Revealed on World Teacher’s Day: a remarkable rise in how often we tell them ‘thank you’

UK survey shows increase of 88 per cent in the space of one year

A remarkable turnaround in the way the nation feels about teachers on World Teacher’s Day has been highlighted by a survey which says appreciation from the public has risen by 88 per cent in one year.

Just 12 months ago a survey by public sector membership club Boundless asked public sector workers when they were last thanked for the doing their job.

It shockingly revealed that the average teacher had gone 65 days without a ‘thank you’.

Now the same survey has been repeated – and the overall figure has dropped to just eight days. That’s a difference of 88 per cent.

The same survey also revealed:

• 45 per cent of teachers say they feel appreciated by the public, up from 39 per cent a year ago.
• 88 per cent of teachers say they either love or like their job.
• 58 per cent of teachers are proud to be part of the public sector.
• 55 per cent of teachers feel a connection with other people working in the public sector.

Now the public is being encouraged to continue its appreciation by supporting World Teacher’s Day on Monday, 5 October.

Darren Milton at Boundless said: “The figures coming back from our survey are hugely encouraging because they show that millions of people have been saying ‘thank you’ to teachers and doing so far more often than a year ago.

“It’s not surprising that public appreciation rose dramatically during lockdown and it’s vitally important, as it is for all public sector and civil service workers, not to forget what they have done for us. Even when, hopefully at some time in the future, the Covid-19 emergency eases.

“We have already seen people in the UK mark Public Service Day in June, now World Teacher’s Day is another time to step back and think about what our teachers have been through and how they continue to do so much for society.”

Not everything in the Boundless survey was rosy, however.

For instance, 51 per cent of teachers still feel their profession is less valued than 10 years ago, whilst 26 per cent say they have never been thanked by the public during their entire career.

“It’s clear there’s more to do,” said Darren. “Although the number of teachers feeling appreciated by the public has risen, a figure of 45 per cent shows a lot of room for improvement.”

For more information, please visit www.boundless.co.uk.