environments. TALIS 2024, released 7 October 2025, is the fourth round of the survey since its launch in 2008.

Are teachers happy teaching?

Global headlines about teaching often portray the profession as being in crisis. Stories about teacher shortages, falling student outcomes and violent attacks on school grounds give the impression that the “noble profession” might have lost some of its appeal. So, policymakers will be heartened to learn that nine in ten teachers report that they are satisfied with their jobs overall, on average, across OECD education systems participating in TALIS. Almost three-quarters of teachers would also choose to work as a teacher again, on average, if they had the option to do so.

Figure 1. Share of lower secondary teachers who agree or strongly agree they are satisfied with their jobs

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Note: This graph is occasionally simplified version of the original. You can see the original table in the full report, OECD (2025), Results from TALIS 2024: The State of Teaching, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/90df6235-en.

Source: OECD (2024), TALIS 2024 Database, Table 2.6.

While teacher experiences and opinions will obviously differ, overall the data firmly point towards most teachers, in most places, being satisfied with their jobs. Indeed, almost 95% of teachers surveyed by TALIS say they often feel happy while teaching. The share of teachers who say that the advantages of being a teacher outweigh the disadvantages has remained stable.

Figure 2. Teachers’ job satisfaction is high

Share of teachers who “agree” or “strongly agree” with the following statements

Source: OECD, TALIS 2024 Database, Tables 2.6 and 2.8.

What could explain high levels of job satisfaction when working conditions are often far from ideal? To start with, few professions offer the sense of purpose that teaching does: 95% of teachers cite the opportunity to make a worthwhile social contribution as being important to them, according to TALIS data.

Most teachers in OECD countries work in public-sector roles, and in most developed economies these positions can be shielded from the volatility of market cycles. Pension schemes, healthcare benefits and predictable career progression can make teaching a financially stable profession, if not a lucrative one.

Teacher pay has long been a focal point in discussions about education reform. The share of teachers who are satisfied with their salaries has increased in 23 out of 43 education systems surveyed by TALIS since 2018. On average, around two in five teachers are satisfied with their salaries. In some education systems the proportion is higher. In Austria, the Flemish and French Communities of Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands*, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, more than three in five teachers are satisfied with their pay. However, in other systems wages remains a major issue: less than one in five teachers are satisfied with their paycheques in Iceland, Malta, Portugal and Serbia. It is noteworthy that TALIS data show little international relationship between the level of teacher salaries and teachers’ job satisfaction.

Figure 3. In most systems, teachers’ overall workload remained the same

Average number of hours per week full-time teachers report spending on job-related tasks

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias

Source: OECD, TALIS 2018 and TALIS 2024 Databases, Table 3.8.

Figure 4. Salary alone doesn’t make teachers like their job

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2024 Database, Table 7.69 and Table 7.62.

According to TALIS, the most important predictors of teacher job satisfaction do not relate to material factors but to other aspects of their working conditions. Many teachers are driven by a deep sense of purpose, and access to professional development, strong leadership and a positive school culture can contribute as much as salaries in terms of teacher motivation.

Stress is another factor to consider. Teachers are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities, from managing diverse student needs and maintaining classroom discipline to meeting curriculum standards and administrative expectations. About one in five teachers say they experience stress “a lot” in their work, on average, according to TALIS. In contrast, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, two out of five employees report experiencing a lot of daily stress.

Are teachers really less stressed than other professions? TALIS data show that, overall, around half of teachers experience little or no stress in their work across all education systems. Although in some places, teachers seem to be having a harder time. More than 30% of teachers in Alberta (Canada)*, Australia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Malta and New Zealand* experience stress “a lot” in their work.

The school environment – and how teachers are perceived by society - can have a big impact on whether teachers feel supported and empowered. When teachers feel respected and valued by society, it helps attract high-calibre candidates and plays a role in retaining them. TALIS data show that the status of teachers has declined in some nations, but remains high in others. More than 70% of teachers feel valued by society in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan, with the share topping 92% in Viet Nam. Teachers who believe the profession is valued by society are less likely to want to leave teaching within the next five years, on average.

Looking at all the data together, the latest TALIS survey reveals a diverse picture. But rather than a profession in decline, the data show that teaching continues to attract individuals driven by purpose, resilience and passion. Overall, yes, teachers are happy in their jobs. This is something public policy can build on.

Figure 5. Teachers’ motivation to teach

Share of teachers who report that the following factors are of “high importance” to them as a teacher

Source: OECD, TALIS 2024 Database, Table 7.13.

