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Occupational Stress Research

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #303 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 37.6/100. The biggest exposure is precision and monotony.

Composite stress score

37.6/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#303 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

4.4% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #303 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 37.6/100 against a national average of 47.4.

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages 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 demands29.1 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden54.8 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands38 vs 56 avg
Lack of control17.4 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony57.2 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment29.3 vs 38.2 avg

Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.

What drives the score for teachers of english to speakers of other languages

The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (38 vs 56), precision and monotony (57.2 vs 67.7) and physical environment (29.3 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.

See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.

The biggest stress factors for teachers of english to speakers of other languages

  1. 1Responsibility burden

    Coordinate or Lead Others

    83.2/100

    All-occupation average: 64.9

  2. 2Physical environment

    Physical Proximity

    79.5/100

    All-occupation average: 61.1

  3. 3Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    72/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

  4. 4Pace and demands

    Frequency of Decision Making

    66.5/100

    All-occupation average: 70.7

  5. 5Responsibility burden

    Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

    65.8/100

    All-occupation average: 70.4

All 22 stress factors for teachers of english to speakers of other languages

The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.

Emotional demands

29.1 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People15 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People32.2 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations40 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

54.8 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results55 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety45.8 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results65.8 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error24.2 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others83.2 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

38 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure55.2 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week20.5 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment2.2 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making66.5 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition45.5 vs 52.4

Lack of control

17.4 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions19 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work15.8 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

57.2 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks42.5 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate72 vs 78.6

Physical environment

29.3 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable31 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting8 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures9 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections19 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity79.5 vs 61.1

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

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages: how stressful is the job?

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages rank #303 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 37.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 4.4% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for teachers of english to speakers of other languages?

The highest-scoring hazards are coordinate or lead others (83.2/100), physical proximity (79.5/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (72/100).

Which stress factors are lower for teachers of english to speakers of other languages?

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages score below the national average for emotional demands (29.1 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (54.8 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (38 vs 56 average) and lack of control (17.4 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (57.2 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (29.3 vs 38.2 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 teachers of english to speakers of other languages. 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.

Clearhead Psychosocial Risk Pulse Tool

Know your industry's risks. Then measure your own.

Population-level data shows where the hazards concentrate — but psychosocial risk legislation requires you to identify and manage the risks in your own workforce. Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse gives you that evidence, quarterly.

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