Teacher Support Line (TSL), the national 24-hour information, support and counselling service for teachers, is four years old. To mark this, the Teacher Support Network, which is responsible for TSL, recently published 'The Story So Far: Teacher Support Line Four Years On'.

Teacher Support Line is a service to be proud of. It's certainly the largest occupational counselling service of its kind in this country and as well as TSL England, our Teacher Support Network has set up teacher support organisations in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and have even begun building up a Teacher Support Network in the USA.

The aim of TSL, as the Teacher Support Network explains, is to: 'provide the support and back-up that teachers need to work productively and happily in a challenging environment. The importance of Teacher Support Line goes far beyond the thousands of individuals it helps each year.'

Another clear aim of TSL is to help facilitate 'focused teaching and learning'. After all, this is what has to be at the heart of learning communities. If we can eliminate the extraneous concerns of teachers relating to their jobs, we are far better placed to help them to do what they love doing most: teaching young people.

Before you read any further, don't be alarmed that TSL even exists. That there's a need for TSL should never put you off entering the profession. The fact that teachers are using the support that's available to them is actually a very healthy sign. Since its launch in September 1999, TSL has helped more than 76,000 teachers. In 2003, 78 per cent of all calls were work-related, which, according to TSL, is very high for a counselling service of this kind.

Key concerns
The calls that are made to TSL are analysed so that a clear picture of the issues that teachers are dealing with can be created. Over the last four years, TSL has built up an immense amount of information on the emerging hot spots in teachers' experiences of work. Here are just some of the findings in the report:

• There has been a rise in the number of callers in the 21-35 age group.
• 60% of callers came from the 36-60 age group.
• Although far more women than men called TSL, this isn't surprising because women make up 54% of the staffing in schools. However, TSL points out that it is unusual for so many men to call a workplace counselling service.
• Just 4.3% of all calls are related to pupil behaviour.
• Stress from Ofsted inspection still appears to be causing concern for a number of teachers.
• 'Conflict with manager' is a significant cause for concern among teachers.
• Stress, anxiety and depression account for 10 per cent of all calls.
• 4.8% of all calls presented concerns about workload.
• 2.1% of all calls cited job dissatisfaction as a cause for concern.
• In 2002-2003, TSL started gathering data on callers who were the victims of pupil allegations. In that year there were 124 such calls.

How the counselling offered by TSL works
It's possible to receive counselling from TSL in a number of ways. You can explore the issues or problems facing you in just one phone call or through on-going telephone counselling. This counselling is, what TSL describes as, 'brief and focused'. You'd be given up to fifty minutes to a counsellor in one call and if necessary, a limited number of sessions are agreed for on-going work. That said, there is no limit to the amount of times you can call TSL; it is there to help and support you 'at the moment of crisis', whether this be night or day.

TSL explains that the advice offered to callers is tailored to each individual. As explained in the report, The Story So Far: Teacher Support Line Four Years On:

• 'Counsellors enable teachers to feel heard and understood, and work with them in gaining new perspectives, exploring options, re-establishing self-worth.
• They can also help callers to develop strategies to manage stress and workload, monitor health and well-being, widen their support network and develop personal assertiveness.
• Counsellors have either been teachers themselves, or have a particular understanding of the issues confronting teachers.
• For some issues, counsellors may refer clients to other agencies such as their union, LEA or GP.'

As well as calling the free phone number (08000 562 561) any time, day or night, teachers can also use the TSL website service. Considering that 83% of teachers access the Internet at least once a week, this is an obvious method of offering support.

TSL provides the teaching profession with great results. Not only does it seem that it helps to increase productivity and reduce absenteeism, but it appears to have positively impacted retention too. Interestingly, there is typically an increase in calls around the three resignation dates for teachers - 31 October, 28 February and 31 May. TSL explains that 'the resignation deadlines can provide a focus for their concerns', so prompting action.

It would be foolish to say that working teachers face no difficult issues; that the job is always manageable and all in the garden is rosy. It's not; no job in the world is like that. But knowing that there's a top class free of charge service for teachers to call on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week should fill all prospective teachers with an immense amount of confidence.

In addition to this, the sheer quantity of information about exactly what it's like to be a teacher right here and now that TSL is able to collate will prove invaluable to those in a position to make policy changes in education. Things might not be perfect for everyone right now, but the fact that the support is there, as well as the expertise in recording and analysing the concerns of the profession, is a huge boost for all teachers.

TSL contact details
Teacher Support Line: 08000 562 561
Teacher Support Line Cymru: 0800 085 5088

Further information

• The Story So Far: Teacher Support Line, Four Years On, can be viewed at: www.teachersupport.info
• Elizabeth Holmes' book, Teacher Well-being: Looking after yourself and your career in the classroom, will be published in September by RoutledgeFalmer

Originally published on Teachernet