Teachers are often called heroes and are highly praised, yet in many European countries they feel undervalued and are even taking to the streets. Thousands of schools in England and Wales will be closed in February because teachers' unions voted to strike.
In Hungary, at the end of last year, thousands of teachers took part in a protest march in Budapest, demanding higher wages and urgent reforms from the government following strikes that took place in September. Approximately 50 teachers were dismissed from their jobs for "civil disobedience" after organising strikes.
This is part of a wider issue indicating the poor state of education, as teacher shortages are increasing. France currently has 4,000 vacancies, and the latest estimates suggest that Germany will be short of 25,000 teachers by 2025.