Teacher satisfaction and stress: the TALIS 2024 paradox

More than 280,000 primary and secondary school teachers from 55 countries participated in the OECD's TALIS 2024 (Teaching and Learning International Survey) report, the largest international survey and the leading source of comparative information on the profession and its working conditions. Headlines in Catalonia regarding TALIS 2024 have been contradictory. We have seen some highlight teacher satisfaction and commitment, while others warn of overload, stress, or lack of institutional support. Depending on who is reading it—administration, unions, or organizations—interpretations of TALIS vary: some emphasize teacher discomfort and stress; others, teacher satisfaction and commitment. But behind this diversity lies a common and worrying message: the lack of teacher policies, both at the national and Catalan levels.

The results come from the international report by the OECD and the Ministry of Education, which compares Spain with other countries and includes data from eight regions, including Catalonia. To better understand the Catalan teaching situation, a specific TALIS for Catalonia would be necessary, with its own independent analysis, especially now that the Agency for Evaluation and Foresight has been reactivated and within the framework of the announced collaboration with the OECD.

The TALIS 2024 results are paradoxical, because they paint a portrait of teachers who are happy with their jobs and who declare themselves overwhelmed by work, stressed, and neglected. They show a large majority of Catalan teachers who are satisfied and do not perceive a negative impact on their physical and mental health. These are very surprising data because in every debate about the profession, the growing dissatisfaction and malaise in the sector are discussed. How are we to understand that in Catalonia, teachers have one of the highest rates of job satisfaction? It is 95% in primary school and 94% in secondary school, only slightly below Spain (96%) and well above the average for teachers in the OECD (89%) and the European Union (90%). Why, despite the growing demands for improvements in working conditions—there are mobilizations and a demonstration called for November—does the comparative analysis consider us an exception when it comes to teacher job satisfaction?

However, the data also indicate that in Catalonia, despite the fact that the majority of teachers say they are satisfied with their jobs, there is an increase in stress in the profession. While 19% of teachers in OECD countries reported experiencing a lot of stress at work, in Catalonia the percentage drops to 14% in secondary school (one of the lowest in Spain), but remains at 17% in primary school (among the highest). However, if we look at the data from the latest TALIS, from 2018, we see that the percentage of teachers experiencing a lot of stress in Catalonia has doubled in six years (from 7% in 2018 to 14% in 2024). These figures reflect the need to address and analyze what is happening and to ask what support should be offered to teachers: support that goes beyond the Spanish government's announcement of reducing ratios, which is in response to union pressure.

The reduction in ratios, although positive, is not enough if it is not accompanied by effective professional support: practical training, mentoring programs, and real time for collaboration and reflection. One of the most relevant findings from TALIS 2024 is dissatisfaction with teachers' initial training: 57% in secondary school and 62% in primary school believe they have not been adequately trained. What about initial training at universities? Furthermore, the lack of connection between continuing education and teaching careers is a common obstacle. Regarding continuing education, the critical aspect is the limited collaboration between teachers. Unlike other European education systems, in Catalonia, cooperative work, peer observation, and collective reflection on practice are still very limited and often depend on individual initiative or the leadership of each school. TALIS emphasizes that the countries with the best teaching quality are those that foster collaborative work spaces and professional learning, with time and institutional recognition.

Andreas Schleicher, head of education at the OECD, has warned that reducing ratios "is not the best measure" if it is not accompanied by policies that ensure competent teachers in the schools where they are most needed. "If a student comes from a disadvantaged background, they only have one chance: to find a good teacher and a good school," he says. This means attracting and retaining the best teachers to the most disadvantaged environments, offering them recognition, mentoring, and attractive career paths, and not making these destinations a must-see for the most novice. More support means more training to address the complexity of classrooms. We know from research that the result of good training translates into less stress, greater teacher well-being, and a positive school climate.

In Catalonia, we have a committed teaching staff, but solid teacher policies that ensure their proper training are lacking. The TALIS 2024 results highlight profound gaps in initial and ongoing teacher training and remind us that the issue is not just about having more resources, but also knowing where and how to invest them to strengthen the heart of the education system: improving the development and professional careers of its teachers.