Balearic teachers work fewer hours, but they are among those who do the most bureaucracy, preparation and correction.

PalmAlthough teachers in the Balearic Islands are among those who work the fewest hours in Spain—38 hours per week in secondary education and 35 hours in primary education, the lowest level among all the autonomous communities studied (Asturias, La Rioja, Cantabria, Andalusia, the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands, and Catalonia)—they are also among those who dedicate the most time to tasks, according to the TALIS 2024 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), presented this week. This paradox highlights the pressure Balearic teachers are under, especially in comparison with other autonomous communities and the European average. The national average is 40 and 38 hours, respectively, while the EU and OECD only provide data for secondary education: 39 and 41 hours per week, respectively.

In secondary education, 31% of teachers in the Balearic Islands perceive their teaching hours to be excessive, while the national average is 33%. Other regions such as La Rioja (30%) and Cantabria (24%) report lower figures. In primary education, only 26% of teachers in the Balearic Islands believe they teach excessively, placing them below the national average (35%) and clearly below regions such as Asturias (32%) and the Valencian Community (32%).

Regarding lesson preparation in secondary school, 45% of teachers in the Balearic Islands consider this task excessive, above the national average (39%). In primary school, 43% of teachers say that preparation represents a heavy workload, also above the national average (42%). Comparatively, Catalonia registers similar or higher values (39% and 49%), while Cantabria (30% and 35%) and La Rioja (34%) are below. Regarding the correction and grading of work, 54% of secondary school teachers in the Balearic Islands consider this task an overload, coinciding with the national average (54%) and surpassing Asturias (45%). In primary school, 33% of teachers in the Balearic Islands perceive this task as excessive, a figure higher in Cantabria (23%) and identical to that of Catalonia (33%).

The Monster of Bureaucracy

The administrative and bureaucratic burden is particularly high: 68% of secondary school teachers in the Balearic Islands report being overburdened, second only to Andalusia (74%) and higher than regions such as Catalonia (59%) and La Rioja (52%). In primary education, 65% of teachers in the archipelago admit to having excessive administrative tasks, well above the national average (60%) and clearly higher in La Rioja (49%) and Catalonia (50%).

At the international level, Spanish teachers perceive a workload higher than the OECD average in almost all aspects: teaching hours (33% perceive excess), class preparation (39%), marking assignments (54%), and administrative tasks (64%). Countries such as Portugal (77% in marking, 79% in administrative tasks) and Malta (56% in preparation) have similar or higher values, while models with less pressure include Finland (18% in preparation, 40% in administration) and Iceland (31% in administration).

Boycotted classes

The report highlights that approximately 40% of teachers in the Balearic Islands, both in primary and secondary education, suffer from stress related to caring for students with special needs (SES and SEN) and managing classroom discipline. Specifically, 41% of secondary school teachers and 40% of primary school teachers report experiencing this type of stress. The archipelago stands out for its concentration of students with special educational needs and students who are not native speakers or have difficulty understanding the language of instruction, at levels similar to the national average.

Regarding discipline, 45% of primary school teachers and 41% of secondary school teachers suffer from stress while maintaining order in the classroom, while between 27% and 31% of teachers in the Balearic Islands admit to wasting a lot of time in class due to interruptions and instead dedicating it to the environment. Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education at the OECD, points out that "discipline remains a problem in Spain, with bullying and verbal abuse present in many classrooms." Finally, more than 60% of teachers in the Balearic Islands consider administrative tasks to be one of the main sources of stress, reinforcing the idea that bureaucratic burden is one of the main factors affecting teachers' quality of life at work.