9th December 2025
New research from DCU Create has revealed alarming levels of stress and burnout among teachers, as the Irish National Teachers Organisation calls on Minister Naughton to establish an independent review of primary teacher workload as a matter of urgency.
The Teacher Occupational Wellbeing Research 2025, published today, is a mixed methods study involving over 1,000 primary and post primary teachers. It found that 86 percent of teachers reported moderate to high levels of personal burnout, 85 percent reported moderate to high work-related burnout and 85 percent identified workload as a direct contributor to burnout. Almost half of respondents also pointed to unrealistic parental expectations, the structure of work and the challenges of supporting pupils with special educational needs as significant factors.
The publication of the DCU research coincides with a major European conference organised by the European Trade Union Committee for Education in Rome this week, where new research on teacher workload across Europe is being examined. The study highlights the growing imbalance between teaching and non-teaching tasks, the rise in unregulated working hours and the hidden nature of much of teachers’ work. It also points to the growing impact of administrative burdens, digital demands, and the complexity of supporting increasingly diverse classrooms. These pressures are contributing to chronic stress, burnout, falling job satisfaction and teacher shortages across the EU.
The union is also calling on Minister Naughton to establish an independent review of primary teacher workload, mirroring the decision taken last Spring by the Northern Ireland Minister for Education who recently published the findings of a similar process. This union call comes at a time when primary and special schools are being asked to implement a significant number of reforms and initiatives, including revised child protection guidelines, new anti-bullying procedures, changes to the assessment of need process, the free school books scheme, hot school meals and the redevelopment of the primary curriculum, without adequate time for professional learning, consultation or collaboration.
Commenting on the DCU and ETUCE research, INTO General Secretary John Boyle said the findings reflect what our members have been reporting for several years.
The intolerable and unmanageable demands being placed on primary teachers by the Department of Education and Youth and its agencies are a primary driver of burnout adding to substitute teacher shortages and long term vacancies. Excessive administrative burdens, curriculum overload, long working hours and a lack of systemic supports are undermining morale and damaging the mental and physical health of our members. Our union is demanding urgent action to change this reality by releasing the workload pressures within Irish primary schools.