Belgian teachers experience high levels of stress due to administrative overload and shifting government policies, according to the latest TALIS survey by the OECD.
Seventy per cent of lower secondary school teachers report stress from excessive administrative tasks. Another 59% cite adapting to changing requirements from different levels of government as a significant source of stress.
On these issues, Belgium performs worse than the OECD average. One in five Belgian teachers feels intense professional stress – a figure close to the international average of 19%.
Despite these pressures, 90% of Belgian teachers say they are satisfied with their jobs, in line with the OECD average of 89%.
Notably, 69% are satisfied or very satisfied with their salaries, compared to just 39% across the OECD. Teacher satisfaction with remuneration in Belgium has risen by five percentage points between 2018 and 2024.
However, only 15% of teachers believe society values their profession, compared to 22% on average in OECD countries. Just 13% feel their contributions are acknowledged by policymakers.
The study also highlights the growing diversity in Belgian schools. Fifty-six per cent of teachers work in schools where more than 10% of students have a first language different from the language of instruction—more than double the OECD average of 25%.
Furthermore, 76% teach in schools with over 1 per cent of refugee students, compared to an OECD average of 47%. Since the 2018 TALIS survey, these figures have risen by 18 and 19 percentage points, respectively.
