I want to live in a rural village and be a primary school teacher

[MrsCremuel]

Or something of that ilk? I have a DH, baby and toddler and want to overhaul our lives. I’ve never really done anything drastic in life, mainly because family (parents etc) circs but I’ve always hankered after a different sort of life.

I hate the southeast. So busy and over priced. I desperately want to live somewhere rural. DH could take redundancy, sell a flat he owns and we could live mortgage free. I’m planning on retraining anyway so could get a job so could do anywhere. We recently had 6 weeks off together with the new baby and it was bliss. After wfh stops DH will be back to being out of the house from 7.30-7.30 4 days a week with one day wfh. I don’t want to go back to that, it’s been so good for our toddler and me to have him around more!

Anyone done something drastic to overhaul their lives? Am I being a whimsical fool?

@Gwenhyfar - depends on your definition of rural. We're a mile from our nearest neighbour down a single track road. They can walk a mile to the bus stop and travel 8 miles to the cinema and a few shops.

Having grown up in London I consider where we live rural. HTH.

@StevieNicksscarf

I really miss Deliveroo etc. All we have that delivers is domino's and an Indian l, my old house had 270 options! You do adjust but during the pandemic it was tough

@Gwenhwyfar

"But they still do normal things like hang out with friends, go to the cinema, go shopping etc. "

They're not that rural if they're within easy distance of a cinema and shopping and if they can take the bus.
OP said rural village so I imagined somewhere quite some miles away from a small town and further away again from a medium-sized town with cinemas and clothes shops. Obviously, if she means a suburban village, it's quite different.

Plenty of rural places are within a 20/30 min drive of a small town with shops! We are. It's fine. Granted, if you want arthouse cinema (which I do quite often) it's an hour away by car. I normally go to London three or four times a year (3hours on train) and pack all the shopping and culture in then!

I agree with this.
I moved to a rural, chocolate box village 9 years ago. I’ve since had 2 children and I’m STILL not considered a local. It’s very isolating and lonely.

I'm really sorry to hear that you've also experienced this.

Why don't you look at jobs in the charity sector. Wages are awful but you get a load of job satisfaction!

This sector is crying out for people they can not recruit, as wages are so bad. Most of these jobs are WFH, so would give you an opportunity to get look around where you want to live.

As PPs have said there is rural and there is RURAL! I am RURAL, no buses, no sewerage no mains gas, 30 mins away from a supermarket. Nightmare with teenagers.

I'd look at the Southwest, definitely a slower pace of life. A small town or village with good commuter links via M5 or M4 would be good.

I love that you're wanting to change your life! Always good to have a plan!

I think being a primary school teacher in a rural village sounds lovely and totally doable.

....

You'll need to consider capital gains on selling the flat. (Sorry if already mentioned I read the OP's posts only).

Capital gains return needed within 60 days of completion and tax paid then too.

Am I being a whimsical fool?

Yes, I'm afraid so.

Of course you can restructure your life, but I think you are oversimplifying the processes involved.

Of course she's not being a fool! Small country schools need teachers and it's a nice job to have.

OP I think you might be both better finding wfh jobs, then move to an area you like.

Check the broadband speed first, assuming destination is still meant to be "rural"

Cafes are unusual in villags near me

@Thadhiya no offence meant! That’s not my view of the north. My husband can absolutely only do his job in London at the moment. I work in HR and am aware I could do this in cities in the north. Teaching was an example job I could do outside a city. And I wasn’t necessarily thinking moving north, I am more familiar with SW and the Midlands/Wales. Although there have been a few really positive posts in here about Scotland and the Newcastle area so who knows!

@sybillalle

If your priority is not being rushed and more family time then absolutely rethink the teacher part!

Absolutely. Depending on whether you now have a suitable degree or not it will take 1 year or 4 years to train.

A small village school isn't necessarily idyllic, in my area that is likely to be a former mining area with a lot of typical inner city type problems. If you are in a lovely middle class village you might find the parents can bully you but very subtly so you don't realise until after they've gone (happened to a friend).

In a very small school you might find yourself taking on even more responsibilities than in a larger school where they can be shared. Don't for one minute imagine you will have more time for your family by becoming a teacher (it was OK in the 70s & 80s but not now).

Are you thinking you will live in the same village as the school? If so forget about having any privacy as everyone will know your personal business. If your children go to the same school and happen to fall out with the 'clique' they will have no where to go. If you live in a different village travelling to school in the snow along country roads can be a nightmare.

Just a few thoughts.

