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AIBU?

AIBU to not want to teach because it would mean working with other teachers?

250 replies

cakeoclock · 01/10/2011 08:56

Ok, my hard hat is on and I'm ready for the onslaught, but here goes! I had a great career before my DCs came along, I loved working and was good at my job. I worked in a great environment, had really good people working with me and we all got on in and out of work. Fast forward 4 years I have been and will be for the forseeable future a SAHM, I love it and will stay home until my lo goes to school at least. Afterwards I could stay home if I want to but lately I have been thinking about future careers. I wouldn't want to go back to my old role as I would never see my kids! So here's my problem, lots of people have suggested teaching and I would love to make a difference to kids, I think I have a lot to give and I am willing to put in the hard work, but there is one big problem, other teachers! First I should say my DH is a Deputy Head and I have lots of good friends who are teachers and when I tell them my worries they tend to agree! My oh worked abroad so we were in close quarters with the school and I have done voluntary work in a few schools and I have never come across such moaning, b&tchy people in any other setting. On their own all lovely people, get two together it's a nightmare. Seriously teachers talk about work on nights out, at people's parties, in the park, probably bed if they are married. My OH wouldn't but knows not to on pain of death! I know teachers take the p out of kids, parents and anyone else they feel like. Most have never worked out of a school setting so have no idea what the rest of the world are up to. So AIBU to not want to teach because I don't like teachers or should I bite the bullet and hide in the loos at lunchtime?

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lec0rnsillk · 01/10/2011 08:58

nice try

wantadvice · 01/10/2011 08:59

One of the most ignorant posts I've read on here for a long time but can't be arsed to pick it to pieces as it's just too easy.

cakeoclock · 01/10/2011 09:00

I'm not a troll! This is a serious dilemma for me!

OP posts:

lec0rnsillk · 01/10/2011 09:00

well you married one so...

TreeHouses · 01/10/2011 09:01

My goodness, you're either brave or crazy to start a post like that.
Are you ready for the flames?

hellhasnofury · 01/10/2011 09:01

Become a tutor.

ZZZenAgain · 01/10/2011 09:02

if they are that bad, in particular taking the piss out of kids, I think it would be a good thing if you were to do it, be different, make a difference. I worked in a school for a while to see if it was something I would like to do but I decided it was not for me. I like to teach adults but not a class of dc. I had absolutely no problems with the other staff , although one or two were not immensely likable, the rest were helpful and welcoming - but I felt constrained by the whole set-up, I am not a huge fan of traditional schooling tbh and I am not the right person for the disciplinary issues and so on.

If you have done voluntary work in schools and your dh is a head teacher, you probably have a fair idea of what teaching would involve in terms of the work itself and the social environment. I am not sure what to say, I tend to think your concerns may be a bit exaggerated but I accept what you say is valid for you.

Train for something different perhaps , where you work with and help dc but are not in the school environment or a bit removed from the teaching field. How about speech therapy for children or some kind of remedial work, something like that?

livinonaprayer · 01/10/2011 09:03

I find if you get a group of people together on a regular basis you will sometimes get bitching and moaning etc etc
It depends on the personalities and mindset of the group, nothing to do with their chosen career.
If you are for real YABVU

TreeHouses · 01/10/2011 09:03

BTW, please don't go into teaching. It sounds as though you'd hate it.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 01/10/2011 09:04

If you're that anti-social you'll struggle to work in any environment where there are other people. Have you considered 'Lighthouse Keeper'?

poppygolucky · 01/10/2011 09:04

What an awful judgey post.

I am a teacher who has worked in another profession previously (which incidentally was FAR bitchier than teaching). I've worked in 3 schools, and yes you will come across some difficult colleagues as you would in any other job, but to tar all teachers with the same brush as at best, ignorant.

Rather than gossiping about kids, parents and colleagues, we tend to mainly talk about who is fitter: Idris Elba or Dominic West? :)

cakeoclock · 01/10/2011 09:04

Yep I married one who doesn't talk about it all the time, worked in another profession first and I don't work with him and never would!

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WoodBetweenTheWorlds · 01/10/2011 09:08

YABVU

cakeoclock · 01/10/2011 09:08

I would say I was really lucky with my old job that it was such a great bunch of people. In reply to the earlier post I'm not antisocial I just don't want to talk about work all night on a night out. Not too unreasonable I dont think.

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notnowImreading · 01/10/2011 09:09

My husband (also a teacher) once woke me up at 3am to tell me, 'You'll never guess what Horrid Child X did today...'

Then, as we were awake anyway, we had sex.

We do talk about work all the time. That's because we love our jobs. (I know that's not everyone - I mean we as in me and OH, not we as in all teachers). You might love it. There are huge benefits to working in the same profession as your husband - the shorthand and the in-jokes and even the shared moaning are all perks. If you became a teacher, you'd BE a teacher. You wouldn't want to hide in the loo at lunchtime; you'd want to join in. Plus, of course, kids and teenagers are the funniest creatures you will ever come across outside of youtube. It's the great unspoken bonus of the job that you find yourself pissing in your pants with laughter such a lot of the time because of the ridiculous situations you come across.

Good luck with your decisions, and good luck with the flaming too!

CogitoErgoSometimes · 01/10/2011 09:09

Don't go on the nights out. Are you for real????....

Callisto · 01/10/2011 09:10

There are a million other things you could do. Why does your previous career only equip you for becoming a teacher? I would loathe beyond anything to be a teacher so I can totally see why you are not enamoured by the idea, but I can't see why you are even considering it?

balia · 01/10/2011 09:10

Are you absolutely sure you have the tolerance, humility and people skills to be a teacher? Maybe you should listen to your friends when they tell you it's a bad idea.

Also I really don't think that the best motivation for a job should be simply that it fits in with your childcare (which it won't).

Whatmeworry · 01/10/2011 09:12

The biggest downside of teaching is dealing with the parents I would have thought, judging by some Freds on MN

Callisto · 01/10/2011 09:12

I haven't met many teachers with humility. In fact most of them are patronising in the extreme.

Hulababy · 01/10/2011 09:13

IME whenever you go out with a group of people from the same profession they will talk work. Teachers do this ni more than any other profession imo.

IME whilst some aspects of work are discussed it is not as bad as you make out. Certainly not what I have experienced.

I think yabu. But hey, if you don't feel you could deal with a group of people - all of whom will be very different in lots of ways ime - then stay away from it.

BTW I was a secondary school teacher, been an adult ed teacher in prison, now a TA in primary and about to be a HLTA. So I have ample experience.

notnowImreading · 01/10/2011 09:13

Oh God, definitely don't assume it'll fit in with childcare. It's a stinker for that. I work from 7.50 till 6.00 every day at work and at least an hour every evening, plus 4-5 hours on Sunday afternoons.

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startwig1982 · 01/10/2011 09:15

I'm a teacher and my department are fantastic! We do talk about work a lot but we're incredibly silly and have a real laugh together. Inevitably, we bitch about the management but we are a really supportive, close knit group of people. I think Yabu-sorry!

Xenia · 01/10/2011 09:16

It's very hard to get teaching jobs at present by the way because of the recession. You may find you can't get a job teaching anyway.

You just need to find a school where you like the other teachers. Try all kinds of schools, private, religious or whatever until you find a group of people you like or even better set up your own school.

cakeoclock · 01/10/2011 09:17

I'm considering it because everyone tells me I'd be great and I would love working with kids. Childcare is not an issue, I don't have to work at all so it would purely be because I want to make a difference.

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