What's it like to be a teacher?

PGCE will be tough, as will your NQT/RQT years. After that it gets better.

A typical day for me, would be in school for 7.30am, check emails and respond to any urgent ones, flag anything for my to do list.
Double check lessons for the day and print the resources. Try and get a little bit of planning in or marking.

Tutor group first, usually half an hour of reading/current affairs discussion/PSHE and dealing with uniform/missing equipment/pastoral issues that have arisen since the day/week before. I also have conversations with students about any negative behaviour reports they got from the last time I saw them and praise those with positives.

Lessons are in double blocks, some are singles, some are doubles (45/90 minutes) 1&2, 15 min break (time to pee, refill water bottle and get to the next room)
3&4, take students down for handwashing, 45 min lunch. I like to have lunch in the staff room but not possible now. I usually plan and mark during lunch time, usually A level homework and essays rather than books, which take longer. Then teach 5&6. I don't teach all day every day but I am a head of department so I get more time for HOD duties. I have 5 break/lunch duties a week and run A level intervention for an hour after school once a week.

We usually have some sort of meeting after school on a Wednesday, either year teams, department meetings or teaching and learning briefings. We also have a briefing every monday morning that lasts about half an hour.

From 3-5pm on days without meetings, I plan and mark. I also have to log behavioral reports, fill out feedback forms on record, update mark books, teaching plans for the half term/term/year, set and mark homework once a week for each class, follow up with missed homework, ring parents to discuss concerns or detentions, have restorative conversations with students in detention.

I love teaching but it's a demanding and often thankless job. I could easily stay until 7pm every night but I pick my DD up so I have to leave. I plan and mark on the weekends sometimes and evenings. The work is never finished. Happy to answer any specific questions you have.

Bad time to ask. F*ing hard work!

It’s great ( when we are allowed in school to actually see the kids!), no 2 days the same, interesting and the kids are mostly fun.

Training year is hard, though you may get a massive bursary ( eg physics) or absolutely no help at all ( eg RS, English)
I would check what employment prospects are like in your area for the subject you intend to teach as they vary widely.

NQT year also very hard work, you will need plenty of childcare to start with, depending on how old your dc are, and going forward from that either at least before and after school clubs or decent childminder etc, as you need ( maybe have to be ) in school usually long before your own kids school opens, and whilst you may be able to run out of the door one or 2 nights a week, you won’t be able to every night ( minimum weekly meetings, parents evenings etc)

Workload definitely eases when you have been doing it a while but I have been teaching about 12 years, and still need an hour before school and 2-3 hours after each day to plan, mark etc. The beauty is that a lot of this can be done at home, and later in the evenings, or on a Sunday afternoon.

Shit and getting shitter

Doing your teacher training will be the busiest year of your life. Go down the pgce route, be prepared for it to be very stressful but it gets better as the years go on. Be prepared to be judged by everybody - senior management, inspectors, parents, basically everybody.

It's tough. I would go through PGCE route rather than SCITT or school direct place. I had a young family and the amount of work and sacrifice meant they suffered during my teacher training. In school at 7.30am and out when site manager kicks you out.

I hated the hierarchical structure of schools; it also seems the curriculum doesn't trust teachers to teach - a lot of tickbox teaching.

The whole experience made me think what actually happens behind closed door because it seemed Ofsted reports and protecting the school was far more important.

it can be an immensely rewarding job but weren't prepared to do that to my kids for another year.