The ministry highlighted that the findings show a decline in disciplinary problems, a major expansion in mentoring for beginner teachers, and the successful integration of performance evaluation into Hungary’s education system.
The OECD published the results of the fourth TALIS survey on October 7, 2025, involving 54 countries, including 34 OECD member states. In Hungary, 4,408 teachers and 246 school principals participated in the spring 2024 study.
According to the results, Hungarian teachers are more satisfied with their working conditions than the OECD average and compared to the previous 2018 survey. Only one in ten Hungarian teachers said they would prefer to work at another school if given the opportunity — significantly below the OECD average of 19 percent.
Teachers in Hungary spend an average of 22.9 hours per week teaching, compared to the OECD average of 22.3 hours. They also face fewer discipline-related challenges: while 21 percent of teachers internationally reported serious noise or disorder during lessons, the rate in Hungary was just 17 percent. Hungarian teachers spend 12 percent of class time maintaining discipline — below the OECD average of 15 percent.
The survey found that school bullying and verbal abuse among students are less common in Hungary: only 12 percent of school leaders reported frequent incidents, compared to 19 percent across the OECD.
The ministry also emphasized that Hungary has one of the most comprehensive teacher evaluation systems in the OECD, with 96 percent of teachers receiving formal performance reviews at least once a year, compared to the OECD average of 88 percent.
Mentorship for novice teachers has grown significantly — from 18 percent in 2018 to 49 percent in 2024 — a 27-point increase. Currently, 91 percent of Hungarian school leaders report that their institutions run active mentoring programmes, compared to the OECD average of 80 percent.
Nearly 90 percent of Hungarian teachers said they have opportunities to participate in school-level decision-making, demonstrating a high degree of involvement in institutional governance.
Teachers also reported strong autonomy in their daily professional work: 76 percent said they can flexibly adapt curriculum goals, and 79 percent said they independently set learning objectives — both above the OECD average of 71 percent. In areas such as lesson planning, preparation, and teaching methods, 95 percent of Hungarian teachers reported autonomy, compared to 93 and 92 percent OECD averages, respectively.
The survey also found that Hungarian teachers have particularly positive relationships with school leaders: 86 percent rated their professional relationship as excellent, 85 percent said principals provide useful feedback (compared to 77 percent OECD average), and 97 percent felt their principals trust their expertise — five points higher than the OECD average.
While the average teacher age across OECD countries is 45, Hungary’s remains slightly higher at 49. However, the ministry noted that recent salary increases have started to attract more young educators: the number of teachers under 30 rose by 19 percent, from 12,081 in October 2023 to 14,326 in October 2025.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has also influenced Hungarian schools. In 2018, only 2 percent of Hungarian teachers taught refugee-background students; by 2024, that share rose to 25 percent, reflecting the integration of 4,800 Ukrainian students studying across 1,195 Hungarian schools.