How much time do teachers spend on bureaucratic tasks?

Between 10 and 15 percent of working hours are spent by post-secondary teachers in the U.S. on administrative duties. Worldwide, the time taken up for administrative tasks can be said to be between 10 and 15 percent while other tasks such as preparation of lessons also take up an equal amount of time. Lecturers have administrative duties such as performing appraisals of other members of the teaching staff and inductions of new staff. They are also required to represent the University in seminars and other public occasions. If research is a part of the position, teachers in Universities would need to be apply for Grants and to look out for funding opportunities. Further, committees are set up to make decisions such as improvement of the courses and their implementation.

School teachers need to perform photocopying, invigilation and also have a wide range of programs and surveys to administer along with the need to take care of their students in all of their activities during school hours.

While the time spent on bureaucratic tasks is indeed a burden on teachers and their teaching roles, the requirements for financial management can lead to the elimination of administrative positions and those tasks being shifting onto teachers. Hence, there needs to be a fine balance between the allocation of administrative tasks and the time needed by teachers/lecturers for academic focus and for leisure time too.