Becoming a primary school teacher

Worst job I ever did. Quit after a year. I tutor privately now.

Not for all the tea in China.

I love my job. Been doing it for nearly 20 years. I'm about to move into secondary for a year for CPD reasons (and practicality, but I'm staying at my independent school...we are a through school), but I've already checked with other local (state) schools whether they'd be happy to have me back in primary after I've got my additional qualification and responses have been quite positive.

I'm going to have three classes in the same year group next year, which takes the pressure off planning a bit. Additionally, I'll be teaching an elective, which means I'll have a group with only about 10 kids in it. I will also have taught most of these kids in our primary section so they know me already.
HOWEVER, I don't teach in England. You couldn't pay me enough to come back and teach in England (been there, done that...nope...no thanks...)

Absolutely not. Too many with needs and not enough support staff. You will be hit have chairs etc thrown at you. Then their is the gentle parented kids who think they own the world and won't do a thing.
I was in education for over 23 years it's hell.
On the personal side holiday prices are extortionate during your leave time. Best thing I did was leave

The new Head downplayed the play aspect and wanted me sitting at a table all day with groups of 10 new Reception children in ability groups as that was his idea of 'being a teacher'. Can you imagine trying to do a writing lesson with 10 lower ability 4 year olds at the sane time - it was complete nonsense and went against all my initial training in Early Years. He was planning to introduce a published planning scheme which would have destroyed all the creativity but still would have needed altering to suit individual needs. Most of my own planning involved the children themselves and their own ideas.

There were lots of other things and a campaign of harassment against all the older, experienced (expensive) teachers and several left. I was approaching 60 and retired. Apparently he stayed for two years after I left and got a promotion within the Academy.

I do, but I don't (and probably wouldn't) work in the UK (sorry, assuming that's where you are) I teach Year 2 at a private international school.

Yes, I’ve witnessed the parental behaviour on the other side of the gate, and as an ex-teacher I am stunned at some of what people complain about, the ferocity of the complaints. Really shocked, and teachers have my full sympathy. Really tough.

There is zero flexibility - absolutely none. Local authority jobs within education offer more flexibility but with no education experience they’ll be tough for you to get.

That’s such a shame to hear. Would you say becoming part of the academy meant Reception had to become less play based and more formal? Interested in your perspective as I’m an EYFS governor at a school which may end up academising…

Don't do it. It's hell. I got out years ago and it's even worse now.
There's far too much bullying of staff by senior management.
There's one bullshit initiative after another which you have to be trained for and implement causing tons of extra work only for the initiative to be dumped after a couple of years because it turned out to be the bullshit you knew it was right from the beginning.
Pointless meetings and presenteeism.
Hours and hours of planning and assessment and proving you are doing this that and the other.
Then there's behaviour which has gone downhill and parental behaviour. Parents coming in and complaining about every single thing and often very aggressively. That's not to say parents shouldn't raise legitimate concerns but it seems the days of working cooperatively with the school to find a solution are long gone.

Nah, if you're not happy with your corporate job, look to find something else instead but not primary school teaching.

Being a Reception teacher was like that for me until we got a new Head and became an Academy then it all went to pot very quickly.

My OH worked in an Outstanding school in London - it was hell.
Expected to be in at 7am and endless meetings etc after school - finally leaving around 7pm, not to mention evening events and weekends.

No job is worth that amount of your life.

I love it but I’ve done it since I was younger and pre-children. I’ve known a few mature students who have come into it later. They have both been shocked at how hard you work (compared to what they expected), how much pressure and the criticism from parents. It’s more than a job, it’s giving up evenings to volunteer for an event, thinking of ideas for the start of a new topic, wondering if the parent who complained yesterday will complain to the head etc. but I love it and am used to it. You have to really want to do it!

I was good in the sense that I did what was required - I got all 'Excellents' in our Ofsted. But I knew it wasn't really education...

That succinctly sums up the state of education today. Desperately sad. So much wasted teacher talent; so much wasted pupil talent.

Goodness knows how the system can extricate itself from this mess.

To the OP - if this is what you want you need to be selective about where you finish up teaching If you are tied to one place then you need to look at the local schools and think hard. We have a charming small village school with good discipline and a loving ethos. But not all schools qare like this.

Wherever you might finish up you will not be able to avoid the dead hand of statistics, testing, rigid curricula etc. etc. Think hard before taking the plunge ........

