Italy
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Italy
Teachers and teaching conditions (TALIS 2024)
  • In Italy, teachers are on average 48 years old, which is higher than the OECD average of 45 years. Since 2018, the share of teachers aged 50 and above has not changed.
  • A large majority of teachers, 67%, have non-teaching work experience (higher than the OECD average: 57%).
  • Schools where more than one in ten students have a first language different from the language of instruction employ 38% of teachers (higher than the OECD average: 25%). The share of teachers who feel they can adapt their teaching to cultural diversity “quite a bit” or “a lot” is 84% (higher than the OECD average: 63%).
  • Nine in ten teachers, 90%, feel they can support students’ social and emotional learning “quite a bit” or “a lot” (higher than the OECD average: 73%).
  • At least one hybrid or online lesson in the last month was reported in schools where 5% of teachers work (lower than the OECD average: 16%).
  • One-quarter of teachers, 25%, report having used artificial intelligence (AI) in their work (lower than the OECD average: 36%).
  • Among novice teachers (with up to five years of experience), 16% have an assigned mentor (lower than the OECD average: 26%). This share increased by 11 percentage points since 2018.
  • A total of 83% of teachers report that the professional learning activities they participated in during the previous 12 months had a positive impact on their teaching (higher than the OECD average: 55%).
  • The most frequent forms of collaboration among teachers include: engaging in discussions about the learning development of specific students (68%), teaching jointly as a team in the same class (62%), and exchanging teaching materials with colleagues (42%).
  • In Italy, 14% of teachers “agree” or “strongly agree” that teachers are valued in society (lower than the OECD average: 22%). This share increased by 2 percentage points since 2018.
  • Two-thirds of teachers, 67%, “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are satisfied with their terms of employment, excluding salaries (similar to the OECD average: 68%). Satisfaction increased by 8 percentage points since 2018.
  • Less than one-quarter of teachers, 23%, “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are satisfied with their salaries (lower than the OECD average: 39%). This share has not changed since 2018.
  • The most commonly reported sources of stress are: having too much administrative work to do (56%), having too much marking (48%), and addressing parent or guardian concerns (48%).
  • The share of teachers who report that, all in all, they are satisfied with their jobs is 96% (higher than the OECD average: 89%). This share has not changed since 2018.
  • Among teachers under age 30, 6% express their intention of leaving teaching within the next five years (lower than the OECD average: 20%).

  • * Estimates for Alberta (Canada), the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway should be interpreted with caution due to higher risk of non-response bias.

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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Who the teachers are

    Teachers are on average older than teachers in most other TALIS countries. (48.3 Years, rank 6/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, more teachers are aged 50 and above relative to other TALIS countries. (48.8 %, rank 6/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Initial and induction training of teachers

    In Italy, less novice teachers had an assigned mentor at the current school. (15.8 %, rank 47/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of recently appointed lower secondary teachers in Italy who reported taking part in either formal or informal induction in their school was among the lowest across countries with available data. (61.5 %, rank 48/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Professional development of teachers

    A large percentage of teachers feel professional development activities in the 12 months prior to the survey had a positive impact on their teaching practices. (82.9 %, rank 6/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Among novice lower secondary teachers in Italy, the percentage reporting that professional learning activities during the 12 months preceding the survey had a positive impact on their teaching was among the highest across countries with available data. (82.6 %, rank 8/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teacher appraisal and feedback

    Compared to other countries participating in TALIS, in Italy, there is a low proportion of eachers who report receiving feedback from external individuals or bodies. (16.8 %, rank 55/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, a low proportion of teachers report receiving feedback from school principals. (59.2 %, rank 55/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Italy has one of the highest proportion of teachers whose school principals report that they are never formally appraised. (24.6 %, rank 3/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers' practices

    On average, teachers in Italy report spending less hours per week teaching. (18.8 Hours/week, rank 50/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers report spending less individual time planning and preparing lessons. (6.3 Hours/week, rank 46/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of lower secondary teachers in Italy who feel confident supporting students’ social and emotional learning “quite a bit” or “a lot” was among the highest across countries with available data. (90 %, rank 7/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers who reported fulfilling their lesson aims “quite a bit” or “a lot” across all seven TALIS areas was among the highest across countries with available data. (74.3 %, rank 7/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    ICT for teaching

    The percentage of lower secondary teachers in Italy working in schools where at least one lesson was taught hybrid or online in the last month was among the lowest across countries with available data. (4.8 %, rank 47/54 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers reporting that they have used artificial intelligence (AI) in their work was among the smallest across countries with available data. (25.4 %, rank 48/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers reporting a high level of need for skills in using artificial intelligence for teaching and learning was among the smallest compared to other countries. (16.3 %, rank 53/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of novice lower secondary teachers in Italy reporting a high level of need for skills in using artificial intelligence for teaching and learning was among the lowest across countries with available data. (14.5 %, rank 52/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teaching students with special needs

    A smaller proportion of teachers report a high level of need to develop their skills to teach students with special needs. (14.5 %, rank 47/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    A higher proportion of teachers in Italy teach in classes with more than 10% of special needs students compared to other TALIS countries. (67 %, rank 6/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, the percentage of lower secondary teachers who feel “quite a bit” or “a lot” they can design learning tasks to accommodate students with special education needs was among the highest across countries with available data. (88.9 %, rank 2/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teaching in multicultural settings

    Italy has a higher share of teachers feeling they can cope with the challenges of a multicultural classroom "quite a bit" or "a lot" in teaching a culturally diverse class. (84.3 %, rank 9/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teacher leadership and autonomy

