Berlin teachers: Two million unpaid overtime annually!

Berlin teachers: Two million unpaid overtime annually!

A current study shows that Berlin teachers do over two million unpaid over -working hours a year. This survey, commissioned by the Education and Science Union and carried out by scientists from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, represents alarming knowledge about the workload of the educators in Berlin. Almost two thirds of the teachers indicate that they regularly do unpaid overtime, a trend that could seriously affect the health and motivation of the teachers. The average of the hours worked exceeds the 1,772 hours prescribed for a 40-hour week by about 100 hours a year.

It is particularly worrying that around 30 percent of full -time forces regularly exceed the statutory working time limit of 48 hours a week. This is not only legally questionable, but also shows the enormous challenges in front of which the teachers are facing. According to the results, teachers who teach at high schools or teach two languages ​​in high schools have the longest working hours.

causes of overload

The causes of this increasing labor intensity are diverse. Lack of staff, a heterogeneous student body and the progressive digitization contribute to an increased workload. Part -time forces in particular who often choose to cope with the high flood of tasks do a disproportionately plenty of unpaid overtime. More than 1,300 full -time positions correspond to the over two million hours of unpaid over -work.

The GEW is therefore urgently demanding a comprehensive recording of the working hours of the teachers and measures to reduce overtime. The deputate system currently only records part of the actual workload, which further increases the pressure on the educators. In practice, this means that teachers are caught in a logically unsustainable situation that endangers their performance in the long term.

health effects and necessary measures

The study warns of the health -hazardous consequences of this systematic overtime. Teachers report on an increase in stress, in particular through digital requirements and new pedagogical fields of work, especially during examination phases. The demands of the GEW include the beginning of a one -year pilot project for digital working time recording. This could help to make working hours more transparent and to offer teachers the necessary relief.

The challenges with which the teachers are faced not only have an impact on their personal health, but also on the quality of the lesson. Missing recovery options during the school breaks and the pressure of an apparently permanent seven days a week are just a few of the points that shape everyday work. The GEW has made the clear requirement that both the Senate and the staff councils have to become active in order to improve working conditions for teachers and to maintain their rights.