Workload questions that show what to take off teachers' plates
Ask teachers how their workload feels, from grading at home to time for planning in the school day. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What teacher workload survey questions tell you
Teacher workload survey questions ask staff how heavy the term is, how much grading goes home, which tasks eat the time outside class and how much energy is left by Friday. The answers show school leaders which tasks to cut or share out, before tired teachers start thinking about leaving.
Ask in the middle of each term, away from report card and exam weeks, and keep it to six to eight questions. Share the link in the staff bulletin or show a QR code in the teachers' lounge, and turn on anonymous responses for the link or QR code survey, so teachers can answer the question about leaving honestly.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a theme and a sentiment, so the tasks teachers want taken away group together for the leadership team. Results compares each card with the period before, which shows whether a change, such as fewer meetings, eased the load.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Midway through each term
- Industry
- Education
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 teacher workload questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How heavy the load is
The overall load, the week and the energy left, with prep time, to compare terms on the same numbers.
- 01Multiple choice
How is your teaching workload this term?
Three options on this term's teaching workload. Results shows a donut with each share; a growing share on Too heavy, compared with the period before, is the headline for leadership.
- 14Emoji
How was your week at school?
How the week at school went, on a row of faces. It takes one tap, so it works as a weekly check between the fuller surveys.
- 03Big scale
How much energy do you have left at the end of the week?
How much energy is left at the end of the week, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step; select the low end to see which tasks those teachers picked.
- 05Yes / No
Do you have enough prep time in the school day?
Whether the school day leaves enough prep time. Results shows the share that said yes; a No here pushes planning into evenings, which the grading hours also show.
Where the time goes
Grading at home, the biggest tasks outside class, the split of the week and class size.
- 02Ruler
How many hours of grading do you take home each week?
Hours of grading taken home each week, on a ruler. Results shows the median and the middle half; set a target for the median and ask again next term.
- 04Multiple choice
What takes the most time outside class? Pick up to three.
Picks up to three tasks that take the most time outside class, from grading to cover. Results shows bars with each share and count, the shortlist for what to cut or share.
- 13Points allocation
Split 100 points across your teaching week
Teachers split 100 points across teaching, planning, grading, admin, meetings and student support. Results shows the average points per item, a picture of the real teaching week.
- 11Number
How many students are in your largest class?
Students in the teacher's largest class. Results shows the median and the middle half; read it with grading hours to see where class size drives the load.
Support and staying
How fair the job feels, how supported teachers are and who is thinking about leaving, filtered by experience.
- 06Matrix
How true is each of these about your job?
Four statements on switching off, fairness, admin and help, on an agree scale. The heat map shows where teachers disagree most, and row averages let you track each statement.
- 08Stars
How supported do you feel by school leadership?
A star rating for support from school leadership. Results shows the average and the share who rated 4 or higher; ask it each term to see whether changes are felt.
- 09Yes / No
Have you thought about leaving teaching this year?
Whether the teacher has thought about leaving this year. Ask it in an anonymous link or QR code survey, so teachers can answer honestly; Results shows the share that said yes.
- 10Dropdown
How many years have you been teaching?
Years in teaching, from under two to over twenty. Select a range in Results to filter the whole page, since new teachers and experienced staff carry different loads.
What to change
Two open questions, the starting list for the next workload plan.
- 07Text
Which task should the school take off your plate?
Asks which task the school should take off the teacher's plate. Each answer gets a theme, so the same task named by many staff stands out.
- 12Text
What would make next term easier?
Asks what would make next term easier. Each answer gets a type such as idea, so practical suggestions stand out from complaints.
Tips for asking about teacher workload
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Let teachers answer anonymously
Share the survey by link or QR code with anonymous responses on, so teachers can speak openly about leadership and leaving.
- 02
Stay clear of report card weeks
Ask in the middle of term. During report card or exam weeks, almost every answer says Too heavy, which hides the usual load.
- 03
Act on one task at a time
Pick the task most teachers named, change it, and tell staff what changed before the next survey.
- 04
Ask the same questions each term
Keep the wording fixed, so Results compares each term with the one before and shows whether a change helped.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about teacher workload
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Yes, when you share it by link or QR code or run it on a website: an anonymous response stores no user ID, traits or visitor ID. Anonymous responses don't apply to surveys sent through Usertick email.
In the middle of each term, away from report card and exam weeks. Keep the same questions so each round compares with the last.
Six to eight. Start with the overall load and grading hours, add the tasks outside class and support from leadership, and end with the task to take away.
Put the link in the staff bulletin or the staff chat, or show a QR code in the teachers' lounge. Teachers answer on the hosted survey page from any device.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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