Being a teacher is hard, as there are many responsibilities to take care of. Besides educating and caring for students, administrative tasks are also crucial. However, this demanding task can lead to mental exhaustion. Many teachers even have to pay for classroom expenses out of their own pockets. This is why Education Support exists to promote the mental health and well-being of educators.
Their existence has helped many educators’ staff, that is not limited to teachers, but also teaching assistants, staff support, and lecturers. In this article, we will provide you with detailed information regarding them. It includes what they are, their responsibility, and why they exist. Now, you can read throughout the content to know all of that!
What is Education Support?
Education Support is a charity organisation in the UK with a mission to help teachers through wellbeing support programmes. Their helpline services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at no cost. It is especially useful for anyone working in the education fields who need emotional support. They offer counselling and coaching to help educators ease their minds.
Even though their services are free, the counselling sessions are still conducted with qualified therapists. It is available via phone or online, allowing those who need it to catch up faster. Besides mental health aid, this organisation also provides financial assistance. They help cover essential living expenses, such as housing costs, utility bills, and disability-related equipment.
Following this, Education Support publishes the annual Teacher Wellbeing Index. It reflects on the government’s role in addressing mental health issues in the school system. They run campaigns to improve working conditions and raise awareness that mental health support is available for educators.
Organisation responsibilities
As a registered and prominent UK charity organisation, Education Support has had duties over the years to guide teachers. They understand the demanding task that educators have, making them move to help them go through the difficult situation. For that reason, they play a role with huge responsibilities to ensure that workers in the education industry get the needs they want. Here is their duty:
- Supporting mental health: Helping people deal with stress and burnout while working as an educator’s staff.
- Financial assistance: Granting teachers facing financial hardship by assessing the applications fairly, so they can ensure funds go to those with real needs.
- Campaign and advocacy: Raising awareness of mental health in schools and advocating for better working spaces in the education sector.
- Providing training: Giving free resources and learning materials for teachers and leaders to develop themselves.
- Research and policy influence: Through researching, Education Support can push for policy changes in the school system.
Why does Education Support exist?
Education Support exists because it understands the current condition of workers in the education system. This charity organisation was founded in 1877. It was originally known as the Teachers’ Benevolent Fund, with the aim to support teachers in financial difficulty, help widows and orphans of teachers, and provide aid when teachers became ill or disabled.
This dignity focus was based on no welfare system or pensions for teachers. It is unfair because educators are primarily what we need in school to educate the generation. If something goes wrong on their side, they will face it alone without any support system. Not only that, here are more reasons why this charity is here:
Workers are under high pressure.
Those who work in education systems are working under high pressure. No place to tell around them because everyone has their own struggles. This is why Education Support exists to assist teachers who need someone to listen to, or if they need help in finding a strategy to handle students or administration.
Poor mental state affects education quality.
Teachers with a poor mental state will affect their students. For instance, if they are stressed or burn out, the quality of their teaching method will be lower. No matter how good their ways or learning materials are, if they can’t deal with the stress, it will have a big impact on the students’ outcomes.
Prevent a national crisis in schools.
Education Support knows how hard it is to be a teacher. They know the burden each educator has in order to meet regulatory standards. However, with the regular salary they got, it is not comparable. This results in high teacher turnover, which in turn affects students. Therefore, this organisation is here to prevent a national crisis in schools. They help improve education quality across the UK.
To keep great people in this profession
Being an educator requires great people to understand the learning materials, along with handling students and managing the classroom. To keep them in this profession, supporting them fully is the answer. That is why this organisation has been here for over a century to ensure the UK education system remains stable and of good quality.
Well-being is a right.
Regardless of their background and roles, well-being is a right for everyone, including teachers. This means everyone working in education, starting from classroom assistants to headteachers, is eligible to have access to mental support when they need it. For that reason, Education Support is here to ensure those people have access to it for free.
Education Support’s workers' salaries
Even though Education Support is based on charity, the workers who work there are paid employees. However, they also collaborate with volunteers and freelance consultants if there are demands for external trainers. Salaries that have been paid to workers are mainly funded through donations, grants, training income, and partnerships. They don’t collect money from people they help. For the details, here is the approximate salary for such roles per year:
- Counsellors and helpline advisors: £23,000 – £34,000
- Programme managers: £22,000 – £31,000
- Fundraising and partnerships staff: £42,900 – £51,800
- Communications and campaign officers: £26,000 – £41,000
- Researchers and administrative personnel: £19,000 – £45,000
- Senior leadership and operations team: £60,000 – £100,000
Conclusion
Education Support is a reputable charity organisation in the UK. They have a vision and mission to ensure workers in the education field have a stable mental state and a healthy working environment. For that reason, they provide free consultation with a 24/7 hotline that you can call anytime you need.
Despite all the challenges in the school system, teaching and related roles remain in high demand because we always need them to educate our generation. However, even with their importance in society, they are often taken for granted. Fortunately, Education Support is there to assist. If you want to be one of them, you can enrol in a diploma programme with the College of Contract Management. They have such courses that you need to ensure you have a great path in pursuing your dream career. Now, what are you looking for? Let’s join together to have a brighter future!
