Working as an Early Childhood Teacher in NZ: Findings from the 2023 Survey

Working as an Early Childhood Teacher in NZ: Findings from the 2023 ECE Quality for Children and Workplace Survey

ABSTRACT

The quality of early childhood education (ECE) is closely linked to the wellbeing, stability, and professional experiences of the workforce responsible for educating and caring for young children. While promotional information about ECE teaching often emphasises the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in children’s lives and work within a rewarding profession, less attention is given to the realities of day-to-day working conditions.

This report presents findings from the 2023 ECE Quality for Children and Workplace Survey, completed by 3,000 staff working in licensed early childhood services throughout New Zealand. The report focuses on teacher mobility, workplace safety, workplace culture, bullying and harassment, and factors influencing employment decisions.

Almost one-quarter of respondents (24%) had changed employers within the previous year. Among those who had left an ECE position, the most commonly cited reasons were a toxic workplace environment (51.4%), low pay (30.9%), and insufficient support for professional growth and learning (22.4%).

More than one-quarter of respondents (28.6%) reported experiencing a physical injury at work during the previous year, while 25.7% reported experiencing bullying or harassment. Respondents’ comments suggest that workplace culture, management practices, staffing pressures, inadequate support, and health and safety issues all influenced their experiences of working in the sector.

The findings reinforce a long-established principle in the international ECE literature: services that support the wellbeing, professionalism, and development of staff are better positioned to provide high-quality education and care for children (Jorde-Bloom, 1988). Strong workforce conditions should therefore be viewed as an essential component of quality provision rather than a separate employment issue.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

This report presents the second set of findings from the 2023 ECE Quality for Children and Workplace Survey, conducted by the Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE).

The survey is conducted every three years and collects information about the experiences of staff working in licensed early childhood services throughout New Zealand. A full description of the survey and its methodology is available on the OECE website.

This report examines:

• workforce mobility and job changes
• reasons for leaving ECE employers
• workplace injuries
• workplace bullying and harassment
• the effects of bullying and harassment on individuals and workplaces.

SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

A total of 3,000 staff working in licensed early childhood services participated in the survey.

Most respondents (92%) worked in teacher-led services, reflecting the largest area of paid employment within the ECE sector. Smaller numbers worked in parent-led and home-based services.

The respondents were predominantly experienced educators:

• 67% had worked in ECE for more than 10 years
• 83% were ECE-qualified and certificated teachers
• 5% were primary- or secondary-qualified and certificated teachers.

Respondents came from both the private (63%) and community-based (37%) parts of the sector.

1. WORKFORCE MOBILITY

Changing employers

Respondents were asked whether they had changed jobs during the previous year to work for a different ECE employer.

Almost one-quarter (24%) reported that they had changed employers at least once during the previous 12 months.

This figure represents a substantial level of workforce movement. It is important to note that the proportion does not include individuals who retired, moved overseas, or left the ECE sector altogether. Consequently, overall workforce turnover across the sector may be higher than this figure suggests.

2. WHY DO STAFF LEAVE THEIR ECE EMPLOYERS?

Respondents who had changed employers were asked why they left their previous position.

The five most commonly reported reasons were:

• Toxic workplace environment (51.4%)
• Better pay or higher wages (30.9%)
• Lack of support for professional growth and learning (22.4%)
• More flexible hours (18.0%)
• Shorter hours (13.9%)

Workplace culture

The most frequently reported reason for leaving was a toxic workplace environment – this may include exclusion from decision-making, lack of support from management, and experiences of bullying or harassment. This finding suggests that workplace culture is a significant factor influencing workforce retention in ECE.

Remuneration

Low pay remained an important reason for leaving. Nearly one-third of respondents who changed employers identified salary as a contributing factor. This finding is consistent with previous research highlighting concerns about pay parity and differences in remuneration across parts of the ECE sector.

Professional growth and learning

A lack of support for professional development was the third most common reason for leaving – this may include limited opportunities for mentoring, professional learning, leadership development, and career progression.

3. WORKPLACE INJURIES

How common were workplace injuries?

Respondents were asked whether they had experienced a physical injury at work during the previous year.

More than one-quarter (28.6%) reported experiencing one or more workplace injuries.

This finding suggests that physical safety remains a significant workplace issue for a substantial proportion of ECE staff.

