A reflection on how a work–life balance can be achieved using professional development

Suzanne Allies, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University Of Worcester, UK The ability to maintain a work–life balance for many teachers can feel unattainable; indeed, research seems to confirm and reinforce this (Education Support, 2020). I only gained some semblance of balance between my personal responsibilities and the demands of teaching in the last five years of my 20-year teaching career. Later, as a university lecturer, the trainee teachers and early career teachers with whom I interacted regularly admitted that their personal lives began disappearing under a mountain of paperwork, sadly leading to a disillusionment with teaching. Many shared how hobbies and interests that once nurtured them had fallen by the wayside; this is not how it should be. I was prompted to write a book about teacher wellbeing in a small attempt to help. This article outlines recent research on teacher work–life balance. It also presents the argument that all teachers, especially those ne