ONLY one in three teachers would recommend the profession to friends and family because of stress, Scottish education union EIS revealed yesterday.

The union-commissioned survey of almost 7,000 teachers found that just 33 per cent felt “generally satisfied” by their work, with the same percentage willing to recommend teaching as a career.

Meanwhile 84 per cent said they were suffering from work-related stress.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said many teachers and lecturers felt they were “under the cosh,” with excessive paperwork creating hours of unpaid work each day.

“Teaching is a noble profession but the fact that almost half of the respondents would be reluctant to recommend it as a career speaks volumes for the mood of teachers and lecturers,” he said.

A Scottish government spokesman said they took support for teachers “very seriously.”

The poll comes as the union prepares for its national conference in Perth next month.