People who are attracted to teaching jobs are naturally dynamic. They have to manage so many aspects of their pupils' learning, development and lives it is often little wonder they can neglect their own health.

Since 2000, it has been shown by Health and Safety Executive figures that teaching is the most stressful profession in the UK, with almost half of people reporting themselves as ‘highly stressed’. The average profession in the UK sees only 20 per cent of workers classifying themselves as highly stressed.

Last year, statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the number of teachers taking time away from the classroom due to stress had actually increased by ten per cent over the past four years, with 15 councils across the UK actually recording a 50 per cent increase in the number of stress-related absences.

There is no doubt there are many causes of stress in the UK teaching profession. Firsthand research from TLTP Education has shown growing student indiscipline and increasing instances of abuse are taking their toll, while professional considerations such as Ofsted inspections and league tables in which the results may be taken out of the teacher's hands are also a huge source of anxiety.

With so many possible problems it is vital that teachers are aware of the signs of stress. If they are oblivious, the chances are a person will not be able to manage their stress levels effectively and this leads to a higher likelihood they will need time off work to recover.

What is stress? 

Stress is a natural biological response to events that can either make people feel threatened or upset. When something either physically or emotionally dangerous occurs - even if it is an imagined threat - the body's defences respond in a way that is known as the 'fight-or-flight-or-freeze' reaction - otherwise called the stress response.

It is a method or protection and when all is working well, it allows people to stay focused on the task in hand, meet previously unattainable challenges or in emergency cases can save their lives.

However, the stress response can be put out of kilter. Once it activates too many times or over a prolonged period it, can have detrimental impacts on overall wellbeing and go on to affect all aspects of a person's life, including their ability to perform in the classroom.

What are the symptoms?

The signs of stress vary from individual to individual but look out for cognitive issues such as: loss of memory, inability to concentrate, bad judgment, pessimism and worrying.

Behavioural symptoms include: moodiness, agitation, isolation, depression and feeling overwhelmed, eating too much, increased reliance on vices such as smoking and nervous habits such as nail biting.

Although stress is a mental issue it can have physical signs, these include: aches and pains, both diarrhea and constipation, nausea, rapid heartbeat, constant colds and a loss of sex drive.

How do you cope?

Spotting the signs of stress is the first step to dealing with it. There are many factors that will come into play in the management of stress, some which depend on character traits and some which depend on a working environment.

Support network: This can be within the school, but you can also seek guidance from family and loved ones with no experience of teaching. Support creates an effective buffer which protects against a job's stressors, while people who are left isolated are more exposed to them

Self control: Stress is created when control is lost. A person who has the confidence to know they can manage in these situations is less likely to have stress.

Attitude: Optimism can be a great rebuttal of stress.

Experience and preparation: People who are new to teaching may find it hard to see how it is going to get better. At that point, stress can be overwhelming. People who prepare themselves for hard days and weeks are more able to cope with it when it occurs.

There is no doubt about it, teaching jobs are stressful jobs.

The constant threat of inspection, the continued governmental fixation with exam results, the changes to remuneration and the increasingly prominent levels of ill discipline among pupils all add up to make cortisone levels spike before the end of the school day. TLTP Education's own research has shown uncertainty around resource levels and increased workload is creating unhelpful anxiety adding to levels of stress in the profession, while 40 per cent of teachers have been the victims of verbal abused in school.

It is clear there will not be much help from Ofsted or the government in the near future. While teachers' unions threaten industrial action based in large part on the difficult working conditions that many members face, governmental and regulatory advice has been limited.

Education secretary Michael Gove offered a simple reiteration of the existing sanctions teachers can use to curb poor student behavior, while Ofsted has declared it will be focusing on teachers' classroom attire come June.

While the merits of both actions are up for debate, all teachers could agree that more needs to be done to help combat growing levels of stress within the industry that are playing a huge part in scaring many suitable educators away from the classroom. 

To stop the detrimental shift of talent away from teaching jobs, perhaps the more experienced in the profession will need to take matters into their own hands.

Bill Rogers is an international guru on educational behaviour, although he is based in Australia he spends three months of the year working in UK schools, education workshops and seminars and has written books on how teachers can improve their stress levels. He explains there will always be the potential for stress in a role such as teaching, but teachers can learn to deal with it in a more efficient manner.

He writes on the Guardian Teacher Network: "Managing what is naturally stressful in our profession does not mean the absence of tension but our ability to collegially cope with, and support one another in that naturally stressful environment."

