The Teacher Who Left Academia to Help Fix the System

Trying to be everything to everyone is something many who work in education will recognise all too well.

At first, Cat didn’t realise she was heading toward burnout.

She loved her job as a university lecturer. She was highly capable, deeply engaged in her research, and brought energy and care to her teaching. Supporting students was part of the role, and she embraced it fully, creating learning plans and adapting course content to meet individual needs.

“While support services were available, I often found myself as the first point of contact when students were struggling. Balancing their academic progress alongside wellbeing concerns took a real toll. When there were backlogs, gaps in support, or students didn’t feel able to reach out, it was incredibly hard – because you don’t want to see anyone slip through the cracks."

But over time, the emotional demands kept growing – and so did everything else. Admin, research, student welfare, peer support, marking, mentoring. It became impossible to give her best to every part of the job.

“I felt like I had to choose something to be bad at – to drop a ball just to be able to carry on. But I couldn’t. No one wants to do their job badly.”

Eventually, she had to choose what to let go of. In the end, it was the job itself.

Supporting the supporters

When Cat joined the Booost Education team as Head of Product, her story stayed with us.

It wasn’t just students struggling with workload, motivation and mental health, it was also the staff supporting them.

Our research led us to Education Support, the UK’s only charity dedicated to the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals. After making an initial donation, we began speaking with their team and learning more about the vital work they do across schools, colleges, and other education settings – from providing emergency helplines and counselling to long-term wellbeing support for staff at every level.

The more we learned, the clearer it became: we didn’t just want to make a one-off contribution. We wanted to play an active role in raising awareness, challenging stigma, and ensuring that more staff could access the help they need before reaching breaking point.

These concerns aren’t isolated to a few individuals. The scale of the problem is significant:

78% of education staff report feeling stressed, and 77% experience symptoms of poor mental health due to work.

When the practical demands of the job combine with the emotional pressures, the impact on mental health and wellbeing can be profound.

That's why we were drawn to Education Support’s specialist, education-focused Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). It offers confidential, 24/7 access to mental health resources, counselling, and practical advice – all tailored specifically for those working in education.

Built by educators, for educators, their EAP stands out from generic alternatives because it's grounded in lived experience. Education Support understands the realities of the job – the language, the expectations, and the emotional toll it takes.

Their mission is simple but powerful: to improve the mental health and wellbeing of education staff, because better mental health means better education.

They don’t just understand education, they’ve lived it. And that’s what makes this support different.

We believe technology works best when it’s paired with human care. But the people behind that care need looking after too. The EAP felt like something every educator should have access to.

So, from September 2025, every institution that purchases our software will be eligible for a 5% discount on an Employee Assistance Programme through Education Support. Plus, Education Support has agreed to match that discount for any institutions who have purchased Booost or Luna, meaning overall, institutions will get a 10% saving.

We’re proud to be working with Education Support to help protect the wellbeing of those who dedicate their energy to supporting others.

To learn more about how your institution can access Booost or Luna and support staff wellbeing through our partnership with Education Support, book a call with Rory.