Randstad Education Reveal That Two in Five Teachers Feel They Have More to Give

LONDON - Dec. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- •    More than two fifths of (43%) teachers say they are yet to reach their full potential and have more to give at work
•    Staff feel they can give more despite teachers being among the most professionally fulfilled workers in the UK
•    Teachers believe the individual holds the key to finding success at work – determination and adaptability are key
•    Lack of passion seen as biggest roadblock to success

More than two in five of Britain’s teachers feel they have more to give in their career in order to reach their full potential.

Amid increasingly positive economic signals, Britain’s teachers are showing they are not prepared to rest on their laurels. According to research by http://www.randstad.co.uk/education, the specialist recruiter, 43% of teachers feel they have not yet reached their full potential.

This ambition within the education sector comes despite the fact the industry has among the highest levels of professional fulfilment compared to other sectors in the UK. Nearly three quarters (72%) of teachers describe themselves as professionally fulfilled – well above the UK average of 62%.

Jenny Rollinson, managing director of Randstad Education, said: “For a number of teachers, the process around their job gets in the way of your natural flare and passion for education. There is a real balancing act between delivering exciting and stimulating lessons that are fun for students, and being able to record and demonstrate that objectives are being achieved. This is one of the key reasons why so many teachers feel fulfilled in their work yet believe they are still to reach their full potential. What is encouraging though is that so many of those working in education have the ambition to do so.”

Being the best that you can be
Support from your employer is seen as the most important factor in helping you achieve your potential. Over half of education workers (53%) feel that training, development, good leadership and culture are key to success. This is some way above the proportion of the working population as a whole (38%) who feel the same and shows how much emphasis the education industry places on training provided by your employer in terms of career development.
Personal characteristics are seen as the second most important influence on achieving your potential. Almost two fifths (39%) of staff in the sector feel this is the case.

Determination is viewed as the most important personal characteristic by over two thirds (67%) of teachers. The ability to identify and understand your strengths and weaknesses is seen as the next most important character trait (63%) if you are to achieve your potential, while adaptability is viewed as the third (61%).

Jenny Rollinson, said: “The characteristics seen as key to achieving your potential in education strongly reflect the sector itself. Adaptability is of paramount importance, along with the desire to work hard. Despite staff shortages in some areas, teaching can be a competitive environment to work in as there is often someone putting in the extra hours in order to be successful. However people skills are essential and one’s ability to work with a variety of people and be flexible in a variety of situations is also important for success.”

Roadblocks to success
Across the UK workforce as a whole, your individual characteristics are seen as being both the key to achieving your potential at work as well as the most likely roadblock to your success. More than a third (36%) of Britain’s most fulfilled staff say that it is the individual themselves who provides the biggest barrier to reaching their potential.

In contrast, a substantial proportion (40%) of teachers believe a lack of passion in what you are doing is the main factor that might stop one from reaching their full potential. While two in five (39%) view the employers as the biggest roadblock to an individual’s success compared to just one in four (24%) who see it as the individual.

Jenny Rollinson, said: “While for the wider population your individual characteristics or lack of employer support are the biggest barriers to success and fulfilment, for the majority of teachers it is a lack of passion that will prevent you reaching your potential. Many regard teaching as a calling and if the passion to teach is not there, it will be very difficult for staff to progress and gain fulfilment.”

“It is vital that anyone who hopes to achieve more in their professional life understands what will help them do so and what may provide a barrier. And who better to glean this advice from than those who understand what fulfilment and success means to them and how they can continue to achieve it in the future.”

Randstad recently launched the How I Became platform, inspired by the real stories of real people who are fulfilled at work. The platform contains films from people who work in a range of business sectors, from education to finance providing key pieces of advice designed to help future candidates on their path to professional fulfilment.  The hub is designed to be a dynamic place to find career boosting advice.

Jenny Rollinson, said: “Those with the passion and purpose to drive their career forward and reach their potential have a lot to offer others who may feel at a crossroads in their professional lives. We believe in helping people find fulfilment at work which is why we have set up the How I Became platform in order for real people to share their experiences and advice. We invite anyone keen to pass on their thoughts on how to achieve fulfilment at work to visit the site and share their experiences.”

http://www.randstad.co.uk/howibecame

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Randstad Education is part of the Randstad group, one of the leading recruitment & HR services providers in the world with a top five position in the UK and a top three position in fifteen countries including the US, France and Germany.

In the UK, Randstad’s business lines serve the public and private sectors across Accounting and Financial services; Business Support; Construction, Property and Engineering; Education; Health and Social Care; Interim Management and Search; Human Resources; IT; Legal; Retail; Sales, Student and Worker Support and In-House and Managed Services.

At the end of 2012, Randstad had 1,750 corporate employees in the UK, working in 203 locations. UK revenue in 2012 was €799 million. Randstad Holding nv was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands and listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. For more information see http://www.randstad.co.uk/education

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