To do this, people in teaching jobs must learn to creatively live with natural tension and stress, and mentoring is a great way of doing this.

The primary thing mentoring will bring is support. A teacher who is struggling with high stress levels may often feel as though they are alone. A very challenging class of pupils can bring with it concern and anxiety that sucks the life out of a whole day and stops teachers from enjoying the profession they feel they were born to be in.

If possible, the mentor would be one with a free period in which they can link-up with the stressed teacher and work together to control the class and the stress levels.

"It is this existential sharing; this teaching with them (in their most challenging classes) that enables the sort of collegial trust that can utilise non-judgemental professional self-reflection," explained Mr Rogers.

Mentoring also fosters a different and more productive method of evaluation than simple appraisal - which in itself can be a source of stress. A method that is built out of a collegial culture in which all members of staff share common needs and senior staff can work on tailoring the working environment to these overt needs rather than guessing and tackling assumed needs. If teachers work together they can create a connected and engaged workforce, which will help stressed individuals cope more effectively with their concerns. 
 
It can be more than a simple stop-gap until those responsible at policy level can do anything to lower stress levels in the teaching profession. As things stand, many teachers are bullied in the classroom. Without a supportive network, the stressed teacher may automatically think that is the result of 'poor teaching' and this can exacerbate their concerns with their career choice.

If a collegially supportive school structure exists, teachers can explain problems to other staff, realise it may not be their fault without fear of implied or open censure and find extra confidence to deal with the issues and keep their stress levels from getting out of hand.

It is that time of year again when, as a teacher, you are readying yourself for another exciting year of study. It can be an exceptionally busy time, which is why it is important you get as much planning done ahead of the first bell of the new term. Once that rings, it is very much go, go, go.

This guide will help you get organised, easing you back into the professional mindset after what is always a welcome break. It is time to get focused, so that you begin as you mean to go on – inspired, full of ideas and enthused about teaching.

Establish a thorough schedule

Make the most of the “free time’ you have before your pupils return/start school. Ideally, you should look to put together the most comprehensive schedule possible.

Use your school’s academic calendar as a framework and plan in lessons, events, days of interest and so forth. Anything that will complement your efforts in the classroom warrants being included. The more prepared you are, the easier life will be.

Re-familiarise yourself with your subject

Needless to say you are somewhat of an authority on your subject matter, but even the most enthusiastic teacher will cut down on research while on their summer holidays.

Start small. See what the Department for Education has published, for example, browse through your tweets and treat yourself to the latest books. Then, of course, as you get closer to the start of term, absolutely blitz the curriculum until you are confident you grasp the overall picture.

Create the right kind of environment

If you are lucky enough to have your own classroom, you should look to create an inviting, purposeful and productive environment to be in. It has to have a certain wow factor to it, the kind that pupils can thrive in.

Think about the mood you are trying to create, the equipment/resources you need on hand, the information you want youngsters to see everyday. So, for example, if you’re a history teacher, populate your classroom with artefacts, posters and even furniture that is relevant to what you will be teaching.

Energisers, icebreakers and group contracts

It is all about first impressions, especially if you’ve got an entire new set of students to teach. Begin then with a number of fun energisers and icebreakers, so that you and your pupils can get to know one another.

You should also turn your attention to what is expected of your pupils when it comes to behaviour. The most effective way of getting youngsters to “sign up” to a “group contract” is to give them ownership of it. Steering them in the right direction, so to speak, get them to come up with their own rules. Stick it up in a prominent place.

Establish 'working socials'

Once the new term starts, you’ll find that every hour of your day will be used up. Be it planning, marking assignments, contending with paperwork, observing presentations and taking charge of extracurricular responsibilities, teaching can be a solitary affair.

This can mean you hardly ever get to engage with colleagues, which is why it is important to establish regular socials. This should be twofold – one type should be free of work, while the other should be a “working social”, where, over beers and food, you discuss, share and learn from one another.

An education expert has controversially said that one possible solution in freeing up teacher time and money is to increase class sizes.

Professor Robert Coe, director of the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University, told TES that it is high time a debate was had about class sizes.

Speaking at a Sutton Trust and Gates Foundation conference in Washington DC, US, the academic explained that all professionals involved in education will have to decide whether their priority is better teaching or smaller classes.

His comments come on the back of a new report he co-authored on behalf of the university, which was done in collaboration with the Sutton Trust. The study says that traditional teaching methods should be invested in.

