Teaching is a noble profession, but it is far from easy. The challenges are many, and sometimes they become insurmountable. Today, in Quebec, teachers are overwhelmed and exhausted. They must increasingly manage overcrowded classes, and follow procedures that consume a ton of time, and they sometimes have the impression that no one is listening to them or understanding them. In schools, there are incidents where students violently attack their peers and even their teachers. Some classes are out of control, with young people displaying the highest levels of disinterest, disobedience, and demotivation. The situation in some places is simply dire. With minimal support/assistance from school authorities and some parents, even the most experienced teachers no longer recognize the classrooms they have walked through for so many years. They have become unmanageable. All of this largely explains why many young people in Quebec are not motivated by the idea of becoming teachers and why we have reached situations like the one at the start of last school year when the government announced a serious shortage of nearly 8,000 teachers.
Why Quebec Teachers Are Quitting Their Jobs 12 Reasons
It is a thorny and complex subject, but essential to address because the very future of our society depends on it.
As a parent living in this province, and through my role as leader of my group, Move to Top, I have witnessed many teachers abandoning this noble profession.
I have worked with many elementary and secondary school teachers in Quebec. Through our discussions and exchanges, I will share with you here some objective reasons to explain why not many people want to become teachers in Quebec, and why nearly 25% of new teachers leave their position after only seven years.1) Insufficient wages for demanding work.
One of the main reasons why teachers in Quebec leave the profession is salary, which is a real problem.
Let us recall that, until now (and for a long time), teachers in Quebec are the lowest paid in all of Canada. However, they are among those who provide (and must provide) the most effort, given the conditions in which they work.
A compilation from the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), obtained in 2023 by Radio-Canada, shows that in Quebec, one in six teachers experiences a salary gap of nearly 20% compared to the rest of Canada, or a salary gap of $16,000, which is enormous.
2) Lack of support from the administration
Our teachers in Quebec often feel isolated and without support from the administration. They often have to deal with difficult situations, such as discipline problems or struggling students, without having the resources to manage them.
3) Work overload due to an increase in the number of students per class.
Overcrowded classes have become the norm in many schools in Quebec. The significant lack of available qualified teachers is resulting in increasingly crowded classes.
It is extremely difficult to manage all these students and meet their individual needs. When you talk to teachers, they are outraged by the situation. And the situation will only get worse because fewer and fewer young people are interested in this field. It is a vicious circle!
4) Classroom discipline problems
Data published in several media outlets have revealed, for this year again, a worrying increase in secondary school failure rates, particularly in French and mathematics.
Lack of student discipline is one of the main causes of this problem, according to our analysis.
Lack of discipline in the classroom is a major challenge for teachers in Quebec. Managing disruptive behaviors is detrimental to the learning of all students and can be exhausting for teachers.
I know teachers who have suffered physical injuries, caused by violent and uncontrollable students in the classroom. Incidents of violence are numerous and some media outlets make a big deal out of them.
5) Lack of professional recognition
We have to be honest about this: teachers are not regarded as they should be by society. Some have even often been regarded badly. They are often perceived as civil servants who earn a good living, who have good holidays, and who do not work much.
But if everyone went into a classroom and saw the hardships these teachers go through to deal with difficult students…we would have a lot more respect for the work they do.
6) Budget cuts affecting resources.
Education is under attack on all fronts.
The education sector in Quebec has experienced multiple budget cuts over the years that have seriously affected schools. In 2024, for example, more than $200 million was removed from the budget, and the cuts have only continued.
Budget cuts in education have had a very negative impact on teachers’ work. Classes are larger in terms of students, resources are more limited, and working conditions are less favorable.
7) Violence in schools
Violence in schools is a worrying reality. Teachers in Quebec sometimes find themselves on the front lines facing violent situations, even those that are dangerous for their safety and victims of their students.
According to a survey conducted this year by the Federation of Public Service Employees, 40% of workers surveyed reported having been victims of psychological violence by students in the past six months. In addition, 35% reported having been confronted with acts of physical violence.
At the end of March, Quebec’s Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced his intention to develop a national strategy to counter the phenomenon of violence in schools. And he said he was “extremely concerned” about this problem.
In such a climate, many teachers may decide to leave the profession, to preserve their safety.
8) Unrealistic expectations from parents
I am a parent, and like everyone else, I want the best for my child, and I expect him to receive the best possible education or upbringing. We are all like that, of course.
Unfortunately, this quest for the best for our children, sometimes coupled with impatience, can push us to adopt attitudes or take actions that can sometimes make life very difficult for teachers in Quebec.
We expect teachers to be both dispensers of knowledge and guardians of discipline, which has become increasingly difficult. We sometimes completely abandon to teachers our role of monitoring and disciplining our children.