Primary Teacher or Social Worker?

[pgtipsy]

I have been a primary teacher for five years and left to have my babies. Now my DH and I have decided we are done having children, I want to focus more on my career. I love teaching because:
*love being with the children

• love the holidays (and will be handy when my children are at school)
  
• I have done it long enough to know what I'm doing!
  
  The downsides:
  
• sooo much work. Every evening and weekends.
  
• planning - bain of my life!
  
  I like the idea of social work and did some work experience a while ago. I just can't decide whether to career-change! As much as I want to get out of teaching because I have no work/life balance, I don't want to spend years retraining and regret it. Any advice from existing teachers and social workers would be hugely appreciated.

[MaybeDoctor]

I left teaching and have not looked back. My life is infinitely better, even though I am always glad that I was a teacher.

[pgtipsy]

Do you miss the holidays? Do you mind me asking what you do now?

[MaybeDoctor]

I do an office-based job - would rather not say exactly what on here.

Have never missed the holidays!

[pgtipsy]

That's reassuring to hear, thank you!

[Twochipsnobiff]

All you fear about teaching is the same in children's social work.

I trained to be a social worker at the same time my best friend did her pgce. She's now a key stage 1 teacher and I'm a child protection SW. She does routinely do more paperwork than me outside of work hours, I.e. reports and planning. But I am asked (told) to do an assessment on a Thursday morning and it needs to be presented to the judge on a Friday morning. I am asked (forced) to do a statement for court on the Friday afternoon, and it's due on the Monday. I do work in annual leave. I work most weekends and after hours to get CP reports in on time, write up visits etc. One colleague worked out his hourly wage , given the hours he worked, it was less than minimum wage.

So what I'm saying is; yes a change from teacher to SW is a valid choice, but don't do it because you don't like the out of hours working, think more about what attracts you to SW than pushes you from teaching. It is fascinating, occasionally rewarding and the team can be brilliant (depending on your LA).

I am about to leave my job and go to a much more flexible, but still front line SW job, but I am only able to do this because of the years I've done in a child protection team. With those under my belt, I can work anywhere, but I had to put the years in - 6 from when I started trainin to now, when I'm able to finally work hours that fit in with my family.

[CharlesRyder]

Teach part time to find the balance?

[SeratoninIsMyFriend]

DH is a primary school teacher. I work 2/3 days as a frontline children's social worker. We have two DC, 6.8 and 4 yrs. I purposely found a part time job and have managed to work in a team where I don't do CP cases but I do do Looked after children and currently am going to court on several cases. I was able to do this as a PP said, because I have been qualified for a while now.

I would say that per job, ours are similar in terms of workload, but again as PP said, it's the balance. I can take time off or work flexibly around kids more easily than DH, and don't have the daily grind of planning for next day, but it's hard to work within contracted hours and even begin to do the job in way you want to. Now it's the holidays I am working while DH has time off and looks after DC - not sure how we'd cope with holidays otherwise - and we are catching up on all the family time we miss when he goes into school at weekends each term...

The expectation on SW is very high and p/t jobs also unusual, only do it if the job itself draws you. The life is no better than teaching.