Figure 6. Maintaining discipline, in particular intimidation or verbal abuse by students, is more closely associated with job dissatisfaction than other demands

Change in the scale of teacher job satisfaction associated with encountering the following as sources of stress “quite a bit” or “a lot” at work

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2024 Database, Table 2.48.

Figure 7. Perceptions of being valued have evolved differently across systems

Share of teachers who “agree” or “strongly agree” that the teaching profession is valued by society

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2018 and TALIS 2024 Databases, Table 3.8.

How do teachers manage a modern classroom?

Across many countries, teachers are spending increasing amounts of time maintaining classroom discipline. In fact, TALIS data show that the share of class time allocated to keeping discipline has increased in almost all OECD systems, from 13% in 2018 to 16% in 2024 on average. What is going on?

TALIS data offers several clues as to why teachers are spending more time on discipline. For example, in Finland and Kazakhstan the proportion of teachers having to tell students to follow classroom rules has increased markedly (18 and 28 percentage points, respectively) since 2018. In Latvia, there has been a huge rise in the share of teachers needing to calm students who are disruptive (up 36 percentage points). More than a third of teachers in Chile, Finland, Portugal and South Africa report a lot of disruptive noise and disorder in the classroom. In Brazil, the figure is a massive 57% compared to an OECD average of 21%. And, overall, almost one in five teachers across the OECD say they lose quite a lot of time due to students interrupting lessons.

Figure 8. Students are more diverse

Share of teachers in schools with the following compositions (OECD average-24)

Note: Results based on responses of principals.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2018 and TALIS 2024 Databases, Table 1.26.

Figure 9. Teachers need to deal with disruptive students more frequently

Share of teachers who “frequently” or “always” calm students who are disruptive

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Note: Results refer to lessons taught to a class randomly selected from teachers’ current weekly timetables during the week preceding the survey.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2018 and TALIS 2024 Databases, Table 1.35.

These statistics could suggest that classrooms are being more unruly, at least in some places. The growing challenges teachers face also result in more time spent on classroom management.

First, let’s consider student behaviour itself and the context. Many students are struggling with motivation, anxiety and self-directed learning. In the smart phone world, students are seconds away from using social media or playing a computer game at any moment. Indeed, OECD data tell us that nearly one in three students get distracted by using digital devices in class on average. That is one of the reasons why many schools have banned phones in class and a growing number of countries have forbidden digital devices on school grounds or implemented restrictions.

However, the challenge is not just about keeping students off their phones; it is about guiding them to use devices responsibly and in a way that supports learning. Teachers are now expected to coach students on how to navigate digital spaces, evaluate sources and stay focused amid constant notifications. This shift demands a new kind of classroom management, one that blends behavioural oversight with digital literacy education. And if teachers do not receive effective support to manage today’s classrooms, that can lead to opportunities for student misbehaviour.

Even minor things, such as talking out of turn or ignoring instructions, can erode a teacher’s authority and potentially escalate into more serious incidents, such as verbal or physical confrontations. According to TALIS, intimidation or bullying on school grounds is the most reported safety issue, on average. Across OECD countries, 19% of teachers work in schools where student bullying or verbal abuse on school grounds occurs regularly, according to principals’ reports. The figure tops 40% in Finland, Malta, Norway and Sweden and is around 50% in the Flemish Community of Belgium. These behaviours can have devastating effects on victims, including anxiety, depression and a decline in academic performance. Bullying also contributes to a toxic school climate. All this impacts negatively on teacher job satisfaction.

TALIS results also reflect the growing diversity in classrooms across the world, resulting in extra challenges for teachers. TALIS data show that about one in five teachers say more than 10% of their students have difficulties understanding the language of instruction. In some education systems, this is a particular issue. The share rises to about 25% in Bahrain, Latvia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, and exceeds 50% in Morocco and South Africa. If students cannot understand what the teacher is saying, it is not surprising if teachers may have to spend time repeating classroom rules.

TALIS data show that the share of low-achieving students in a classroom has a greater association with disruption than aspects like class size, language difficulties or special educational needs. Meeting the needs of low-achieving students requires extra time and personalised instruction, which can put significant pressure on a teacher’s focus. This potentially leads to increased disruption.

When considering these different accumulating demands, is it any wonder that some teachers may find it more difficult to deliver well-structured lessons? This, in turn, can make classroom management more challenging.

When teachers set clear expectations for behaviour and create a safe, structured and supportive learning environment they spend less time on classroom management and students spend more time on learning . And with fewer behavioural interruptions, teachers can devote more energy to teaching and students can focus more effectively on learning. In contrast, an inconsistent approach to disrespectful behaviour may send students signals that in some cases such behaviour is acceptable.

