Reflections on Leaving the Teaching Profession: An Insider’s Perspective

William Lafleur, known under the pseudonym “Monsieur le prof” on social networks, has decided to leave national education after 12 years of teaching English. Author of the work “The former most beautiful profession in the world” (ed. Flammarion), he agreed for Yahoo to speak about this period of his life, looking back on the multiple disillusionments which punctuated his career and in particular on the behavior of some students. Through his words, he hopes to show the reality on the ground and ensure that the profession is supported.

As a reminder, resignations within national education continue to increase. Between low salaries, lack of resources, repeated reforms and the enormous workload, more and more teachers are throwing in the towel. In total, in 2020-2021, there were 2,411 voluntary departures recorded among civil servant teachers, according to ministry figures.