You Won't Be Bored Teaching

31 July 2006
Training And Development Agency, UK

According to the first Workforce Boredom Index produced by the TDA, half of graduates working in a range of professions are regularly bored at work.

Graduates working in administration, manufacturing, sales and marketing are likely to be wishing for something to make their working days more interesting.

Administrative workers are particularly bored. The dynamic image of marketing / advertising jobs does not appear to reflect reality, as many are tired of the daily grind.

Teachers have identified themselves as the least bored profession - reinforcing previous research by the TDA, which found that teachers demonstrate high levels of enjoyment, concentration and absorption in their daily tasks.

When asked why they find their job interesting, 81 percent of teachers surveyed said it is the challenge of the role, 81 percent because no two days are the same, and 86 percent said they enjoy the interaction with people. Sixty four percent also rate highly the opportunity to use their creativity.

Graduates who were bored said it was because of the lack of challenge in their jobs (61 percent), while not using their skills or their knowledge makes life tedious for 60 percent. The boredom of doing the same things every day (50 percent) is also to blame.

Half of those employees who are bored have considered changing their profession in the last year, and teaching is the most popular choice - 12 percent identified teaching as their first choice of next career.