"Unless there is going to be more funding so schools can employ more teachers, we need to consider how staff can have fewer hours in the classroom so they can undergo proper professional development," said Professor Coe in his interview with the news provider.

"People often say, would you rather your child be taught in a class of 15 or 30 and obviously I say 15, but I would much rather have a really good teacher who is not exhausted and really on top of their game every day and have that teacher teach more students."

Those who support this argument point to Singapore as a case in point for "getting over" the question of whether class sizes have a significant impact on the quality of education pupils receive.

The city-state has, for example, larger class sizes than those found in the UK, and, more importantly, that has been far from detrimental. It has, for example, one of the best school systems in the world and consistently tops international performance league tables.

Brad Jupp, education policy adviser to Arne Duncan, US education secretary, told delegates at the conference that it is vital more research is needed to support the argument for large class sizes.

"We looked at different countries around the world that had larger class sizes than the US and we found that only Japan did," Mr Jupp was quoted by TES as saying.

"They allow their teachers more time to collaborate with each other in return for larger class sizes. I am still willing to hear the answer of whether it is a trade off, but we need to explore whether the trade off is worth the payoff."

The challenges of being a teacher are so well-documented that it is any wonder we have teachers. The workload is so severe that it leaves professionals feeling dispirited, stressed and broken. There is also a sense of feeling undervalued, as if their role in schools is purely functional. And, well, there is never a sense of calm in the workplace - changes to education happen far too often for teachers to ever feel stable.

Yet, in spite of that, teachers continue to teach, and year after year, new recruits sign up to teacher training. People stay in the profession and enter, fully aware of how difficult things can be. The reasons for this are many and in this article we take a look at why so many people remain and are impassioned about teaching, despite the obvious drawbacks.

To work with children and make a difference

Making a difference to children and young people and making a real and long-lasting impact on their lives is one of the top reasons for teaching. Appreciating that these are some of the most formative years of a person’s life, being able to inspire youngsters - through one’s subject - is an exceptionally rewarding experience.

To be part of a profession that is varied and fun

No two days are ever the same with teaching, as you’re constantly progressing from one topic to another, engaging with different age groups and dealing with all sorts of situations that emerge (some good, some bad). Add to this the fun and creativity that can be had - and on a regular basis - and teaching elevates itself to an enviable position.

To teach and develop one’s subject and passion

There are a lot people out there whose vocation is not at all connected to what they are passionate about and interested in. And while that may not necessarily be to their detriment - they pursue their interests outside of work - that teachers get to regularly immerse themselves in something they care about is rather special to say the least.

To enjoy a competitive salary and enviable benefits

In short, the financial rewards and benefits that come with teaching can be rather substantial, which, along with job satisfaction, marks the profession out. The average starting salary in England is £24,200 and, depending on the pay policy of the school you work for, your earning potential can improve markedly in a short space of time.

To experience a better quality of life

On the balance of things - the late nights, the stress - this might seem rather weak, but, if you consider it for a moment, you can appreciate the value it brings. Teachers can have a holiday allowance of up to 13 weeks, the job fits into family life and it can be an extremely secure profession to be in.

Most people, in and outside of education, agree that teachers, for the most part, should be and are great models for all learners. This is especially true for teachers imparting their knowledge to children and young people, who are, by virtue of their age, perhaps at their most impressionable and susceptible.

Given that apart from the parents, immediate family and close friends, teachers are the most visible presence in their lives, it’s fair to say that good or bad, you are in your role as an educator going to have some sort of impact on how they see and experience the world in the moment and beyond.

So, what do we exactly mean by a role model? What does this designation actually constitute? At a base level - a dictionary definition that is - it is someone who is “looked to by others as an example to be imitated”. That’s fairly accurate, but the not the complete picture.

A role model also implies being an individual whose behaviour, approach to life and the work they do - and the successes they enjoy - is appreciated by others. Moreover, its inspiring, it’s a standard that people respect and it’s enabling - role models challenge us to be better - to reach for the stars.

Needless to say, that weight of expectation is huge and while it isn’t certainly implied - a teachers are imbued with the responsibility to effectively teach their subject and ensure pupils are knowledgeable and skilled - it is still implicit.

For example, a professional who goes through the motions, hits all the objectives of their subject curriculum and achieves high grades is clearly doing a good job. They’re getting results through a prescriptive and effective approach. Yet, all the while, if lessons are dull, activities bland and enthusiasm absent, the learning experience is going to be less than memorable or impactful.