Types of injuries reported

Analysis of respondents’ comments identified four broad sources of injury:

Injuries arising from interactions with children

Some respondents reported injuries resulting from aggressive behaviour, challenging behaviour, or incidents involving children requiring high levels of support.

Examples included:

• Back injury after having a bike thrown at me by a high needs child.
• Black eye due to thrown toy hitting me as I jumped between a disruptive child and children around them. I was trying to keep everyone safe.
• A child attacked me, pulled a handful of hair out and bit me.
• A child threw a rock and hit my head.
• I was rammed by a trolley and caught in the crossfire of agitated children.
• Torn tendons in my arm and suspected hair line fracture from supporting an autistic child feeling overwhelmed, he was 5.5 years, I am 5 feet.
• I kicked a table trying to keep children from running around, and I broke 2 toes.

Manual handling injuries

Respondents reported injuries associated with lifting, carrying, or supporting children.  Examples included:

• I had to lift a diverse learner who is very heavy and still in nappies at almost 5 years to change him and I slipped a vertebra. This was exacerbated by having to lift the same child off another child to keep them safe.
• When I put the babies in a rolling cot during the fire alarm, I injured my arm and shoulder.

These comments suggest that manual handling risks may be heightened when staff support larger children, children with additional needs, or children requiring physical assistance.

Environmental hazards

Respondents described injuries linked to, poorly designed environments, slippery surfaces, playground hazards, damaged equipment, and inadequate storage arrangements.  Examples included:

• Bumped my head on play equipment. I didn’t duck down enough to get under it.
• A heavy box of resources fell on my foot from a shoulder-height shelf.
• I missed a step and hurt my back and hurt my foot while opening a gate.
• I tripped over a trike in the playground and fell with my ribs landing on some concrete steps.
• I sprained my ankle and back when trying to save children from rolling down our steep walkway to the playground.
• I stopped a baby falling down the stairs in a trolley but I hit the concrete with the full force of my head which bounced up and slammed down again. I have a head injury and extensive facial and side of body bruising.

Maintenance and infrastructure issues

Several respondents described injuries associated with deferred maintenance, worn equipment, damaged flooring, broken fixtures, or other hazards that had either not been identified or had not been addressed promptly.   Examples included:

• Opening the garage shed, the spring flicked off and wrenched my shoulder.
• I sunk into bark in the playground area and sprained my ankle. The bark was muddy and needed a top up.
• A thoracic sprain in my back from lifting children up and down due to broken nappy change table stairs.
• I damaged my back trying to pull out the change table stairs – it jams sometimes.
• I tripped over a huge lump from carpet that should have been repaired. I got concussion and many bruises. Had a couple of days off work but concussion affected me for a month or two.

Workplace responses to injuries

A further theme emerging from the comments concerned organisational responses after injuries occurred.  Some respondents reported concerns previously raised but not addressed, pressure to return to work before fully recovering, and difficulties accessing support following injury.  Examples included:

• I broke my ankle due to inadequate matting near the sink – it was a car carpet with no non-slip backing. I raised it as a safety concern two weeks prior and was told it wasn’t an issue. I was then pulled into a HR meeting about being off for five weeks (though it was recommended by the doctors to have longer off) and I had to return to work earlier due to their staffing issues.
• I pulled a calf muscle.  It happened in front of the manager and area manager and they did nothing until I literally yelled out that I cannot walk. They sent me home, then they got upset when I didn’t come in next day even though I had been put off work on ACC.
• I strained my back by having to catch a child who threw themselves off a big climbing box straight at me. I twisted to catch them … off work for 10 days and used my entire sick leave.

Together, these comments suggest that injury prevention and post-injury support warrant further attention within some services.

4. BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

Prevalence

One-quarter (25.7%) of respondents reported experiencing bullying or harassment in the previous year.  This finding indicates that bullying and harassment remain significant workplace issues within parts of the ECE sector.

Sources of bullying and harassment

Respondents reported bullying from managers and service leaders and colleagues – often this was embedded in organisational systems and workplace cultures.

A recurring theme was a perceived imbalance of power between staff and those in leadership positions.

Several respondents described feeling unable to raise concerns about children’s wellbeing, staffing, or workplace practices because they feared negative consequences for their employment.

Forms of bullying

Respondents described a wide range of behaviours, including intimidation, exclusion from decision-making, unequal treatment, public criticism, unreasonable workplace expectations, discrimination based on personal or cultural characteristics, and retaliation after raising concerns.