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers reporting substantial or full autonomy in curriculum implementation while working in schools where they are appraised at least once per year was among the smallest compared to other countries. (61.5 %, rank 48/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of lower secondary teachers in Italy who reported substantial or full autonomy in selecting teaching methods and strategies, and who work in schools with at least annual appraisals, was among the lowest across participating countries. (61.5 %, rank 48/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers' autonomy, collegiality and collaboration

    A high share of teachers report engaging in team-teaching at least once a month. (61.8 %, rank 3/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The average weekly time that full-time lower secondary teachers in Italy reported spending on teamwork and dialogue with colleagues within their school was among the highest across countries with available data. (4 Hours/week, rank 10/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of lower secondary teachers in Italy who reported observing other teachers’ classes and providing feedback at least once a month was among the highest across countries with available data. (17.9 %, rank 9/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers engaging in joint activities across different classes and age groups at least once a month was among the largest across participating countries. (25.2 %, rank 8/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers' satisfaction with their jobs

    A larger proportion of teachers are satisfied with their job relative to most other TALIS countries. (95.6 %, rank 7/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Compared to most other TALIS countries, Italy has a low proportion of teachers who are satisfied with the salary they receive for their work. (22.6 %, rank 47/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Status of the teaching profession

    The share of lower secondary teachers in Italy who “agree” or “strongly agree” that teachers are valued by parents and guardians was among the largest across countries with available data. (81.4 %, rank 8/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of lower secondary teachers in Italy who 'agree' or 'strongly agree' that their views are valued by policymakers was among the lowest across countries with available data. (5.8 %, rank 51/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers' engagement, motivation and drive

    Among novice teachers in lower secondary, the share reporting that teaching was their first career choice in Italy was among the smallest across countries with available data. (49.1 %, rank 48/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers’ working conditions, mobility and risk of attrition

    The average number of hours worked per week by full-time lower secondary teachers in Italy was among the lowest across countries with available data. (32.7 Hours/week, rank 49/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of lower secondary teachers in Italy who "agree" or "strongly agree" that too many change initiatives are introduced at their school was among the smallest across countries with available data. (16.1 %, rank 51/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of lower secondary teachers under age 30 in Italy who intend to leave teaching within the next five years was among the lowest across countries with available data. (6.5 %, rank 51/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teacher stress factors

    In Italy, the share of lower secondary teachers reporting stress from intimidation or verbal abuse by students was among the lowest across countries with available data. (10.9 %, rank 46/55 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of lower secondary teachers in Italy reporting stress from addressing parent or guardian concerns was among the highest across countries with available data. (47.7 %, rank 9/55 , 2024) Download Indicator


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    General findings
    
                            
    • Teachers are aging in many education systems. While the average age of teachers is around 45 years old, more than one out of two teachers are 50 or older.
    • Prior non-teaching work experience is more and more common for teachers. In around half of the education systems, at least one out of two teachers have prior non-teaching work experience.
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    • Around one in three teachers report having used artificial intelligence (AI) in their work, on average across OECD education systems.
    • Many teachers – especially female and experienced teachers – report meeting key lesson aims, though supporting students' social and emotional learning remains challenging.
    Visualisations
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    • The large majority of teachers are satisfied with their profession, which indicates that most teachers find meaning and personal fulfilment in their work. Almost nine in ten teachers report that they are satisfied with their jobs overall.
    • Administrative workload remains a considerable demand for teachers. About half of teachers report excessive administrative work as a source of work-related stress, particularly those with more than ten years of experience.
    • Discipline and behaviour issues as sources of stress are important predictors of teachers’ fulfilment of their lesson aims, their well-being, job satisfaction and their intention to leave teaching. About one in five teachers report experiencing significant disruptive noise and disorder in their classrooms, and the share of time spent on maintaining discipline has increased since 2018.
    • Teachers are spending more time working together compared to 2018. Full-time teachers report spending around 3 hours per week participating in teamwork and dialogue with colleagues. Teachers who report good professional relationships with principals, other teachers, parents and guardians, and students tend to report higher well-being and job satisfaction.
    Visualisations
    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
    
                            
    • Administrative workload remains a considerable demand for teachers. About half of teachers report excessive administrative work as a source of work-related stress, particularly those with more than ten years of experience.
    • Discipline and behaviour issues as sources of stress are important predictors of teachers’ fulfilment of their lesson aims, their well-being, job satisfaction and their intention to leave teaching. About one in five teachers report experiencing significant disruptive noise and disorder in their classrooms, and the share of time spent on maintaining discipline has increased since 2018.
    • Teachers’ satisfaction with their terms of employment (including salary) has increased in many education systems since 2018.
    Visualisations
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    • Mentoring is gaining popularity. About one in four novice teachers (teachers with up to five years of teaching experience) has an assigned mentor.
    • While nearly all teachers participate in continuous professional learning, not all of them find that doing so has a positive impact on their teaching. Just 55% of teachers report that the professional learning activities they participated in during the 12 months preceding the survey had a positive impact on their teaching.
    Visualisations
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    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
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    • Teachers are spending more time working together compared to 2018. Full-time teachers report spending around 3 hours per week participating in teamwork and dialogue with colleagues. Teachers who report good professional relationships with principals, other teachers, parents and guardians, and students tend to report higher well-being and job satisfaction.
    Visualisations
    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
    Click the arrow sign next to the title: arrows to display other variables
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    • Feedback and appraisal are common features of teachers’ professional lives. On average across OECD education systems, 88% of teachers report receiving feedback from their school principal, 61% from assigned mentors and 55% from external individuals or bodies. At the same time, principals report that only less than 6% of teachers are never formally appraised.
    Visualisations
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    Key
    Diagram of funding flows - Italy

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    Key
    Country Reviews for Italy

    Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website for each publication.
    All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html

    Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026.

    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2024 for more details about the data collections.

    For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.