TALIS data show that teachers with high self-efficacy in classroom management consistently report lower levels of stress related to discipline, often by over 40 percentage points. This is potentially because they perceive behavioural challenges not as threats, but as manageable aspects of their role. When teachers are confident in their ability to respond effectively to disruptions, it helps create a buffer against emotional exhaustion and burnout. In unruly classrooms, this can make discipline feel less overwhelming and more like a solvable part of the teaching process.

Figure 10. Maintaining discipline is more stressful for novice teachers

Share of teachers who report that maintaining classroom discipline is a source of stress “quite a bit” or “a lot”

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Notes: Novice teachers refer to those with up to five years of teaching experience. Experienced teachers refer to those with more than ten years of teaching experience.

Statistically significant coefficients are shown in solid dark blue and light blue, while non-significant coefficients are transparent.

This graph is occasionally simplified version of the original. You can see the original table in the full report, OECD (2025), Results from TALIS 2024: The State of Teaching, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/90df6235-en.

Source: OECD (2024), TALIS 2024 Database, Table 3.16.

Figure 11. Change in the likelihood† of teachers saying they will quit related to intimidation or verbal abuse by students

† Change in the likelihood of teachers reporting that they intend to leave the profession within the next five years associated with experiencing intimidation or verbal abuse by students as a source of stress “quite a bit” or “a lot”.

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Notes: An odds ratio indicates the degree to which an explanatory variable is associated with a categorical outcome variable. An odds ratio below 1 denotes a negative association; an odds ratio above 1 indicates a positive association; and an odds ratio of 1 means that there is no association. After controlling for teacher and school characteristics.

The analysis is restricted to teachers who report that retirement from work sector is “not at all likely” or “not very likely” to lead them to leave teaching within the next five years.

Statistically significant coefficients are shown in green and blue, while non-significant coefficients are shown in grey. This graph is occasionally simplified version of the original. You can see the original table in the full report, OECD (2025), Results from TALIS 2024: The State of Teaching, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/90df6235-en.

Source: OECD (2024), TALIS 2024 Database, Table 7.12.

Some teachers struggle to support social and emotional skills

Education systems around the world increasingly recognise social and emotional skills as an essential part of schooling. Skills like empathy, self-efficacy and emotional control are not just helpful, but essential for individual and societal success. The diversification of classrooms adds even greater importance to supporting students’ social and emotional development. Yet, according to TALIS data, many teachers doubt whether they can nurture these skills in their students. In particular, male teachers are almost always less confident at developing these skills than their female peers.

TALIS surveyed teachers on a range of lesson goals, such as giving feedback and presenting information clearly, and asked whether they felt confident achieving these objectives. Out of all the goals, teachers said they are least likely to achieve supporting students’ social and emotional learning. In fact, on average, just over two-thirds of teachers’ report being able to help students manage their emotions, thoughts and behaviour across the OECD. In contrast, more than 90% of teachers believe they can teach general subjects with clarity.

Why do fewer teachers feel capable of handling tasks linked to social and emotional learning compared to other teaching responsibilities? The data doesn’t give a clear answer. However, a likely reason is that many teachers are working without a clear policy roadmap. While some countries have embedded social and emotional skills into their national curricula and assessment frameworks, in some schools they are considered soft extras, not foundational competencies.

This is unfortunate, as OECD analysis suggests that these skills can be as important as cognitive skills in predicting life and labour market outcomes, according to the latest OECD Survey of Adult Skills. While professional development and training can help, relying on workshops or one-off sessions can leave teachers without the sustained support they need to integrate social and emotional skills into everyday learning. A more transformative solution involves embedding them directly into the curriculum and assessments. Social and emotional skills should be woven into the fabric of education – not treated as an add on. For example, co-operation, self-control and empathy can be integrated into sciences, humanities and sports. This will ensure they become part of the educational culture.

Easy-to-use assessment tools for classrooms are also needed to send a clear message that these skills matter. Self-assessments, peer feedback and teacher observations are all helpful, but it is also important to use tools that prompt students to demonstrate social and emotional skills in action. Ongoing large-scale monitoring is also a must.

All these changes are doable. The OECD’s Survey on Social and Emotional Skills has gathered clear evidence showing that skills like empathy, self-control and stress resistance show high teachability across diverse contexts. Although some are trickier to teach and harder to assess. Optimism, for example, unlike algebra or grammar, has been hard to define.

