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The recruitment vs retention gap
For years, schools have struggled to keep teachers in the profession. Workload, stress, limited flexibility and lack of career progression continue to drive experienced educators out. According to recent reports, more than one in three teachers leave within five years of qualifying.
Money might help bring people in, but it rarely makes them stay. What keeps professionals in any role today is a sense of balance, purpose, and growth. Teaching, for all its importance, often struggles to offer those things in ways other industries now take for granted.
What if the funding went elsewhere?
Instead of focusing so heavily on recruitment, what if some of this investment went into making teaching more sustainable? Imagine if teachers could benefit from:
- Flexible or part-time working patterns that don’t stall career progression.
- Remote-working days for planning or admin.
- Reduced contact hours balanced by meaningful development time.
- Better training and mentoring beyond the early years.
- Enhanced wellbeing and benefits that support long-term careers.
These kinds of changes might not grab headlines like a £31,000 bursary, but they could make the profession more appealing to the thousands of qualified teachers who’ve left, or who are on the fence about leaving.
Inside Access: What would help teachers stay?
At Access Education, a lot of us are former teachers. We’ve taught across primary, secondary and further education — in city schools, rural schools, and everything in between. We’ve seen first-hand how rewarding teaching can be, and how challenging it is to sustain over time.
So we asked some of our colleagues what might make a difference, not just to attract people into the profession, but to help great teachers stay.
Matt Moreland, now a Sales Development Team Leader and ex-PE and Drama teacher, says the joy of teaching came from watching students grow, but he often felt the curriculum didn’t always connect to life beyond school.
“I came from a coaching background and loved seeing kids progress, but I sometimes felt what we taught didn’t reflect real life enough. I’d love to see more focus on helping pupils develop practical skills for the world beyond exams.”
What would get him back? “Knowing that the day’s work genuinely made a difference, and being able to finish when the school day ends, with the confidence that I’d given my best and it was enough.”
Emma Slater, now Head of Product at Access Education, spent years teaching in London before moving north and seeing how different education systems can feel across regions.
“In London, I worked with some of the most committed and inspiring teachers I’ve ever met, in really tough contexts. When I moved north, I realised how varied experiences are across the country. It showed me how important flexibility and professional trust are if we want teachers to grow and stay in the system.”
What might tempt her back? “A more modern English curriculum that’s a pleasure to teach, flexible working patterns, and a culture that values the expertise teachers bring.”
Chloe Holmes, now an Enablement Business Partner and former primary teacher, says the decision to leave wasn’t an easy one, but it came down to protecting her mental health.
“I left because of the impact it had on my mental health. The pressure, workload and unrealistic standards just became too much. I felt like I could work all the hours under the sun and it still wasn’t enough.”
What might tempt her back? “A realistic workload, without the hidden expectation to always do more — and being able to actually enjoy evenings and weekends. But honestly, I don’t think I could ever go back.”
Paul Powell, now a Solution Delivery Manager and former computing teacher, looks back fondly on teaching but recognises how much schools juggle behind the scenes.
“Teachers are some of the hardest-working professionals I’ve met. The workload is seemingly endless: marking, planning, behaviour management, admin, and the systems that should make life easier don’t always keep up. Investing in technology that genuinely reduces that workload would make a real difference.”
And Asmaa Ahmed, now a Senior Customer Success Manager and former primary teacher, says she still misses many parts of the job.
“I’ve been out of the classroom for two years, and I do miss the buzz and the connection with pupils. But if schools could offer four-day contact weeks, a day for planning and admin from home, and a little less red tape, I think a lot of teachers would feel more balanced and able to stay longer.”
These aren’t criticisms — they’re reflections from people who loved teaching and still care deeply about education, but the message that comes through is clear: most teachers don’t leave because they’ve fallen out of love with the job. They leave because they want to keep loving it, but the system doesn’t always make that easy.
A new way to value teaching
Schools don’t exist in isolation; They compete for talent like any other organisation. And as workplaces across industries embrace flexibility, autonomy and wellbeing as essentials, teaching risks falling behind.
If the government wants to invest in the future of education, perhaps it’s time to rethink not just how we recruit teachers, but how we help them build sustainable, rewarding careers once they’re there. Because the best incentive isn’t always a cheque; sometimes, it’s the chance to thrive.