“Just plough on and pretend it’s not happening”: Understanding burnout in teacher educators in Ireland and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Though Teacher Educators play a significant role in teachers’ induction and development at early childhood, primary, secondary, and further education levels, there has been relatively little research into their stress and well-being. This paper offers unique insight into an under-researched area through a mixed methods approach, combining the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), open-ended surveys (N = 154), and long-form interviews (N = 14). Most participants reported moderate to high Work-Related Burnout and Personal Burnout. Although the traditional burnout symptoms of emotional exhaustion were evident, depersonalisation was less pronounced in this educator demographic than in other groups. Burnout was influenced by several interconnecting factors, including work overload, lack of control, feeling undervalued, and external pressures from policy and accreditation processes. Protective factors were also identified, including collegial support, intrinsic motivation, and proactive self-care practices. In combination, these factors counterbalance the stressors but do not act as a ‘cure’.