Problems faced by teachers working in private schools and solitions

The purpose of this research is to deeply examine the problems and solutions experienced by teachers working in private schools. This study was conducted to reveal the problems experienced by teachers working in private schools, to offer solutions to the problems and to ensure that teachers work in more comfortable conditions. This study was conducted within the scope of qualitative research and the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research method designs, was used in the study. The study group of the research was determined with the purposeful sampling method sampling technique. The study group of the research consists of 16 teachers working in the central district of Osmaniye province in the 2023-2024 academic year. A semi-structured interview form was used as the data collection tool in the research. The interviews were conducted in the institutions where the teachers worked on the days and hours they wanted. The participants were asked to answer the interview questions sincerely and sincerely. Each interview lasted an average of 45-60 minutes. The data obtained as a result of the studies were analyzed according to the descriptive perspective. When the data were analyzed as a result of the research, the participants first expressed the concept of teacher as preparing for life, mother-father, and sacrifice. As a result of the research, the participants stated that working conditions in private schools are intense, difficult and unfair. The participants described being a teacher in a private school as a caretaker, life coach, slave and worker. The participants stated that working in a private school was not their own choice but they made such a decision because they had to. Half of the participants stated that they were thinking of quitting teaching and doing something else. The teachers who participated in the research stated that they encountered problems with parents, school administration, colleagues, students, economy, sociological and psychological problems while working in a private school. The participants stated that the problems they encountered in terms of parents were; not knowing the student, not cooperating with the teacher, keeping the expectation of student success high, expecting everything from the teacher because they paid him. The teachers who participated in the research stated that the school administration made the teachers work very hard, but did not reward their efforts, did not take responsibility and did not value the teachers. The teachers who stated that they did not have a social life because they were at school all day and could not spend time with their families stated that they saw each other as competitors and that there was a lot of gossip about their colleagues. The problems that the participants encountered in terms of students include students not wanting to study, high absenteeism, and also having disciplinary problems and the idea that students will not have a problem passing a grade because it is a private school. The teachers who participated in the study stated that the salaries were very inadequate and were not paid on time. The participants stated that they worked under intense stress, that they were seen as unemployed teachers because they worked at a private school and that they were not valued as much as public teachers. In addition to these problems mentioned, the participants also stated that they had anxiety about the future and that they could not go beyond the curriculum determined by the school. The teachers who participated in the study made the following suggestions in order to solve the problems encountered: Parents should be informed, school management should be fair, school, family and student unity should be ensured, daily working hours should be shortened, a base salary should be implemented, social events should be organized among teachers, contracts should be protective of teachers, awareness should be created in the society regarding the respectability of the teaching profession, help should be sought from an expert in psychological problems, and inspections of schools should be carried out without notice and strictly. This study; It is important to obtain data directly from the source, to reveal problems and to suggest solutions to these problems. In this context, it is thought that the research will play a role in revealing and solving problems, can guide future research and contribute to closing the gaps in the relevant field in the literature.