Conversely, an equally resourceful teacher - who imparts the right knowledge and insight, boosts standards and delivers exam success - can deliver a much more meaningful effect on pupils through more engaging and creative lessons. This goes beyond intended outcomes and that which can be easily quantified. It’s something deeper.

The thing to note is that teachers should actively acknowledge that they are role models and ensure that when it comes to teaching, engaging with students and interacting with other members of staff, that they are at the best, that they live by the values they subscribe to and lead by example. You have to, as a professional, be at the top of your game at all times.

It’s not easy being a role model, but it is so rewarding. Making a difference, whether that’s one pupil commenting on your lesson being the best they’ve had in ages, having a student write you a letter later in life thanking you for being a great teacher or seeing one of your former pupils succeed at their dreams, is all that counts.

Everything leading up to your first proper day as a teacher is challenging, exhausting and at times so difficult that you wonder what sort of daze you were in when you sat down and applied to gain a qualification in the profession.

Yet, as you arrive into your school, on the back of having successfully made it through teacher training, the application process and the interviews, you feel a slight pang of unease, a rumble of sorts in the belly, a brief stutter in your confident stride.

The reality hits you. This is it; the next step, the beginning of a new chapter, a whole new way of working and living. It’s not easy, but with our guide, you can rest-assured that as the bell rings and your pupils settle into the seats, by the time you’ve told them your name, you’ll be more than ready to make a positive difference.

Be the best teacher you can be

Without quite knowing it, children and young people have high expectations not just for new teachers who are starting out, but any teacher they come across for the first time during their entire experience of education. Live up to this - in fact go further.

Now, of course, you’re certainly not going to win any fans after one class, but, if you consistently exceed what they expect, through quality, engaging and creative teaching, you’re well on your way to being the best teacher you can be.

Be a master of your subject

The likelihood is that the subject you’ve chosen to teach is one you are passionate about, knowledgeable of and skilled in. Sure, there are some teachers who opt for a subject that they are good at, but if they are lacking the previous attributes, something is always going to be missing.

In which case, keep on top of new developments in your field, analyse the latest reports, engage with key figures, read new books and never stop asking questions. The deeper and more comprehensive your understanding and abilities are, the more students will get out of it.

Assess your work with reflection and feedback

The only way we’re ever going to learn is to pick up on positive and negative patterns - ask yourself, for example, why one particular lesson always goes down well or why a certain subject, told a certain way leads to apathy?

Through regular assessment - using your own reflective model - and pupil feedback, you can gather the data needed to analyse the good, the bad and even the ugly. Make time for this and you’ll notice things that you’ve previously overlooked or misunderstood.

Get to know your students

This is easier said than done but knowing your students as human beings helps you tailor your teaching, while also giving you insight into their character. You spend a lot of time working with them, after all, so it pays to be informed.

Moreover, you will be more adept at pushing them to go further at the right time, while also supporting them so that even when they’re struggling, they still possess the resolve, the character to succeed. You can’t do this if you don’t really know your students.

It is limiting to think that the most talented and effective teachers come from a highly qualified background, a top educator has said.

Professor Pasi Sahlberg, a renowned Finnish teacher and scholar, told delegates at the Oppi education festival in New York recently that that the assumption all teachers come from top-performing schools is a "dangerous myth".

According to TES, he explained that countries like Finland and Singapore - which are known for their consistently high standard - have an open mind when recruiting trainee teachers.

Professor Sahlberg pointed to the University of Helsinki by way of example, noting that of the 120 applicants for its teaching programme, only a quarter were in the top 20 per cent for academic results.

"Why does the university want to have someone who hasn't got the highest marks in reading, maths and science when there are so many applicants they could easily fill the 120 seats with the best kids there?” the online education news provider quoted him as saying.

"It's because in my country - and also in Singapore, and, as far as I know, in many other places where they are doing well with the teaching profession - the teaching profession is for everybody. It's a completely different idea to saying teaching is only for the best and the brightest who had the highest test scores."

This system goes against some of the approaches adopted by other countries eager to emulate the success of countries like Finland and Singapore.

For example, the UK government announced plans in 2011 to attract “the best graduates”, explaining that this was its way of “raising the status of the profession” and making it more appealing to “top graduates”.

Some of the proposals put forward for doing so, included offering incentives like a £20,000 bursary for those with a first in their degree who signed up to teach maths or science.

As teachers, everyone likes to think they are unique and able to express themselves in a way no one else quite could, and while that might be true for a lot of aspects of the job, there are also a number of universal truths that exist across the whole education sector. 

