The Rustout Trap & Teacher Educators

Rustout is the hidden twin of burnout, hitting lecturers, academics and teachers, when work is busy but meaning and challenge are missing. In this episode, host Paul speaks with Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons (DCU) about her new research, along with Dr David Smith (RGU), into rustout, its impact on teacher educators and universities and what leaders can do to tackle it.The study of 154 participants showed nearly two thirds reported moderate to high burnout. But the findings also revealed something more: “underbeing” corrodes confidence and identity, administration crowds out meaning and the “safe pair of hands” can often get trapped in low-value work.What you’ll learn• The difference between burnout and rustout• Why underuse of strengths damages motivation, wellbeing and belonging• The admin trap, workload pressure and how it drains meaning for teacher educators• Signs of rustout that go beyond “quiet quitting”• Rustout has patterns over time, especially around the seven to nine year mark• Immediate practical steps to avoid or reduce rustout - job crafting and protecting time for teaching, research and innovation• What leaders in education and universities can change right now to avoid rustout and support wellbeing and growthRead more• Sabrina and David's open-access article (Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature Portfolio): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05543-y• Sabrina and David's piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/feeling-unstimulated-and-apathetic-at-work-you-might-be-experiencing-rustout-260837Find out more:• Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons (DCU profile): https://www.dcu.ie/researchsupport/research-profile?person_id=14582• Dr David Smith (RGU impact page): https://www.rgu.ac.uk/rgview/impactful-research/7834-learning-about-the-fascinating-and-scary-world-of-incelsChapters00:00 Welcome and why rustout matters00:53 Burnout vs rustout03:31 Optimal stress and genuine challenge11:51 The admin trap15:21 Underuse, identity and agency18:39 Rustout or quiet quitting19:04 Patterns over time in academic roles27:42 What leaders can change now30:31 Healthier systems and incentives34:42 Job crafting and strengths36:10 Spotting rustout early37:36 Wrap up and next stepsIf this resonates, subscribe, share with a colleague and tell us one small change that would improve your week. Your comment might help another educator feel less rusted out.Follow us, we're worth it:🔗 Website🔗 Spotify🔗 Instagram🔗 Bluesky🔗 X (Twitter)#leadership #education #teacher #school #schoollife #inspiration #support #podcast #video #Rustout #Burnout #TeacherEducation #HigherEducation #Wellbeing #AcademicLife #WorkCulture #Leadership #EducatorWellbeing