Check out the job situation
Where we are (Scotland central belt) there are virtually jobs

It's never dull but you have to be "on" all the time. You are working with kids from 8.40-3.15 then you have to do all lesson preparation, marking, paperwork (endless) outside of that time. If you've got a headache or you're having an off day then you still have to get on with it. You can't have a morning sitting making a PowerPoint on your computer or answering emails.

No, no a thousand times no.

Whatever stress you currently have in your job, multiply it by 10. You will never please anybody, you will have SLT on your back, continual ridiculous complaints from parents and pupils......... and I worked in a school where we didn't receive direct emails.

No amount of holidays can make up for the shit that is teaching nowadays.

O and also if you asked to do anything extra IE a report/form for escalating reasons/ other professionals, make sure you ask for time out to do it, if it is not in your directed time calender.

I love my job.
Primary teacher 8 years.
Range of stages covered.
But I am VERY vocal and VERY stubborn.

I do my direct time and make sure it is all accounted for. I don't do ANY admin task I simple refuse and say "o that's an admin task so I will pass to Admin team." If it doesn't get done, again not my issue my response to SLT is I passed it on to Admin. They bitched and moaned of course at first probably still do. I stood my ground , referenced government docs etc they soon gave up moaning at me at least.

I don't copy/chop again either my TA or office do it.

I plan during my PPA that I take off site to avoid being disturbed it is not directed time so by law you can do this.

Always escalate any behaviour where learning is being stopped and no classroom management has worked- not acceptable stops me from being able to do my job so SLT have to solve.

Teachers are being abused in many schools , but you have a voice and you have rights as much as the children in your class have the right to a decent education. You have to be able to stand up for yourself or you will have no chance as SLT will walk all over you.

Very sad but true.

But I love teaching and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Honestly, volunteering won't give you any idea of the actual workload.
I am in school every day for 7:30 and leave around 5:30 as I want to see my kids. Kids get worse every year, parents hold you to an impossible standard. The amount of admin is endless and painfully a lot of it is pointless. It is a maddening and endless stream of box ticking.

When I first started, I calculated that that actual amount of hours I worked on my salary was equivalent to minimum wage. As a parent, it is not family friendly in anyway apart from the fact that you have the holidays. You can't do any drops offs, pick ups, see any performances of your own kids.

I would got back and tell my younger self not to do it and caution everyone who considers it to be very aware that the workload, pressure and stress will be very high.

I taught Reception for almost a decade. I loved it! That year group was a great match for me. Best bits- not constantly changing year group, I could refine things year on year. Keeping the same incredible TA. We worked seamlessly together. The children. Learning through play. Following their interests. Thinking up creative things to do. Being outdoors a lot. Talking and singing a lot. Worst bits- behaviour of certain children and parents. Being micromanaged about nonsense which is absolutely not for the benefit of the children. Taking on significant extra responsibilities and not being paid for them, annoying on principle.

I always dreamed of being a SAHM, so was always going to resign when pregnant with DS. For me, teaching is now incompatible with my love of doing the school run, attending all school events, being available for my own children when they are ill and after school. So I won’t be returning, but I have very fond memories of my time as a teacher.

Why do you think you would enjoy it? Why are you interested?

you’re getting negative responses (but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong) because your post implies that it would be nicer than the corporate world- but honestly it’s the same shite and KPIs but you have to back boards with colourful paper and be accountable for 30 little people’s education AND safeguarding.

the kids are lovely but the curriculum is so broad and unmanageable and only accessed fully by about 60% of the average cohort, so there is no time to play Miss Honey.

‘Ofsted’ is often rolled out as a reason why the job is miserable, but tbh I worked in pretty ‘sane’ schools, but they have to have class sizes of 30 and go through the same processes directed by the local authority and the same
curriculum coverage- so what can they do?

i was actually very lucky in my teaching career (my face ‘fit’, I was well respected and had a lot of agency) but unfortunately the foundations (massive class sizes, sprawling curriculum, little support for children with trauma and neurodiversity) are so shaky that you couldn’t take solace in the nice bits.

My corporate job is much less ‘rewarding’ but I am less stressed, don’t have negative parent/tyrannical SLT interactions to play over in my anxiety brain, I get paid more and I can go to the toilet when I like. And on reflection, a lot of my job wasn’t rewarding because I could see that the curriculum wasn’t working and a lot of children were being failed. That’s why I left. Not because of ofsted or a scary headteacher.

the only people who I know wholeheartedly enjoys it is someone who works very rurally who has 12 pupils and can really do things at her class’ pace with great autonomy.

Agree. It used to be a lovely job but not now. All the creativity is being crushed out of it