HELSINKI, 7 October 2025 – Most Finnish lower secondary teachers are satisfied with their work, though rising stress and evolving classroom challenges are shaping their professional experience, according to the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2024).
“Finnish teachers continue to enjoy their work, but the growing diversity in schools and the increasing need for student support are creating new challenges,” the Ministry of Education and Culture said in a statement Tuesday.
The survey, conducted across 53 countries and territories, included responses from 4,300 Finnish lower secondary teachers and 226 principals. It examined teacher wellbeing, working conditions, school leadership, teaching practices, and professional development.
According to the survey, 89 per cent of Finnish teachers agreed that the advantages of being a teacher outweigh the disadvantages, compared with the OECD average of 74 per cent. However, job satisfaction in Finland has declined in recent years, dropping from 91 per cent in 2013 to 85 per cent in 2024, below the OECD average of 89 per cent.
Teachers reported growing professional learning needs, including using artificial intelligence, supporting students with special educational needs, fostering social and emotional development, and teaching in multicultural and multilingual classrooms.
Collaboration among teachers has increased over the past decade. Team teaching, for example, grew by 15 percentage points between 2013 and 2024. Teachers said students and staff generally get along well, and parents often value their work more than their OECD peers reported.
Finland also participated for the first time in the TALIS Starting Strong module, covering early childhood and pre-primary education. Results from that survey will be published on 2 December 2025. National reports on both lower secondary and early childhood education will be released by January 2026, the Ministry said.
The Ministry plans to discuss the TALIS 2024 results at a national seminar in January 2026, with details to be announced later. OECD thematic reports on topics such as sustainable development and school leadership will follow.