We take a look at just a few of the things all teachers know to be true about their jobs. 

Teacher voice

You tell yourself when you start out that you won't be like the rest. You'll speak like you normally do and come across as cool and laid back, and then before you know it….boom, teacher voice! Worst of all, it starts to seep into other aspects of your life away from the classroom as well!

Stolen weekends

When you got into this career, you probably thought that one of the real highlights was the fact you had every weekend to yourself. Free from weekend shifts, your Saturday and Sunday were about to become sacred. In reality, the weekend is a time for lesson plans, marking homework and generally prepping for the week ahead. 

Stolen weekends (again)

Even on those weekends when you don't have anything work-related you need to do, your job can steal your weekend. You've spent all day every day Monday to Friday with around 30 people. Now the weekend is here, you're asked to socialise, but all you really want is some time alone with the remote and some snacks. 

Nothing works out as planned

So you've spent all weekend making a wonderful lesson plan that will excite and educate your class on Monday, and you can't wait to show them. Only when you get there, it takes minutes to complete and no one was as enthusiastic as you. Time to think on your feet!

Stationery shops become your new retail therapy

Remember the days when you looked forward to the opportunity to get to the weekend so you could spend your hard-earned cash on shoes, clothes and something for yourself? It all seems a distant memory once you realise there just aren't enough gold stars, crepe paper and felt tip pens in your life. 

Speed eating skills

The lunch hour seemed like such a wonderful and long period of time when you were a pupil, on the other side of the divide. But as a teacher? Well it's a whole different story, with so many different things to get done in that one-hour window. On the plus-side, you've learned that you can legitimately wolf down a good-sized portion of cous cous in a matter of seconds. 

That holiday feeling

When you were a kid, you thought there was no feeling quite like the bell sounding at the end of the last day before summer break. As a teacher, it just gets better. Sure, the public think you get a lot of holidays, but you know you've earned them, and when they roll around, as much as you've loved the last term, you can't wait to just relax. 

Teaching can be one of the very best jobs in the world for those who love to get into the classroom and pass their knowledge on to young minds. But we can all use some help from time to time to make the job that little bit easier, right? 

Here, we take a look at ten of the very best life hacks you can bring into the classroom to make your job just a tad easier. 

Use emails

Emails are almost outdated in the world of social media, but they can be a great way to stay in touch and engage parents. If you're assigning homework, why not send it in an attachment to your parents' mailing list so they always know what's going on? 

QR codes

At a parents' night, some attendees will want to know how they can stay in touch before the next meeting so they are able to keep track of their child's progress. More and more teachers are utilising smart technology and setting up a simple QR code parents can scan to get their contact info.

Technology and learning

It's easy to want to stifle the use of technology, particularly in high schools where smartphone use can be distracting. But why not embrace it? Ask pupils to research online and use their smartphones to actually learn. Chances are they'll be far more engaged this way. 

Apps

Getting control of a class of children is never easy, but you can make it far easier for yourself by downloading apps that set off an alarm when pupils get too loud. It's a far better alternative to raising your voice. 

Reminders

Are your pupils prone to forgetting things? Paper wristbands with reminders them can be not only useful but fun, and students will get used to having reminders on their wrist, meaning they will be far less forgetful in the future. 

Pom poms

Are you always losing your white board eraser at the exact moment you need it? There's nothing worse, but you can rid yourself of this problem by gluing small woolly pom poms to the end of your white board markers. Ready made erasers on top of your markers at all times? Result. 

Hand signals

When you're trying to teach, it can be a pain to have to interrupt a lesson for a pupil to ask if they can go to the toilet, borrow a pencil or have a tissue. So why not use hand signals? A system of different signals for different requests can mean you can continue teaching without having to stop and start all the time. 

Finished drawer

When pupils finish their work, they can often become bored and start distracting others. A drawer specifically for those who finish quickly, filled with craft materials and brain teasers, can be a good idea for occupying them and stopping them from putting others off their work. 

Start the day right

You want to get off on the right foot every day; we all do, and pupils are no different. You can help them start the day with a smile by telling your cheesiest joke each morning, or why not ask each of them to take a turn? It'll make for a fun start to each day. 

White boards

Who doesn't love writing on white boards? Pupils love to copy their teacher, and it can be a great idea to allow them to write on their own personal white boards while you do. These can be made very cheaply as well. Use plastic table cloths from pound shops stretched over cardboard for instant personal white boards.