Teachers: would you take a £10k pay cut to get out of teaching?

[Awkwardusername]

I know some teachers love it, but I’m primarily looking at those who don’t.
Do you think it’s too much of a cut?

Have you worked out how many hours you’ll actually be doing vs what you do now?

A colleague of mine worked out how many hours they actually spend as teacher including all the planning, marking, parents evening etc and worked out if they were on NMW they’d be getting more money.

I have taken a big pay cut but I’m still teaching (SEND school) however I think I’m going to leave soon as it’s still so much work.

I think I’m at a point in my life where I’d rather have more time with my family and have a hobby.

Can you try it and then return to teaching if you think you’ve made a mistake?

I did that but found the new sector (IT) daunting and missed the holidays. Then tried my hand in another sector (sales) and hated it. I ended up working in a creche and did some tutoring but my favourite jobs out of education were postman and receptionist. I am back in education now, but as a lowly (low status and low pay) cover supervisor. I enjoy some of it - but managing behaviour when dubbed as supply/not a proper teacher, as well as the godawful pay, does make me wonder whether I ought to have found something else by now. I do not regret leaving full-time teaching per se, but I do regret not having a decent pension now. I also should have gone sideways as a pastoral manager from having been a head of year but now, having been out of that role for so long, I think I would find it stupidly stressful now as the goalposts never stop changing.

Not teaching. Put I was working as a software engineer after I left university, I just wasn't happy so I left after a few years of being unhappy / going back after mat leave. I became a lunchtime and after school club organiser. So pretty big pay cut. I've just started working as a teaching assistant level 1 and still happier than I was being a software engineer. You have to do what's right for you, your wellbeing and happiness.

I did. I went from £37k to £24k with a long commute but it was worth it to get my life and health back