The Barometer of the teacher well-being in Romania (2026)

This study investigates the well-being of teachers in Romania’s pre-university education system through a nationwide survey of 1,518 early childhood educators, primary school teachers, and secondary school teachers working in kindergartens, primary and lower secondary schools, and high schools across both urban and rural areas. The research was based on a three-component conceptual framework comprising: (1) the professional climate; (2) well-being drivers, operationalized using David Rock’s SCARF model (2008), which includes Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness; and (3) well-being itself, measured through five indicators: job satisfaction, health, emotional well-being, stress, and burnout risk. To provide context for the findings, teachers’ responses were compared with those of a sample of 305 family physicians and a representative sample of 1,078 economically active urban residents aged 18–65.

The findings indicate that teachers report levels of job satisfaction and overall well-being comparable to those of family physicians, but significantly lower work–life balance than the economically active urban population. At the same time, teachers experience higher levels of stress than family physicians (51% vs. 45%) and substantially higher levels than the economically active urban population (26%). They also report a higher risk of burnout (14% compared with 10% among family physicians). The average SCARF Index score is 33%, with the lowest scores recorded for the Status and Fairness dimensions. Approximately 38% of teachers report that they frequently consider leaving the profession, an intention that is strongly associated with the frequency of stressful situations and excessive administrative workload. The findings point to several priority areas for intervention, including reducing administrative burden, strengthening both the financial and societal recognition of the teaching profession, and fostering teachers’ socio-emotional competencies.