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Study: Berlin Teachers Log More Than Two Million Unpaid Hours Annually

The GEW calls for precise workload tracking with increased staffing to ease mounting strain on Berlin’s educators.

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Ein Schüler meldet sich per Handzeichen während eine Lehrerin vor einer digitalen Schultafel im Klassenraum einer 4. Klasse einer Grundschule steht

Overview

  • A University of Göttingen survey of thousands of Berlin teachers during the 2023/24 school year found that two-thirds report unpaid overtime, averaging 2.5 hours per week.
  • Unrecorded extra work totals over two million hours each year, the study says, representing more than 1,300 full-time positions needed to cover the excess.
  • Part-time teachers are disproportionately affected by unpaid overtime compared with their full-time counterparts, heightening risks of burnout.
  • GEW state leader Martina Regulin argues that comprehensive recording of actual working time is essential to secure fair compensation and sustainable workloads.
  • The Greens faction in the Abgeordnetenhaus has backed the union’s demands, putting pressure on the Berlin Senate to introduce staffing and workload reforms.