Small country schools need teachers and it's a nice job to have

Small country schools are being closed, merged and relocated and are often chronically underfunded.

[quote MrsCremuel]@Thadhiya no offence meant! That’s not my view of the north. My husband can absolutely only do his job in London at the moment. I work in HR and am aware I could do this in cities in the north. Teaching was an example job I could do outside a city. And I wasn’t necessarily thinking moving north, I am more familiar with SW and the Midlands/Wales. Although there have been a few really positive posts in here about Scotland and the Newcastle area so who knows![/quote]
I absolutely love Wales - Powys in particular.

We visit friends of ours there regularly - and it is a very nice life.

Primary jobs in rural areas (any area, I find!) =dead man’s shoes.

Have you considered transport for the dc? My sil grew up on a fabulous rural property with zero public transport and unhelpful parents. She found it very hard to meet up with friends have sleepovers etc.

Teaching Assistant, significantly less training also less time consuming than teaching. Fewer hours planning, marking etc….

Rural sounds lovely to me … go for it …

I know it's not really the point but I am slightly confused by the suggestion that redundancy is something your husband could just choose to take at a convenient time of his choosing.

Anyway, if your current life isn't meeting your needs I would focus on making smaller changes to the things that don't quite work for you, rather than chucking out all the good things you currently have in an effort to shed some of the frustrating things.

Feeling like you're "living for the weekend" is partly a reflection of your mindset the rest of the week and the choices you make as opposed to something beyond your control that can only be changed by chucking your existing life in the bin to start again.

@MrsCremuel I couldn’t recommend Scotland enough. I am so, so happy here. My heart lifts when I cross the border. (And I’m a born and bred Londoner!)
There are several cities in Scotland that would allow rural living but a 20/30 minute drive into the city. Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Stirling…

@Suprima

Before you answer, I would see if you actually like the job in an urban area for a bit.

Rural schools often don’t have posts, unless someone retires or dies. They also might not have the infrastructure to support ECTs.

I also, and I apologise to my rural colleagues (I know it’s not all schools), believe that if you acquired a post- they might not be the most dynamic place to start your career. I have colleagues who have moved to tiny schools in Cornwall who can’t believe that an out of date SLT advise them to use worksheets from Twinkl (a generic resource website) and lazy ‘make a poster!’ type activities for foundation subjects. No thought to curriculum design- do what you want. If you are an experienced teacher, you’ll be able to craft lessons that are low workload for you, but with brilliant outcomes for the kids. If you start work in a place with low expectations, you would have a huge shock if things were overhauled or you move locations.

Again, not all rural schools- but I think the city is the best place to train.

What tosh. Urban doesn't mean superior to rural schools, essentially that's your implication. Perhaps the SLT recommended twinkle as there's some perfectly fine resources on there and there is no point reinventing the wheel?! Maybe there were considering staff workload and well being.

I think 'make a poster' is rare these days.

OP - teaching can be brutal but if you want to do it go for it! But eyes wide open.

Have you thought about becoming a childminder?

I have done similar to what you're thinking of - moving from a city to a small town - and started childminding.
If there's a childcare need then you can make good money.
If there's a good childminders network already then you make some instant connections. You can volunteer to help out at the local toddler group.
You become a face at school (I became a governor too).

I earned good money, had time with my own children, never missed a school play or special assembly, and got to know lots of people.

You can also choose your own hours.

@TonTonMacoute

Small country schools need teachers and it's a nice job to have

Small country schools are being closed, merged and relocated and are often chronically underfunded.

Not here - SW. Great small primary schools

[quote StevieNicksscarf]@Gwenhyfar - depends on your definition of rural. We're a mile from our nearest neighbour down a single track road. They can walk a mile to the bus stop and travel 8 miles to the cinema and a few shops.

Having grown up in London I consider where we live rural. HTH.[/quote]
Mile from the nearest neighbour is certainly rural, but then quite a big town 8 miles away so not isolated at all. Very lucky.

@Kikkomam

Of course she's not being a fool! Small country schools need teachers and it's a nice job to have.

I retrained at 40 and then went to work in a tiny rural school. It was fabulous

@derxa - did you miss the ‘not all’ in my post? Or did you just read and get cross?

Even in a really solid rural school- a tiny workforce (that may be very set in their ways due to limited mobility), having to take on subject leadership early on with no remuneration, limited access to hubs and a small budget to pay for CPD is not the best place for a ECT. I have been in one as a student- so I speak from experience. Thank god it was just a placement and not a full year.