Why are Greek preschool teachers happy with kids but unhappy with their salary?

Job satisfaction is a puzzle made of many pieces: personal well‑being, relationships with colleagues and social recognition. In Greece, however, few studies have focused on preschool teachers. Researchers therefore tested an updated version of the Teachers’ Satisfaction Inventory (TSI), adding two new dimensions: salary and perceived prestige.\n\nThe questionnaire, consisting of 30 statements, was completed by 224 early‑education teachers. Statistical analysis confirmed that the seven‑factor model is robust (CFI = 0.992, RMSEA = 0.067) and reliable (α = 0.77‑0.94). Results show high satisfaction with colleagues and children, but strong dissatisfaction with pay and societal recognition of their role.\n\nThese data suggest that, to improve staff retention and well‑being in early childhood education, authorities should act on two fronts: raise salaries and give the profession greater social value. The newly validated TSI for the Greek context can become a useful tool to monitor these aspects and guide more effective policies.

The original TSI, developed by Lester (1994), measures seven dimensions of satisfaction: colleagues, supervisors, tasks, professional growth, recognition, salary, and working conditions. In the Greek adaptation, researchers introduced the "prestige" factor to capture teachers’ perception of the social value of early childhood education, an aspect rarely explored in European literature.\n\nConfirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that all seven factors are clearly distinct, with correlations ranging from 0.143 to 0.787, indicating both independence and interrelation. The Comparative Fit Index (CFI) of 0.992 exceeds the 0.95 threshold, while the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) of 0.067 is below the 0.08 limit, confirming good model fit. Convergent validity was assessed via AVE (Average Variance Extracted), with values between 0.661 and 0.854, surpassing the 0.50 requirement.\n\nReliability (Cronbach’s α) ranges from 0.77 to 0.94, indicating high internal consistency across sub‑scales. Adding the prestige factor revealed significant variance: teachers feel their role is socially undervalued, which can negatively affect intrinsic motivation and retention.\n\nThese findings have practical implications: remuneration policies should be revised to narrow the perceived gap, while awareness campaigns can improve the perceived value of preschool education. Moreover, the validated TSI can be used in longitudinal studies to monitor the impact of salary reforms or professional‑valuing initiatives, providing empirical data for evidence‑based decisions.