Leaving or left the teaching profession - do you miss it?

[horriblebosses]

Hi there,

Am considering leaving the teaching profession after ten years. Not because of Gove etc. but because I am not enjoying my current workplace and an opportunity for something completely different has arose. It is a big paycut but something I am really interested in. My main question is - do you miss it? I do really enjoy teaching and don't struggle with the workload/admin generally. Also, do you miss the holidays or is it something you get used to quite easily?

Thanks

[chocoluvva]

I don't miss it at all. But I still work with children individually.

[BellBottomBlues]

I don't miss it at all.

[kscience]

I left and did something very different for 3 years, taking huge pay cut. Back to teaching 3 years later as need the extra money and pension.

Have come back better after the break and to a very different school. Also surprised how easy to get back into the swing of things.

If you do need to come back be careful as after 3 years I could not get onto an agencies books for supply and lots of schools would not consider me (also top of pay scale so expensive). So if you think you may have to come back at some point may be worth doing some occasional supply to keep your hand in.

[Helpyourself]

I left 17 years ago!
I miss the 'all in it together' of the school year, all off for the summer together and the start of each term being the same for everyone, but that's all.

[woodlandwanderwoman]

I taught for five years before selling my soul to the city! Overall I miss my students and colleagues but I don't miss the job one bit. I am very pleased I tried it though.

My main reason is quite selfish. Whilst I wholeheartedly admire those who feel a sense of achievement in facilitating the development of others, after a few years I didn't feel like I was actually pushing my own abilities any further. I personally felt that I was restricted to the content that I was teaching and wanted to have more personal development and varied opportunities as well as ownership of work content and delivery. I found that in my new job. I have taken a break from my career for now but fully intend to go back into the same field when the time is right.

I must admit I often look back and think how great it was to have three times as much holiday as a teacher, but for me I had more job satisfaction in my new field which more than made up for it.

I have the greatest of respect for all teachers, it just wasn't for me. Good luck with your choice.

[holmessweetholmes]

Am considering leaving teaching after 17 years. I'm just
not enjoying it any more. Partly I just cba teaching so many kids who couldn't care less about learning anything. Partly I'm fed up with doing so much hoop-jumping which is for the sake of appeasing Ofsted rather than actually furthering kids' education. And most of all I'm fed up with teachers being held solely accountable for students' progress when they don't have the capacity to do their jobs properly for the aforementioned reasons. I am currently working in an 'Outstanding' school and I have never enjoyed a job less. I have resigned for Easter and am counting the days. In reality though, I expect I'll end up back in teaching because of where I am on the payscale compared with what I'd earn if I started anything new. Sigh.

[Journeytolight]

I taught for about 5 years and then realised it wasn't for me. I am now in a different job which I am enjoying.

With my circumstances, no, I am not missing teaching.

One thing I do miss is the lovely staff and children.

[BranchingOut]

No, my life is immeasurably better.
I really enjoy my job and on the rare stressful days it immediately takes me back to how I felt all the time in teaching.

No real difference in terms of holidays, as I find that I need them less now that I enjoy my job and have my evenings and weekends back.

[Brucietheshark]

No, I don't miss any of it I'm afraid.

[LadybirdsEverywhere]

I had about a year and a half out doing something else and I missed teaching like crazy. I didn't miss the holidays as I didn't get tired in the same way but I really missed being in the classroom. Was delighted to return to teaching when I got the chance and whenever I get stressed (most if the time) I try to remind myself how lucky I am to be back in school. Doesn't always work though; sometimes I just want to bake cakes/run a petting zoo/test drive fast cars for a living.

[talulahbelle]

I'm just about to take a years mat leave (at the end of this academic year) and I am very ready to leave teaching. If we hadn't been ttc I would have gone sooner.
Not entirely sure what to do post baby bit we shall see.

[littlepurplealien]

OP an opportunity "has arisen" surely, Miss ?

Not in teaching, but, as someone who was once so miserable in a particular workplace I used to occasionally cry in the evenings after a bad day, I would say make the break !
I did eventually (8 years later) go back to the same line of work but the fact that it was a totally different style of management employer made it enjoyable (and lucrative which was the reason for switching back again).

[penguin73]

holmessweetholmes - that was me exactly!
I left in the summer, took a huge pay cut to work in the charity sector and love it. I have most of my evenings and weekends back and the reduced holidays haven't been an issue as I was becoming too stressed and preoccupied with paperwork/data analysis/admin to enjoy them anyway. It's only now that I've truly realised how unhappy I was and how that was affecting those closest to me. Definitely the best decision for me.

[holmessweetholmes]

Exactly, Penguin. Trouble is, although dh is theoretically supportive of me going very part-time or doing something entirely different for less money, he is a teacher too (deputy head) and isn't very keen on the idea of me suddenly being at work in the holidays and leaving him in sole charge of the kids! Not sure how I get round that one...
What I really need to do is go back to teaching in a private school, like I did for 10 years. Immeasurably less stressful, and actually more rewarding. Better pay, well-behaved kids, less paperwork, a positive learning environment and a much more chilled out atmosphere. I know some people are very anti, but I have seriously had it with the state sector atm. Can't afford to send my own dc privately though...
I expect I'll get dragged back in - we're moving up north soon (Lakes). The schools look pretty good, but from what I've seen at my current school, the 'better' the school (as rated by Ofsted), the worse it is to work in because of the sheer level of hoop-jumping.

[brettgirl2]

I left after 8 years, lucky enough to get a job on same money (I had already resigned). One of the best decisions I ever made.