9 Signs You're Quiet Quitting TEFL
Low pay, poor management, creeping burnout... why are you coasting along?
Have you noticed a colleague doing the minimum work to not get fired?
They’re quiet quitting, a term that started in March 2022, and means staff doing the bare minimum not to get fired. So you’ll do what’s in your contract and nothing else - no extra hours, overtime, volunteering or asking for extra responsibility.
While it started as an accusation that employers used to guilt-trip people into working harder by shaming them, it quickly flipped. People started asking why employees would give up and resign themselves to doing the bare minimum.
It became clear that quiet quitting is a response to bad management.
Whether that bad management is expecting employees to donate their free time, creating a toxic environment, or paying well below the average (or all three!), quiet quitting is often the only way staff can protest and keep their income while looking for another job.
“Quiet quitting is less about intrinsic motivation — and more about the manager's ability to build a relationship that makes an employee want to stay.”
The effects of quiet quitting
Effects on you
Quiet quitting can lead to a range of emotions. For some, it brings a sense of freedom and control over their work and personal life.
By not overextending themselves, teachers can avoid burnout, reduce stress, and enjoy a healthier work-life balance. However, they might also feel guilty or fear being perceived as lazy or less dedicated compared to colleagues who continue to work beyond their paid hours.
Effects on colleagues
Quiet quitting can create mixed reactions.
On one hand, it may inspire others to set healthier boundaries, fostering a more balanced and sustainable work environment. On the other hand, it could lead to perceptions of shirking responsibilities, especially in environments where overworking has become the norm.
This shift can also place additional pressure on those who continue working overtime, potentially leading to resentment and a divided workforce.
So, what do you look for to spot a quiet quitter (even if that might be yourself)?
1. Sticking to contracted hours
You strictly adhere to your scheduled hours, arriving and leaving exactly on time. There’s no more staying late or coming in early without compensation.
2. Minimizing extracurricular activities
You’ve stepped back from volunteering for extra-curricular activities or school events that aren't compensated.
3. Efficient lesson planning
You’ve become adept at lesson planning, ensuring all your work is done within your paid hours, reducing the need for extra time spent outside of school.
4. Reusing materials
You frequently reuse and repurpose teaching materials to save time and effort, focusing on efficient preparation rather than creating new resources from scratch each time.
5. Prioritizing personal time
You clearly distinguish between work and personal time, ensuring that work does not encroach on your evenings, weekends, or holidays.
6. Limiting communication outside hours
You avoid checking and responding to work emails or messages outside of your contracted hours, maintaining a clear boundary between work and personal life.
7. Focusing on the classroom
Your primary focus is on what happens inside the classroom. You dedicate your energy and enthusiasm to teaching, ensuring that students receive quality education without letting administrative tasks overwhelm you.
8. Asking for help
When administrative tasks become too overwhelming to complete within your paid hours, you ask for help or push back on unrealistic expectations.
9. Practicing self-care
You prioritize self-care activities and hobbies that rejuvenate you outside of work, recognizing the importance of maintaining your well-being.
A way to protest
Quiet quitting can be seen as a silent form of protest against unfair work practices. By working only their contracted hours, teachers are signalling that their time and work deserve respect and proper compensation. This approach can push for systemic changes that promote fair work practices and help prevent burnout.
Final thoughts
Quiet quitting is not about doing the bare minimum but about reclaiming balance and fairness in the workplace.
For TEFL teachers, it means dedicating their professional time to what truly matters — the students — while ensuring their personal well-being is not compromised. By setting and maintaining clear boundaries, teachers can continue to bring passion and energy to their work without succumbing to the pressures of unpaid overtime.
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TEFL teachers are paid for the hours they teach. That means that everything else we do is our private time. It's not so easy to set boundaries when you bring work home. TEFL teacher's don't get paid for lesson preparation, homework correction and other tasks done outside the classroom. Since most of us work on a freelance basis, there's not much we can change. Quiet quiting is the only way to avoid burnout. I used to spend hours of my weekend and evenings working. Time I should have been using to spend time with my kids or my husband. I regret that now.
Teachers have so many valuable skills; we are masters of communication, empathy, people management, time management and problem-solving. These are skills that the corporate world would happily pay for (especially in the Age of AI).
My advice: Learn how to package and present those skills effectively. Your expertise is worth so much more than just what happens in the classroom.
So if you’re feeling like you’re just going through the motions, it might be time to seek out opportunities where your talents are truly appreciated—whether that’s inside or outside the classroom.
Your skills deserve to shine, and you deserve to get paid your worth!