And some education systems have already taken steps to embed social and emotional learning across school life. In Alberta, Canada, teachers receive lesson plans and activities to promote such skills in daily routines. Similarly, Portugal has taken steps to integrate social and emotional skills into schools, including through a manual that includes templates for activities to promote self-regulation, empathy and co-operation in students.

Looking ahead, if education systems seriously recognise the importance of social and emotional skills, then these skills should not be treated as extras. That means policymakers need to develop awareness of the teachability of these skills and rethink teacher preparation, with structured support for teachers.

Figure 12. Teachers are less successful in supporting students socially and emotionally

Share of teachers who fulfill their lesson aims in…

Note: Results refer to lessons taught to a class randomly selected from teachers’ current weekly timetables during the week preceding the survey.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2024 Database, Table 2.1.

Mentoring is on the rise

For decades, teaching has been a relatively solitary profession. New teachers, fresh from training, were often thrust into classrooms with little more than a curriculum guide and a pile of textbooks. Meanwhile, more experienced teachers were expected to independently navigate the various teaching challenges they faced. This is still the case in some places today. While the importance of effective teacher learning is widely recognised, many teachers are working in relative isolation and are left to largely manage their own personal learning. But in some countries mentoring is gaining traction – and this is a good thing!

TALIS data show that the share of novice teachers with an assigned mentor has increased in about one-third of education systems. This signals, perhaps, something of a cultural shift. And it is long overdue. Mentoring pairs novice teachers with experienced colleagues who can offer guidance, feedback and emotional support. For example, in Singapore all new teachers are paired with an instructional mentor in the first two years of their career. And in the Netherlands, primary school teachers are supported through structured, continuous mentoring in their first years of practice.

Across the OECD, about one in four novice teachers now has an assigned mentor, on average. And some education systems are streets ahead. More than 50% of teachers with less than five years of experience have a mentor in Bahrain, Israel, Poland, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and the Netherlands*. In Shanghai (China) the proportion is nearly 80%.

These education systems are leading the way and although mentoring remains relatively uncommon overall, its growing popularity indicates that some teachers are receiving extra support. There are many benefits: TALIS data show that novice teachers with a mentor are often more likely to report fulfilling their lessons’ aims, have an improved sense of confidence and have higher job satisfaction. Mentees can gain competence more quickly, while mentors often rediscover purpose and refine their own practice. Induction programmes for beginning teachers have also been shown to reduce the number of teachers dropping out of the profession.

Figure 13. Novice teachers are receiving more support

Share of novice teachers who have a mentor

*Estimates should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

Note: Novice teachers refer to those with up to five years of teaching experience.

Source: OECD, TALIS 2018 and TALIS 2024 Databases, Table 4.11.

TALIS data reveal some of the areas where mentoring could provide support. For example, around a third of novice teachers say they need classroom management training, which is up 6 percentage points since 2018. More experienced teacher mentors can share strategies for maintaining discipline and managing students in the classroom. They can also give guidance on curriculum planning, help newcomers navigate school policies and administrative tasks, as well as the unique culture of their school environment.

Why is mentoring becoming more popular? The data doesn’t give a definitive answer. However, a few factors are likely in play. First, teacher shortages have made retention issues a strategic imperative. For example, around 5% of teaching positions were not filled in Sweden or Austria at the start of the school year in 2022, according to OECD data. TALIS data show that one in five teachers under the age of 30 intend to leave teaching in the next five years, on average. Mentoring can be part of the solution to help prevent burnout and attrition.

Second, the COVID pandemic highlighted the need for more robust professional networks. Remote teaching, shifting expectations and the emotional strain of working in a crisis underscored the need to provide teachers with greater support.

Third, many high performing education systems use mentoring as a key strategy to develop effective teachers and strengthen school systems. Studies show that teacher candidates in high performing countries typically receive intensive induction or mentoring programmes at the start of their careers. This is borne out by the TALIS data. The share of novice teachers being mentored is above the OECD average in Australia, Czechia, New Zealand, Poland and Singapore. In all these countries, 15 years-old students perform above the OECD average in maths, reading and science, as measured by PISA.

Given all the evidence, policymakers should look to implement mentoring programmes at scale. However, a note of caution: it may be challenging to expand mentoring programmes rapidly. Analysis of teacher coaching programmes found that small trials had larger positive effects than larger programmes implemented at scale. One reason might be that it is hard to find enough teachers capable of coaching many other colleagues, especially when their learning needs are so different. So, there is work to do in ensuring effective implementation. Technology can help overcome some of the challenges by helping recruit mentors and improving mentor-mentee matching. But the direction is clear – the path towards more mentoring is a good thing.