Most public school teachers don't see a future in the profession, with seven in 10 revealing they don't think they'll stay in the job until retirement.
Mid-career professionals were most likely to be uncertain about staying or planning to quit, according to a survey of 8000 public school teachers, principals and other education support staff who are members of the Australian Education Union.
Excessive workloads are the top concerns on educators' minds, with teachers working an average of 12.4 hours of unpaid overtime per week.
More than 80 per cent are unhappy about their salary, which the research paper highlighted does not increase over time like in other comparable professions.
Many also noted a concern with student behaviour, including violence.
AEU Victoria president Meredith Peace said eductors were "bogged down" with admin.
"Without significant and urgent action to retain current staff, the teacher workforce shortage crisis impacting Victorian public schools will get worse," Ms Peace said.
"They report not having the time for doing their key work, including working directly with students, collaborating on teaching and learning, supporting colleagues and planning curriculum."
Ms Peace hit out at the state Labor government, claiming not enough had been done to address shortages such as rolling out retention payments and claimed the education department "dumped" extra regulatory work on staff.
"Salaries in Victorian public schools do not reflect the complexity of teaching or adequately cover the hours worked, and are not competitive with teachers in other states and territories or the private sector," she said.
In 2022, Victorian teachers inked a four-year enterprise agreement that included reduced face-to-fact teaching hours and a two per cent pay rise per year.
Recommendations from the Monash University report were developed with the union and lead researcher Dr Fiona Longmuir said the findings should be a significant concern.
"Principal, teacher and education support staff salaries should be increased by an amount that provides adequate compensation for the critical and demanding work they undertake," she said.
Other recommendations include reviewing leave and conditions, greater flexibility and reducing administration.
