Who we are

In 1877, it was recognised that an organisation for teachers was needed, so the Teachers' Benevolent Fund was created. Since then the charity has gone from strength to strength, helping teachers, their families and their dependents. 

Last year, thanks to generous donations from teachers, we were able to help one teacher every 24 minutes*.

In 1999, the charity launched the Teacher Support Line. It was instantly popular. In 2001, the charity was renamed Teacher Support Network. A year later, Teacher Support Cymru was created.

Today, our help is needed more than ever.

In the future, we hope to do even more for teachers, such as a national survey into the health and wellbeing of teaching staff, the development of new online tools and help to improve the status and recognition of teachers. You can read our history in full here.

Who we help

We help all teachers at any stage of their career. This includes:

• trainee teachers
• newly qualified teachers (NQTs)
• serving teachers
• supply teachers
• headteachers
• retired teachers
• union reps

We also help the families and dependents of teachers.

How do we help

Our work complements that of the unions and can be categorised in two ways: crisis intervention and prevention.

Crisis Intervention

We offer the following for teachers at times of crisis:

Coaching: our certified coaches will ask questions to understand your situation and will then help you set short term goals, so that you can find a way forward.

Counselling: if your current situation is more serious, it may be appropriate for you to have up to six telephone counselling sessions with one of our British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited counsellors.

Money advice: we can help you through your financial problems with coaching from one of our money advisors.

Grants: some teachers may be eligible to receive financial assistance. We offer emergency grants. Terms and conditions apply.

Information: our coaches have a thorough understanding of the education system and the details of life in the classroom. Our website is full of factsheets, guides and tools to help you find your own solutions.

Signposting: we may not always have the answer to your problem, but we will point you in the direction of other organisations that may be able to help.

Prevention

We passionately believe in teachers and we want to improve their status and recognition. We do this through:

Our recent successes include being involved in the national consultation on behaviour and producing guidance for teachers on supporting pupils' parents.

Policy: we work with the Government, charities, stakeholders and all of the teaching unions to help improve education policy.

Research: we believe to truly help teachers we must first understand their needs. Our research ranges from detailed academic study to quick e-newsletter polls. Whatever the size, this research is invaluable in improving the understanding and status of teachers in their communities.

*Based on TSN Group service use figures in 2011