If you are a former teacher who changed career, what do you now do?

[Elderberry84]

I am not a teacher but am posting on behalf of someone very close to me. They are passionate about their subject, and love being in the classroom, but the associated pressures and stress of the profession have become unsustainable to the extent that they have decided to leave the profession. As teaching is all they have ever known or wanted, they are uncertain of the next step.

I wondered if anyone here has been in the same boat and if so, what did you go on to do? Is there any career they could side step into, or one with a good entry level wage? They have a mortgage and young children so would not be able to drop much under 25k.

Private tutoring / online tutoring

I’m on maternity leave and it’s made me realise I’m in this boat too. I do like my job but it’s 10% teaching children and 90% jumping through hoops to please parents, management etc. Lockdown (for me) was a nice breather from the mundane repetitive cycle that the academic year usually follows and since March last year it didn’t ever really get up and running again. Then I was pregnant and from the moment I found out my mind wasn’t on work anymore and I was just on the countdown to getting out of there.

It’s such a shame because there are so many perks to my job and I love the kids but it’s not until I’ve been off and sitting at home thinking about my colleagues stuck in there day to day that I realise how much I dislike it now 🙈 People (like the health visitor etc) say how hard looking after a baby is and in my head all I can think is ‘no it’s not, it’s nothing compared to trying to fire fight in a class of 25 reception children! The days are relatively short but every minute spent in there is intense and the behaviour issues have got out of hand now in my school. I was assaulted even while pregnant 🤦🏼‍♀️ In my last school I would come home black and blue from a child kicking my shins while I tried to form a barrier to protect the other children in the class, with no support from management. I eventually left that job and moved to somewhere I thought was much better but the same problems are arising there now, it’s in every school it seems. Your hands are tied with what you can say to other parents about their child being physically assaulted in your class on a daily basis, it’s just awful.

So yeah, for those reasons and various others I’m in this boat too! Considering either opening a private nursery if I had my own venue and/or running baby classes from my own venue. I just think I’ll look back in 20 years having plodded on through year after year of a job I dislike and just wish I’d at least tried something else 🤦🏼‍♀️

Here's a link to a thread about this:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_staffroom/4343213-what-jobs-do-teachers-who-quit-teaching-go-on-to-do

Most decent office jobs pay 25k now. My friend recently got a job at Wren selling kitchens which pays 20-something plus commission. No experience required.

After teaching for 25 years I got recurring cellulitis. I had it 6 times on 12 months. Specialist told me too much standing on my leg not helping me. I loved teaching but my health had to come first. I became a foster carer. Still working with children. I have been a foster carer for 10 years now. I just care for one child.

Lots of former teachers where I work - University Access / Engagement. And where I used to work - museum education (that one has a lower salary though, as so many doing it for love, as ever in creative industries).

I'm a childminder. Went on maternity leave, and then decided I didn't want to go back. I now get all the fun parts of teaching, with very little of the bits I didn't like!

So all the planning fun activities, but for only 6 children. I can choose which children I look after, and I have no parents evenings, reports, staff meetings etc. Don't get me wrong there is still paperwork but nothing on the same scale. I really love it, it fits perfectly with family life. I really feel it's brought my daughter on developmentally by having so many friends around daily.

My husband has a support role within a school. He still seems the kids and is involved in education with most the horrific stress and crazy hours. (Horrific and crazy are my words. I met him while teaching, I had an office job. I could not believe what was expected of him)