I’ma teacher with no drive to move up the greasy career pole

[MsWalterMitty]

Am I a rare breed? Or is it okay?

I love teaching! I’m only in my third year and have been in the same school since completing my PGCE. It’s an SEMH school, the kids are a challenge but relationships are great! Biggest class size is 7. Staff are lovely, there’s hardly any planning, no marking. I’d say it was a good work life balance in comparison to SLT or even a teacher in a mainstream school.

My only issue is that I don’t teach to my full potential due to behaviours in class. I think I’d really struggle to teach in a mainstream school, certainly to start.. and Is struggle to cope with the work load.

But I have 2 young children at home, a steady income which is currently rising each year as I’ve got my progress targets. I’m happy with the max pay.

Would I be stupid to stay where I am in a cushty role?

I've been an unambituous teacher (until family life completely got in the way). There's not enough space on the greasy pole for everyone and the rewards for the extra effort aren't great.

For some years there were Advanced Skills Teachers developed to keep experienced teachers in the classroom and to share good practice in a practical, classroom based way.

There are ways beyond working life to satisfy personal ambition too.

I stayed a classroom teacher until I retired. I was a single parent and when my daughter was young I wanted to spend more time with her, when she was older I developed more outside interests. I wanted to spend my working hours doing what I loved, being with the children, and not doing more paperwork and meetings and never had the slightest interest in promotion.

That's what I am worried about. I didn't really want this job but was talked into it by my matron 😞. Don't get me wrong I enjoy it but I don't want the stress I see my band 7 under. My band 7 is set to retire in a few years or less and I know I will be pushed, not sure what I will do then. I keep telling the other band 6 how amazing he would be as a 7 🤞.

I speak to band 5 nurses who want to stay as a 5, why shouldn't they? There is alot of pressure and I think it is about filling posts, they hate senior posts unfilled.

@MinnieMountain

I’m an unambitious solicitor. Everyone I know from my degree/ training is a partner now. I’d rather have lower pay and less stress.

Same here, I work 3 days a week in a support role. It keeps me interested and I earn enough for the lifestyle I want.

And if truth be told, it isn't just laziness, I am not clever enough to be a partner or high flying head of legal in a company.

We need people to do the day to day work as well as manage, and we definitely need good classroom practitioners.

Your entitled to make your choice and entitled to enjoy your job. I never want to go higher in my nursing career and am quite happy as I am

I remember turning down promotion. It was highly unusual to be offered promotion unless moving departments where I worked. They were shocked. There is slight regret in that five years later I became too ill to work so it would have plumped up my pension but we are fine financially and still are.

@gofg

If you are happy as you are then continue on. Ambition isn't the be all and end all some people would have us think.

I have lots of ambition… but in my personal life. I’d rather challenge myself out of work rather than in!

The need to butter up clients is my main problem @JuergenSchwarzwald. I’m also PT in a support role

DH is a teacher. He went down to 4 days a week when we had children, and although he has a TLR it isn't a 'big' one, and he knows that isn't likely to happen without going back to full-time and, probably, moving schools. His is the kind of school that teachers stay in for decades and decades, so if he wanted to climb the greasy pole he'd really need to go somewhere with more churn (and so opportunities). He's very happy to take the trade-off of staying in a great school with a relatively low workload (there's a reason people never leave) and to stay part-time.

DP is a teacher who's currently trying to dodge a promotion that's currently bearing down on him with worrying inevitability.

He's a teacher because he likes and is good at teaching. It's so arse-backwards that being good enough at your job to merit a promotion will mean getting promoted to a role where you do less of that job, and more management/admin/client-based work.

I have a similar issue in my industry. I'm passionate and good at my actual job but there's a point at which moving up will mean doing less of it, and having to spend all day managing other people and being in meetings. Sounds like hell to me.

I'm a lecturer who climbed the pole and is now happily sliding back down it! I have no further ambition and have in fact taken a step back, reducing my hours, moving to another role with less pressure and less responsibility, and a better work-life balance. I have no desire to get any further in my career now and am making my peace with that.

I think happiness trumps all. as long as you can pay the bills.

I've been a teacher for 12 years OP (mainstream primary). I've gone from
full time (and subject leader of 2 subjects!) to part time (I now have two kids) and subject leader of 1. If career progression in teaching was less stressful I might have done it, but there's absolutely no way I could handle the pressure and stress. I also absolutely hate data, spreadsheets and analysing children as numbers. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not!

I'm in my 20th year of teaching and am still "only" a supply teacher. A few people don't like supply teachers and see us as a kind of lower/lesser/pretend teacher. I don't care though. I am very busy and get multiple days' work a week, am often asked back to the same schools over and over and I get to teach: I do the job I love but don't have to spend my evenings and weekends planning, marking, assessing and writing reports or setting targets.

I don't think I'll ever leave SEMH. It's a million times better for me than mainstream. I really regret going into SLT though and in my next role will definitely not.

Oh and I'm not a teacher, I work as a pastoral lead. But the same applies. I don't mind the physical interventions, I love the relationships with the students, but SLT is a whole other level of stress I WISH I hadn't taken. Stay where you are and enjoy it OP!

If you ever want to progress in the future there's options. Like SENCO, etc.

I’m a nurse and have always thought the same, I have always felt my skills are in clinical care and have had no desire for management.

I’m now 20+ years qualified and I’ve been approached to step up to management. It really isn’t something I saw myself doing but my dses are grown and I think I need a new challenge now. Plus I am tired of shift work.

I guess my point is, this might be perfect for you now but don’t rule out changes in the future. When your children grow up, you have more headspace and you might relish a new challenge.

you know what
if it aint broke dont try to fix it
being happy at work makes life a lot easier

@Rupertpenrysmistress

Once you get to a band 6 it is expected that you want to progress.

It really isnt

Most teachers don't progress- particularly in special

Don't leave a school you love. I know so many who have done this and regretted it. I am the same about progression, I am happy and senior leaders know that I am not interested in more. They have no issue with that and would rather keep a great teacher than push them into a role that makes them want to leave!

@holidaytime2021 I have no experience In teaching, I am a senior NHS nurse and this is the expectation at band 6, my matron said a 6 is just training for a 7. Different career so different expectations I guess.

Staaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!