Job insecurity for teachers in a private school of suburbs of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This article addresses the work of teaching, based on a section of a Master’s degree study performed in a school of a private network in suburban Rio de Janeiro, which serves the new middle class. Interviews with eight teachers from the first segment of elementary education of the institution, and the observation of the space in the teachers’ room, were the main methodological strategies used. Specifically, the working conditions of the teachers and the way in which professional development proceeds were investigated. Evidence was seen of the precariousness of teaching as a function of the low salaries, the intensifying of tasks, the lack of a professional development policy, and an organizational logic that does not facilitate the sharing of knowledge among teachers. Additionally, that organizational logic, based on devices to control the meeting of deadlines and the practice of teaching, and guided by pedagogic manuals and educational software, compromises the autonomy of the teachers and the development of a climate of collaboration.