The Education and Learning Support industry is vital for cultivating the future workforce but suffers from a high turnover rate. Key factors include long working hours due to student/parent correspondence and lesson preparation, and the significant mental strain caused by emotional labor.
This article provides a detailed explanation of the factors leading to high turnover in this industry, examining them from four perspectives: working conditions, compensation/benefits, workload, and career development.
Turnover Rates in the Education and Learning Support Industries (Reference Data)
The turnover rate in this industry consistently exceeds the all-industry average.
| Category | Education and Learning Support Turnover Rate | Average Turnover Rate Across All Industries |
| Annual Turnover Rate | 15.6% (2022) | 15.0% (2022) |
| Turnover Rate within 3 Years (New University Graduates) | 45.0% (March 2022 Graduates) | 33.8% (March 2022 Graduates) |
| Turnover Rate within 3 Years (New High School Graduates) | 52.2% (March 2022 Graduates) | 37.9% (March 2022 Graduates) |
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1. The Issue of Working Hours (Long Hours and Heavy Non-Teaching Load)
The sheer volume of unseen tasks—including lesson preparation, administrative duties, and parental correspondence—beyond direct teaching hours contributes significantly to long working hours.
Peculiarities of Working Hours:
- Normalization of Evening Work: Cram schools and preparatory schools mainly operate from evening to night after students finish their regular school day, leading to irregular life rhythms.
- High Frequency of Weekend Work: Outside of formal schools (kindergartens, etc.), practice exams, special classes, and events are often scheduled on weekends, making it difficult to take time off.
Normalization of Long Working Hours:
- Lesson Preparation and Grading: Beyond classroom time, tasks like researching materials, creating handouts, and grading tests often result in work that is susceptible to being unpaid overtime.
- Event Duties: Preparation for events like field trips, sports days, graduation ceremonies, and recruitment activities (PR/sales) are also included in the job scope, increasing the overall burden.
2. The Issue of Compensation and Benefits (Imbalance Between Pay and Work Scope)
Many feel that the salary level is low despite the required specialization in education, which particularly contributes to the turnover of younger staff.
Relatively Low Wage Levels:
- Mismatch with Expertise/Responsibility: Especially for nursery/kindergarten teachers and junior lecturers at private schools, the salary is often perceived as low compared to the required expertise and heavy responsibility.
- Limited Opportunities for Raises: In smaller organizations or those adhering to public pay scales, individual efforts may not be quickly reflected in salary increases.
Instability of Bonuses and Allowances:
- Bonuses and incentives can be unstable as profitability is tied to student enrollment figures.
- Allowances for being a homeroom teacher or person in charge may be insufficient for the level of responsibility.
3. Workload and Mental Stress (The Burden of Emotional Labor)
Since education involves human development, the job carries immense pressure from a strong sense of responsibility and the need to meet the expectations of students and parents.
Mental and Emotional Stress:
- Maximization of Emotional Labor: The burden of emotional labor is extremely high, requiring employees to consistently maintain enthusiasm, smiles, and a sense of responsibility to meet student and parent expectations.
- Parental Correspondence: Handling demands and complaints from parents regarding student performance and career paths is a major source of mental strain.
Wide-ranging Scope of Duties:
- Normalization of Multi-tasking: Beyond teaching, employees often need to multitask, covering student guidance, career counseling, facility management, inventory control, and sometimes even sales activities, leading to exhaustion.
- Pressure of Guidance: Anxiety over students’ lack of progress and the heavy responsibility of influencing their future can create significant pressure.
4. Issues with Career Development and Training Systems
Despite being a specialized profession, employees sometimes feel that organizational career paths are limited.
Insufficient Training System:
- Especially in smaller cram schools, On-the-Job Training (OJT) for teaching methods and student handling is often not systematic, relying heavily on individual experience and effort.
- Opportunities to learn the latest educational methods and technologies (e.g., EdTech) may be limited.
Feeling of Limited Career Progression:
- If promotion stalls at the instructional level or opportunities to advance from academic staff to managerial positions are scarce, future prospects become unclear.
- Strong Inclination Towards Independence: Many cram school lecturers and English conversation teachers aim to become self-employed or establish their own businesses after acquiring skills, contributing to the high fluidity (turnover).
The Structure of the Vicious Cycle
The Education and Learning Support industry experiences a vicious cycle: “Heavy workload and immense mental strain → Employees feel uncompensated by their salary and become exhausted → Experienced staff quit →Remaining staff must take on even more students and duties.” The biggest cause of turnover is the mismatch between the level of workload and compensation—a mismatch that a sense of mission and passion for the job can no longer cover due to the inherent nature of the “education” profession.
