Nearly 1 in 5 Quebec teachers considering leaving the profession due to workload

One in five Quebec teachers are considering leaving the profession, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE), the federation representing over 60,000 educators across the province.

Of 2,400 teachers surveyed across preschool, elementary, secondary, adult education, and vocational training sectors, 16 per cent said they were either likely to leave or were unsure about staying. Nearly half of respondents reported that high workload was affecting their work-life balance and that their students were not receiving adequate services.

"This excessive workload is not confined to the school setting; it significantly spills over into their personal lives, with many reporting direct impacts on their work-life balance, their health, and their families," the FAE said in a statement.

Despite these concerns, passion for teaching (93 per cent) and relationships with students (83 per cent) remain the top reasons teachers stay in the profession. Anne-Christine Tardif, FAE's vice president for professional affairs, called it a "heartbreaking dilemma" about whether to remain in education.

"We're asking our teachers to work miracles with less and less support. Our working conditions no longer respect human limits," Tardif said. "It's time to act before we lose even more talent."

The survey comes as Quebec faces a shortage of over 3,000 teachers ahead of the upcoming school year, and as political parties prepare for provincial elections in October. The FAE is calling on all political parties and Quebec's next government to reduce workload and class sizes to retain educators.