Would you train to be a teacher?

[Iwantacareerchange]

I'm currently working as a paediatric nurse (27yrs) but the NHS is now in such dire straights with serious lack of staff both nurses and doctors and equipment/medication that I and most of my colleagues now genuinely fear a child on our ward will die and we will loose our registration. Also the NHS is being broken down and privatised, lots of areas have been taken over by profit making companies this depresses me money is coming before the health needs of our children. I took a career break when my children were little and have a good class degree in area that apparently there is a serious significant teacher shortage and "Get into teaching" are always emailing me. Today I spoke to them and have arranged various visits to schools etc to see what I think.
So the 64 million $ question would you retrain as a secondary school teacher?

[StarUtopia]

No. It may not be life or death in teaching, but it's soul destroying non the less (for the reasons you mention)

Oh, and don't be fooled by the adverts. I went into teaching, from another senior career. Did they pay me a premium? No. I started on base rate same as everyone else.

I would love to say yes. But I only retrained 5 years ago and I've already left. Still owe the government £9k!

[noblegiraffe]

If you're quitting the NHS because you feel money is being put before the needs of children then education is the last place you want to be moving to.

[GraceGrape]

Many of the issues you describe are happening in education too - chronic underfunding, privatisation (academy chains), great recruitment difficulties. I suppose teaching has the advantages of more regular hours and the school holidays. It is not otherwise family-friendly though and there is a lot of working from home. Can you spend time in a school to see what it's really like?

[YuckYuckEwwww]

seriously, NHS to teaching = out of the frying pan into the fire.. except at least in the NHS you get days off and you're not expected to work from home during your annual leave!

[YuckYuckEwwww]

And while teaching may not be so life&death, the state of education is having a massive impact in childrens mental health, and teachers who really care about children struggle to be part of that!

[Leatherboundanddown]

I recently left so no way. It is all being privatised and no money.

[LearningHowToFly]

Teaching, like nursing, is a wonderful rewarding career. However, there are serious teacher shortages for a reason. Just like in the NHS there are severe funding and resource issues, long working hours and unrealistic expectations amongst many other concerns. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves and a scarily high number of NQTs are not lasting 5 years. It is a very rewarding job, I wouldn't do anything else, but only go into it if you are completely certain that it's what you want to do. Good luck with whatever you decide xx

[YuckYuckEwwww]

How about a move away from busy ward nursing to out patients or something in the community or palliative care? practice nursing? school nursing?

[Iwantacareerchange]

Its not just that money is being put before the needs of children, there isn't any money left, we have no staff nurses or doctors (they too are leaving), no specialist equipment, and frequently have to hunt around our hospital for drugs. This leaves often critically unwell children who do not have time on their side in a very dangerous position. We are now increasingly working in a buck passing blame culture, as everyone wants to say that the frequent errors that are now occurring aren't their fault.
We also work 13+ hour shifts usually with no break, no drink, I often don't even pee all day, I average 15 000 steps on a shift often more. We don't have time for either our children or their parents. 30% of our staff (on our ward) are off sick with long term MH problems. I'm pushed to imagine anything could be as bad as this.
I'm not interested in the premium it's not about wages.

[Iwantacareerchange]

I have done non acute stuff it bores my stiff, I trained in HDU.

[CrazyCatLaydee123]

No. Just no. There is a reason for the teacher shortage - teachers are leaving in droves.

[StarUtopia]

We also work 13+ hour shifts usually with no break, no drink, I often don't even pee all day, I average 15 000 steps on a shift often more. We don't have time for either our children or their parents. 30% of our staff (on our ward) are off sick with long term MH problems. I'm pushed to imagine anything could be as bad as this.

It is as bad as this. Sorry. But it is. Oh. and you get paid for your overtime. ps teacher's don't.

[YuckYuckEwwww]

I don't think anyone here is saying that your current working environment is okay, it's not!

That does not mean teaching is better.

You do sound like you need to leave your current job, but have you considered some less acute paeds options?

[TeaAndALemonTart]

No no no no no no.

Every teacher I know wants to leave, or is counting down the days until they can retire. And I do supply work, so know lots.

[Iwantacareerchange]

We don't get paid for overtime and we don't get paid for working extra hours due to missing breaks as we not allowed not to have a break.

[YuckYuckEwwww]

p.s. you don't do 13 hours 7 days a week! every week! teachers often do by the time they've counted up their evening and weekend work from home and their morning pre-class prep!

Not that it's a competition, but if it was, right now teaching is trumping nursing for overall burn-out / poor retainment

[YuckYuckEwwww]

We don't get paid for overtime and we don't get paid for working extra hours due to missing breaks as we not allowed not to have a break

That's not good, however, you're talking about what? 6 hours a week unpaid (if you do long days and stay an hour late)
Moving to teaching you're easily looking at 20/30 hours a week unpaid, at least as a NQT, you might get that down to 15 with experience

[Iwantacareerchange]

YuckYuck I don't like less acute paediatrics I've trained to do very acute paediatrics.

[CrowyMcCrowFace]

I teach overseas now, after 16 years in the UK. I love it.

Would I go back to UK teaching? Not in this lifetime. It's only now I've escaped that I realise it was killing me.

My new HOD has just escaped a big academy chain. Her stories are 10x worse than mine.

Honestly, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Sorry...

[OdinsLoveChild]

I'm not a teacher but today at my DS's school 2 teachers resigned. They both only started in September and they've both retrained from another profession. I also have 3 friends who are teachers, 1 a head teacher. They all say if they get to the end of Monday without some sort of breakdown they're doing well.
There must be alternatives for you in the sphere of health care? Would you consider retraining as a speech therapist, OT or physio or something along those lines? Or are you worn out by the caring of others?

[BizzyFizzy]

I'm a teacher and I love it.

I teach science so can pick my schools. I teach in a small independent school.

I couldn't work in a state secondary for any length of time.

[noblegiraffe]

If you are used to working in a high-stress high-pressure environment for little recognition then it's true, we do need more teachers. Especially if you fancy teaching maths or physics.

[mudandmayhem01]

My husband is a nurse, works in the community in a specialist area, his job isn't easy but he is roughly 9-5 with occasional late evenings and he has a reasonable amount of autonomy. I work in schools in non teaching role and I wouldn't touch teaching with a barge pole, despite having a good degree in a shortage subject. I would seriously investigate all other options in nursing before leaping into teaching.