Teaching rated as stressful

Teachers have a more stressful profession than ironworkers, nuclear plant decontamination technicians, Catholic priests and tax collectors.

So says the new Jobs Rated Almanac 2001, which ranks 250 occupations based on stress, environment, income, outlook, physical demands and security.

The book, written by Les Krantz, gave teaching a ranking of 187th for stress. The job of U.S. president was ranked the 250th most stressful.

Teachers' work "is physically and emotionally exhausting and calls for good physical stamina," the book says. "Working with parents, administrative personnel and other teachers can be a significant stress factor."

Teachers ranked 113th on the income scale, with an average salary of $42,177, and 138th in terms of the physical demands of their profession.

Their overall ranking for job desirability was 119th.