Quick answer: Middle School Teachers (Aus) \ Intermediate School Teachers (NZ) are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #123 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 49.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and physical environment.
Middle School Teachers (Aus) \ Intermediate School Teachers (NZ) stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands58.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden62.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands56.1 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control19.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony55.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment46.8 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz)
Compared with the average Australian occupation, middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz) score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (58.3 vs 37.9 average), physical environment (46.8 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (62.2 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is duration of typical work week at 88.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 62.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (55.8 vs 67.7) and lack of control (19.9 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz)
- 1Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
88.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 2Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
86.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 3Emotional demands
Frequency of Conflict Situations
77.2/100
All-occupation average: 49.3
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
74.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
72.8/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
All 22 stress factors for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz)
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
58.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People29 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People68.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations77.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
62.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results52.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety59.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results74.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error38.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others86.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
56.1 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure69.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week88.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment0.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making70 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition52.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
19.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions19.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work20.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
55.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks41.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate69.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
46.8 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable72.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting16.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures21.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections53.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity70 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz) map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Middle School Teachers (Aus) \ Intermediate School Teachers (NZ): how stressful is the job?
Middle School Teachers (Aus) \ Intermediate School Teachers (NZ) rank #123 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 49.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 61.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz)?
The highest-scoring hazards are duration of typical work week (88.5/100), coordinate or lead others (86.8/100) and frequency of conflict situations (77.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz)?
Middle School Teachers (Aus) \ Intermediate School Teachers (NZ) score below the national average for lack of control (19.9 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (55.8 vs 67.7 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for middle school teachers (aus) \ intermediate school teachers (nz). Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.