• When you question the centre manager and upper management there is always some forms of bullying and harassment. As a teacher you have less power to say anything or act as you risk losing your job and teaching practising licence.
• My previous workplace did not like that I pointed out safety and environment concerns. I felt unsafe and made it known. Bullying started from there and I was forced to resign.
• It came from management and trickled down. The boss had favourites. I was bullied until I left that centre. Nine teachers left in 1 1/2 years. Terrible place.
• Rules seem to change depending on what staff they are being applied to. Arriving 10 to 15 minutes before opening time, unpaid, to set up for the day but demand that I am not allowed to leave 5 minutes early if children are all gone without losing pay. 
• The head teacher will often try and get me to do most of the lifting jobs while she just walks around pretending to pick things up the desks. I believe this might be because I am from another culture. She has also remarked about my religion stating that what kind of a follower follows someone that is nailed on a cross.
• Management was harder on me than others when it came to doing the work. There were some teachers that could just refuse to do work and get away with it. This manager has an approach of asking how the person is and how are things going only to then rip into them.

The findings suggest that bullying was not limited to interpersonal conflict but could also be embedded within workplace structures and management practices.

5. EFFECTS OF BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

Respondents described impacts on their:

(a) Personal wellbeing

Reported effects included: stress, anxiety, depression, loss of confidence, and reduced satisfaction with teaching. Several respondents described significant impacts on their physical and mental health.

(b) Family wellbeing

Some respondents reported that workplace stress affected relationships and family life outside work.

(c) Employment decisions

Bullying and harassment contributed to staff leaving workplaces, changing employers, or considering leaving the ECE profession altogether.

Examples included:

• Another teacher noticed the bullying and told me quietly that she can’t do/say anything to support me because she “needs to play the game” and keep quiet.
• Often being blamed for things that had nothing to do with me, and I knew nothing about. Manager changing my hours overnight as a punishment for things that I knew nothing about. I went home and cried most days. I was so close to leaving ECE for good.
• Constantly being picked on, tone of voice (yelled at). I felt anxious and would not go into work until start time as I did not know what the atmosphere was going to be like from one day to the next.
• The head teacher had enormous stress placed on her, and her attitudes towards teachers were very nasty. It made me feel that I’m not good enough. Sometimes my colleague cried on phone calls to me.
• High expectations of management, they were bullies, toxic, and only money focused. Owner abused me for contacting a friend in another one of their centres. I ended up in hospital with cardiomyopathy, bought on by extreme stress.
• I was bullied out for speaking up for myself, colleagues, and children. I now suffer with anxiety and depression, and as a result I struggle financially.
• My stress levels are high and this has impacted on how my family is.

DISCUSSION

The findings indicate that workforce wellbeing remains a critical issue within the ECE sector.

Nearly one-quarter of respondents changed employers during the previous year, while workplace culture emerged as the most frequently reported reason for leaving. Workplace safety concerns were also evident, with more than one-quarter reporting workplace injuries and a similar proportion reporting bullying or harassment.

The findings reinforce previous research suggesting that the quality of children’s experiences is closely connected to the conditions experienced by the adults responsible for their care and education. A workforce that is well supported, adequately resourced, physically safe, professionally respected, and able to participate in positive workplace relationships is more likely to sustain high-quality practice.

The survey results suggest that efforts to improve ECE quality should not focus solely on curriculum, regulation, or service provision. Attention must also be given to workforce conditions, including workplace safety, organisational culture, remuneration, staff retention, and professional development opportunities.

CONCLUSION

The 2023 survey provides important insight into the experiences of those working within New Zealand’s ECE sector.

Key findings include:

• 24% changed employers during the previous year
• 51% of those who left cited a toxic workplace environment as a reason
• 29% experienced a workplace injury
• 26% experienced bullying or harassment.

Taken together, the findings suggest that many ECE staff experience challenges that affect both their wellbeing and their ability to remain in the profession.

Improving workplace culture, strengthening health and safety practices, supporting professional growth, reducing workforce instability, and ensuring equitable remuneration are likely to benefit not only teachers, but also the children, families, and communities they serve.

REFERENCES

Jorde-Bloom, P. (1988). A great place to work: Improving conditions for staff in young children’s programs. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Office of Early Childhood Education. (2023). The quality of early childhood education provided to children: Three-yearly teacher survey results. https://oece.nz/public/evidence/reports/survey-ece-quality-provided-to-children