Teachers - notice period is this week to leave at Christmas

[Workyticket]

I'm on a Facebook group for teachers looking to get out

Notice has to be in by the end of this week I believe (I'm FE so different) and there are so many teachers putting theirs in.

I know that @Noblegiraffe is usually the one to start these threads and some people think she exaggerates

We're in the shit people - already in crisis and way more will be gone at Christmas

Email your MP, back teachers striking when they (inevitably) go out and be prepared to start forking out for stationery etc to send your kids into school with.

I came from the corporate world. Financial services. I have letter after my name for it.

Teaching is harder.

I am actively looking for a route out now. I am done in.

Agreed the new trainees are awful. My last one was dire, I said so and his course passed him as 'outstanding' 🙄

Any warm body Guy ...

And many of the parents on here are cheering that on as if experienced quality teachers leaving in droves and being replaced by cheaper new teachers trained to a lower standard and leaving within a few years in very many cases will be great for their kids education.

The anti teacher sentiment seems to override all rationality and even self interest.

What about my department?

That is the bit I don't get. People on here love to put teachers down or say we're moaning etc but don't seem to get that this affects their children's education (well, often not of those in power as they go private)

Guy - I hear this so much , but no teachers just don't understand the real world 🙄.

Yes, DD's school has been advertising for an MFL teacher since September. I've just had a look and it's up on TES as "new this week" so clearly they've not found anyone in time for resignations and they know that because the start date has changed. Head of maths also has been readvertised at another local school for going on 18 months now.

I was a graduate for a retailer in the 90s. Left after 6 years and went into teaching. It was a 50% salary cut then plus no free food!

If it says something about your department, it says it about ours too.

An experienced department, in an outstanding school and of the last three trainees we've had, none are teachers. One is qualified, but working in admin, one dropped out and sent a reference request for a newsagents, one had the chance of mat cover with us 3 years after qualifying (no other experience) which was terminated early.

They don't plan on time, argue when reminded (in writing) of basic expectations, leave site without permission, fail to learn children's names, make basic mistakes in their own writing and can't explain misconceptions that come up. They sit at (my!) desk and expect the class to know what to do as if by magic, and then want all of our precious 2.5 hrs non-contact time to go on about their views about how teaching should be and the things they think they should teach. Try it our way, using our quality assured schemes of work first.

Some schools are worsening the recruitment and retention crisis by being completely inflexible to part time work requests for staff with carer/childcare needs. I am having to leave my middle leadership job in a large secondary because the Head wouldn't offer part time even just for classroom position. I teach a core subject. The whole sector needs to wake up a bit to the fact that unless schools are prepared to make job share/part time/more flexible hours work then they will continue to lose teachers. Women aged 30-39 make up the largest group leaving teaching after retirees and this seems to be the elephant in the room that many leaders on the ground don't seem to want to address.

You have to work in an independent school for the free food!

No free food in my school and twice the price of the coop for a wrap despite it being half the size and quality. It's ok though as I never have time to eat at work anyway.

To be fair you get free food if you eat with the children but it isnt salmon and caviar.

Some of these stories about trainees are, as a current trainee, horribly embarrassing. But also not remotely surprising.

I sincerely hope my mentor doesn’t think I’m like that! I’m working really hard, have learnt kids names after only 3 days in class, planned my lessons for next week already as well as being knee deep in my first PGCE assignment.

I’m also mid-thirties with a first class education degree and years of classroom experience behind me though. Some of my ‘peers’ are 21, have never had a single day of classroom experience prior to our first placement, in some cases not even had a job yet, and got a 2:2 in a subject like photography or sports therapy. (There is nothing wrong with those degrees necessarily, but how the fuck does the aforementioned qualify you for ITT please?)

I’m not throwing in the towel just yet, but I am already questioning wtf I’m doing 😂

I handed my notice in last week, I am moving into corporate training. More money, hopefully fewer behaviour problems(!) Less hours, treated like an adult, can pee when I want.

Some schools are worsening the recruitment and retention crisis by being completely inflexible to part time work requests for staff with carer/childcare needs.

This is very true. My school is particularly shit and inflexible for part timers and has seen many of them leave over the past few years for precisely that reason.

I've wondered about corporate training but I don't really look the part!

You see our school has a large number of part timers, and out HT is pro family, but the workload is so insane that 1) you're not really part time, you are full time with a part time workload; and b) it means more split classes and I find behaviour worse in split classes than when I have total ownership.

*with part time pay, that should say

@PrimarilyParented Civil Service or quangos like the Environment Agency pay similar, the pension is 19% so only slightly lower than a teachers pension. Most industries that pay around 38k will be for a management position so you may need to go in slightly lower down the pay grade if you havent got experience line managing. Lots of hybrid roles so you can WFH, perfect for when your children are in their early teens and need you home for the holidays for when they pop in from being out with their friends but don't need you taking them out and about.

If you want a great pension, look into local government jobs (council). A relative of mine works for the council in planning and development. Despite getting paid more than me (teacher), he pays less per month into his pension but the benefits are higher. His pension will be paid at a significantly higher rate than mine and he can take it early if he wishes where I can't. He can also work from home most days, saving money there too. Yes, he might not get that fulfilling feeling in his soul of making a difference, but that feeling doesn't pay the bills.

Yes the not being able able to take it till 67 and tiny accrual rate is making me consider cancelling my pension. 67 is insane.

Yes.

And I don't think many of the public realise these current ECTs haven't had much placement experience due to covid either.

My department is up 6 flights of stairs - I keep thinking if people really do work to 67 they're going to have to install chair lifts. It nearly kills me as it is.

Surely there's a lift?

😂 😂 😂

No lift to my room either. Many flights of stairs.

No lift to my room either. Many flights of stairs.

Not sure I understand the joke? So how would a wheelchair user get to your department?