20 June 2019

A global survey has found that teachers in Singapore are typically younger and better trained than their peers in other countries, but they also work longer hours.

The 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) showed that Singapore teachers work 46 hours per week in and out of school, compared to the global average of 39 hours per week.

By comparison, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s March statistics, employees in Singapore work an average of 44.6 paid hours per week.

The Ministry of Education’s director-general of education Wong Siew Hoong said that the ministry has put in place a number of initiatives to reduce the teachers’ administrative work.

Seven out of 10 here said that teaching was their first career choice, with more than nine in 10 motivated by the ability to influence the development of children and young people.