Teachers : what's the worst thing about the job now?

Just out of interest as a non-teacher parent, especially for early years behaviour issues would you mind sharing some examples? It sounds like it’s worse than what could be expected from young children? Mine are now teens so I recognise the behaviour issues in this age group but I remember the early years being fairly drama- free in school back then…

To maintain good behaviour in a secondary classroom of 32 students requires all of these all of the time.
Relentless routines
Very tight lesson planning that maximises every minute
Constant positivity mixed with a scary bitchface when anyone steps out of line.
Doing that everyday is exhausting and cannot be compared with many other jobs
At any time if you show weakness the kids can gang up on you and rip you apart.
Its not for the fainthearted.

Exactly what we warned would be the impact of academies and MATS - particularly after 2010. They are run for profit which go into the raft of jobs that sit across the higher echelons of MATS and pay people who should no longer be involved in education but are making a mint from running MATs or are political appointees. The Tories have destroyed the structures of our Education system and damaged the curriculum terribly.
Many exclude and refuse and discourage students with issues from their academies.It has meant much higher percentages in LA schools and an unfair balance .

Parents - I'm in FE and we use Teams. Several of my colleagues have had parents scream at them over Teams calls.

No resilience from students, constant lateness, absent all the time, no work ethic

Shit management - like really, really shit.

The constant "training" delivered by people who wouldnt last 2 minutes in a 2025 classroom.

Cover is insane as we can't get or keep staff. I've got 2 foot out of the door. Not to be big headed but they'll be fucked when I leave.

The pressure from inclusion no matter what. An ever increasing amount of complex needs with no additional support or training. It’s not fair on anyone - especially the kids.

Workload for me. I'm a middle leader and I feel like slt just sit in their offices thinking up more unhelpful things for me to do so that I can't get one with the things that really need to get done I keep being told that I have to reduce the cognitive load for my students and for my ect and jump all these hoops for slt but there is no recognition of how overwhelming my job is.

I will say though that I teach in a primary school in an area with a lot of deprivation and we rarely have any difficulties with parents. There are many challenges and high levels of poverty which affect the pupils but we don't get endless complaints and requests from parents.

Oh for god sake. Just piss off with this. They don't get more holidays and they don't work 9 til 3.30 either. There are teachers here who are absolutely on the edge, being routinely abused and assaulted by children and teenagers with no consequences for the perpetrators and having to teach them again the next week. Half of them will be wondering if they can manage until Easter. I am not a teacher or an ex teacher but I can tell you half of my department is ex teachers who took at paycut of around 10 to 15 k to leave teaching and do an office job linked to education. Every single one had just reached the end of the line and comments like this just rub salt into the wound. If you think it's so easy go and do a SCITT and come back to us a few months in

Behaviour. It creates workload. It demoralises teachers. It takes time away from teaching and learning.

I’m not sure any amount of annual leave cancels out the effects of a toxic workplace and the impact on a person’s wellbeing. Jeez.

Parents/ parenting. And I don’t mean awful parents, but just a lot of parents now don’t understand that their kids are one in a class of 32 and things can’t revolve around them. Parents who, when you call home, apologise and say their kid has been awful, but then post up on Facebook laughing about their kid having a big mouth like their dad. Parents who think they’re managing you and want to hold you to account over their child’s lack of motivation. They’re honestly not all horrible parents, but so many are trying to be their kid’s friend over being their parent.

Then we’ve got wild behaviour from on some kids and the parents blame the school; I’m not sure how they can blame us when their kids are running around corridors telling us to fuck off. I hear of parents slagging us off saying the issues are with the school, neglecting the fact that the police are bringing the kids home on an evening and they’re just as wild outside of school. Behaviour really is terrible with a growing number of students. I want to teach kids and get them gcses and have better chances at life, but too many parents just want their kids to be able to do what they want and don’t support, but still expect their kids to be handed a job at the end of it.

Primary - Parents. And their lack of parenting.
Then their anger and ire at my inability to fully parent their child in the hours I have them while they actively fuck up their kids.

So perfectly articulated.

Behaviour, closely followed and caused by (unsupportive) parents.

Lack of funding for SEN support comes third.

Yep, all the issues raised in this thread simply disappear because we get a few weeks additional holiday (which is reflected in the salary of teachers in comparison to jobs requiring a similar level of education/training). It doesn't matter if I get kicked and sworn at daily because I have an extra week off next month.

Anyone who is jealous of teachers' holidays is welcome to train as one. Plenty of vacancies!

I'm a core subject in secondary. The worst part is behaviour without a doubt.... and I work in a 'nice' school. Students just don't fear consequences. Also the parents who take no accountability for their child's bad attendance/behaviour/results etc. It's exhausting.

Sorry - not a teacher - but wanted to say that I can believe behaviour is one of the worst things, because so few parents actually want to do the job of parenting. Lots of parents in my 15 yo dd’s year think it’s totally normal that they’re in the pub drinking and heading to (empty) homes (cos parents are also out) to shag. I find it mind blowing that they seem to actually encourage and vicariously live through it. They also think ‘attitude’ will equal ‘success’ and have no prob with whatever issue their darlings cause at school. It’s frankly terrifying.

Parents. Never believe you. You see it all the time here on Mumsnet. So many posts about making complaints about teachers. With no awareness that that has such an effect on a real person and their job. You try and tell a parent that you are concerned about their child’s progress. They don’t believe you and proclaim that you don’t know anything and they know their child is advanced. Sometimes you are driven to show them what the other children can do so they might accept that they need to help their child.

Lifeisnoteasy84

Read the room

Behaviour and lack of support. I’m in Early Years. We’re supposed to have a max of 3 sen children per session. We have 9 on Friday. 2 of them are supposed to have one to one support. They don’t. I’m constantly over ratio. One child hits and bites me repeatedly. I get no support. I’m covered in bruises. And when it all goes to shit whose fault is it? Mine. I dread the new week

Don't teachers get something like 13 weeks annual leave per annum? So 9 weeks more than most full time employees. So you dread actually returning from school holidays to do your job? Strange thread.

Core subject for 20 years.

Behaviour. Specifically the idea that all behaviour is communication, so if little Johnny is 'struggling' with his behaviour (for example being abusive or violent) that must somehow be the teacher's fault. If you have high expectations and sanction the behaviour, that works against you because all behaviour data is analysed to see who is struggling with their classes, so it's easier not to sanction and lower your expectations. Depressing.

Level of need. Typically over half the class have a personalised support plan, but there is still only one of me, trying my absolute best. I have to accommodate every individual need in a class of 32 singlehandedly and it simply can't be done at times.

Extra workload with no pay
Bullying

@ItsAToughie absolutely this. Then in mainstream. A small setting. Five children, one with significant needs. Two staff is fine? Till it's not. Then we have four children unattended and furious parents.