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Tough conditions, pressure from parents push more teachers to leave profession

Published: 15 May. 2025, 09:43 Updated: 15 May. 2025, 18:03

Mourners gather to commemorate the death of a school teacher at Seo2 Elementary School in Seocho District, southern Seoul on July 23. She was allegedly harassed by the parents of her students over a school violence case. [NEWS1]

A 27-year-old teacher, surnamed Oh, who worked at an elementary school in Jeju Island for three years, left the profession last year to become a real estate appraiser.

Assigned a homeroom class from their first year, they quickly became disillusioned after facing complaints from parents who said, “Why are you nice to other children but ignore mine?” Oh later avoided taking homeroom classes altogether, but when the principal asked them to take on a sixth-grade class last March, they submitted their resignation.

Having already earned a real estate appraiser certificate due to their interest in property, Oh was hired by an appraisal firm in the second half of last year.

“I went through four years of teacher training and three years of teaching expecting job stability, but my personal growth felt stagnant and each day was the same,” Oh said. “My work now is more challenging, but the sense of achievement is much greater.”

Despite Thursday marking the 44th Teachers' Day, a growing number of educators are leaving the profession.

According to data compiled by liberal Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Bak Seung-a’s office, 36,748 teachers left before reaching retirement between 2020 and 2024. Of them, 15,543 were elementary school teachers, 12,352 were middle school teachers and 8,853 were high school teachers. The number has steadily increased, from 6,512 in 2020 to a record-high 9,194 in 2024.

An elementary school field in Sejong [YONHAP]

Han Sang-min, 28, who taught at a high school in Gyeonggi for two years, also quit last year and entered law school this year. They said one parent told them, “My child plans to go to SKY [an acronym referring to the Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei universities], and I’m worried because you’re not a SKY graduate.” Han also recalled being mocked by students in group chats over his physical appearance.

“I decided to prepare for the LEET [Legal Education Eligibility Test] after hearing about a teacher at Seo2 Elementary School who took her own life,” Han said. “In law school interviews, I said I wanted to become a lawyer who helps resolve conflicts in schools, but in reality, I don’t want to go near a school ever again.”

Kim Ji-yeon, 34, who taught history for four years at a high school in Goyang, Gyeonggi, changed careers two years ago and joined a securities firm.

“I worked late every day with administrative duties and lesson prep,” she said. “My starting salary was 30 to 40 million won [$21,300 to $28,400] a year, and I felt like I couldn’t afford a home or marriage. My salary has doubled since I moved to finance.”

With morale at a low, some schools have had to assign homeroom responsibilities to school nurses and other non-homeroom teachers.

Several elementary school students head to their school in Seoul in March. [NEWS1]

Choi, 33, a school nurse at a middle school in the Seoul metropolitan area, said they reluctantly accepted a homeroom position after repeated requests from the principal.

“I hesitated at first, but I felt I needed to try it at least once to be a better teacher,” Choi said. “Writing student records and dealing with distrusting parents has made it twice as hard as before, but seeing the kids grow gives me some solace.”

The exodus is more pronounced among younger teachers. A 2024 survey by the Seoul Education Research and Information Institute of 2,503 elementary, middle and high school teachers found that 42.5 percent of elementary school teachers said they would change careers if given the opportunity.

The rate was also high among middle and high school teachers — 34.8 percent and 34.7 percent, respectively. Among elementary teachers with 8 to 13 years of experience, over 60 percent said they wanted to leave.

Students and parents listen to an orientation session explaining the Neulbom School child care program at Seobu Elementary School in Daejeon on Tuesday with the start of a new school semester. Starting this semester, first graders can recieve before and after school care services from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in 2,741 elementary schools nationwide. [NEWS1]

Online forums are filled with hundreds of posts asking for advice on switching from teaching to careers like software development, public service or accounting.

One post read, “I’m in my 10th year as an elementary school teacher. Is it realistic to change jobs now?” Another said, “I’ve tried to be content, but I can’t think of a single advantage of this job.” The most suggested alternatives included programming, self-employment and state-run companies.

The trend is believed to stem from a combination of deteriorating working conditions, a perceived collapse in public education and declining teacher authority. The Ministry of Education reported 4,234 cases reviewed by teacher rights committees last year, with 3,925 recognized as violations of educational activities.

But the effectiveness of the so-called “five teacher rights laws” is being questioned.

“Teachers still lack practical tools to protect themselves from excessive complaints or aggression,” said Kim Byung-chan, a professor of education at Kyung Hee University. “The Child Welfare Act should exclude legitimate educational activities from abuse allegations, and the Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers' Status and the Protection of Their Educational Activities should include stronger penalties for false claims or harassment.”

Seo2 Elementary School’s classroom is empty on Sep. 4, 2023, 49 days after a 25-year-old first-time teacher at the died by suicide. The day was dubbed “the day public education stopped,” where the majority of public school teachers called in sick or went on leave to show their resentment against continuing harassment from students’ parents. [NEWS1]

Poor compensation is also a factor. The 2024 education index by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed that entry-level teachers at Korean public schools earn $36,639 annually — 13 percent less than the OECD average of $42,060.

“Society has high expectations for teachers, but they’re underpaid and overburdened by parental complaints,” said Park Joo-ho, an education professor at Hanyang University. “Without better compensation, this problem can’t be solved.”

Some propose reducing teacher college enrollment quotas in line with declining student numbers.

“To prevent another teacher shortage like in the early 2000s, a 12 percent cut in enrollment was agreed,” said Park Ju-hyung, an education professor at Gyeongin National University of Education. “Reducing class sizes to allow teachers to focus more on individual students should also be considered.”

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE AH-MI, LEE CHAN KYU, KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]