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.

The courier job is irrelevant.

The whole point was that for a 30 second google, @FrippEnos and I could find plenty of jobs that would pay similar to a teachers salary, that teachers would be qualified for (with degree + postgrad study + transferable skills).

This was in response to the poster who wrongly assumed ex teachers could only earn min wage elsewhere.

I taught for five years before burning out (sounds like a very short time but a mori poll at the time stated that five years was average).
I should have changed schools in retrospect.

I changed career twice - half of what I was on, on a teacher wage. Turns out I hated ICT support, and I hated cold calling. I ended up doing supply at a time when it was lucrative if you were flexible. Still way less than a teaching salary.

I did a postal job - I loved it, in actual fact, for reasons a pp gave - but it paid minimum wage. I worked in childcare - big respect to all those who work in nurseries - but it paid minimum wage.

I returned to education (support role) and am only surviving by UC top-up with some supply (the latter tests resilience). My ideal job now would be receptionist or long-distance lorry driver (!) but I have to wait a few years as I have children.
Only school term-time only jobs fit for many lone parents.

The older you are, the harder it is to find jobs. If you get out of teaching at a young age, you might find more opportunities - certainly, people claim civil service as one potential employer.

But it is not easy after a certain point and supply as a fallback option is always tricky. I am not for one second suggesting anyone stay in a position that is no longer viable, but I would (from personal experience) say look before you leap!

If anyone wants to send me a 48k permanent contract postal job, please PM me.
I call bullshit on some of the info touted on here. Having been there, done that and with lived experience, the reality is very different.

As support staff on about £10-11/per hour, I could look for shop work, telephonist work, delivery work...but these would be hourly salaried jobs and I doubt I would be that much better off. This is the real reason why so many older ex-teachers end up as learning support assistants, cover supervisors, attendance officers or school support workers. You have fewer options than you think, especially once caring responsibilities and age are added to the mix.

Like others, I wish I had retrained - e.g., educational psychologist or had gone for something totally different - e.g., emergency services switchboard/community liaison officer. I suspect, however, that many, many jobs are as stressful, but you do not know until you are in them.

Good luck to you all .

Hello everyone, just wanted to step in and remind you all that sockpuppeting on the threads is not allowed - it breaks our Talk Guidelines. Mumsnetters who continue to do this may have their accounts suspended, something we would rather avoid.
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MNHQ

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If any puppeteer wants to send me their jobs that would pay similar to a teacher's salary, that I would be qualified for (I have a double degree, PGCE and transferable skills) please do. I get daily emails from Indeed and see fuck all.
Unless I want to be a funeral arranger on commission, no contract - £100 per funeral. I cannot imagine being able to visit the vulnerable and bereaved to tout my funeral wares so nope.

Sounds tough @SequinsandStilettos and sorry you had to go through all these shitty jobs.

I guess, you summed up rather better what I was trying to say about grass l being greener. And it’s why I was frustrated at posters suggesting it was easy to land suitable well paid jobs when lived experience from many doesn’t show that.

have you ever thought about returning to teaching at a different school?

@SequinsandStilettos

Proofreading and copywriting would be a good bet. Can often be done remotely so widen your search parameters on indeed.

So how many ex-teachers do you know @Wondershoe? And what are they doing now? How many have purposely chosen a lower paid job because they don't want the stress?

The leaving teaching fb group is probably going to be the largest sample of ex-teachers and its nothing but positive posts from people that have left. And yes, plenty earning 30k+

Someone posts every few hours on the Facebook group that they've handed in their notice.

We've lost 14 from our department (big FE college) this year and only 1 that I k ow of has gone for promotion in education. The rest have gone to the Civil Service / exam board / call centres... o idea what salaries they have gone to

Ours isn't great anyway. Starting salary is £26,700 for qualified. Very few make it to £35k because of unrealistic KPIs

@SequinsandStilettos If you watch that Pit Ponies video a PP linked, they have lots of good ideas.

I don’t really understand teaching salaries as I have two very good friends who have been teachers since leaving uni (mid 40s) and they both earn well over £50k. How are some only earning £30k after a full career?

I know about 10 teachers (perils of an English grad!) and none of them have left, one guy at work left to become a teacher but came back as he couldn’t hack the salary cut but then I’m in quite a high earning profession so he went from about £90k to whatever a starting teachers salary is!

So, no I don’t know ex teachers looking for other careers BUT I know a lot of people who’ve hit mid life and decided to change (professional) careers and a number of them have really struggled to find other interesting well paid jobs so that’s what I’m basing it on.

Thanks for the idea. I am underqualified for many, unless I could get away with

• marking as proofreading experience
• making resources as editing experience

Qualifications (this was for a freelance job btw)

Master's (Preferred)
ELT Content Editor: 5 years (Preferred)
ELT Proofreader: 5 years (Preferred)

Please do not feel sorry for me - I have worked since I was 15, did babysitting, retail, shelf-filling, money-counting, more retail, bar work, cleaning, chambermaiding, ushering, events management, ESL, au pairing. All prior to teaching. Adult education teaching and a counselling qualification on top of that. I know how to graft, as do many of the teachers I know. I loved the postal work, but Winter was brutal. I am not unhappy with my lot but the pay for support staff is pitiful. It is what it is.

I could not return to full-time teaching and all that it entails, although I have done maternity leaves in the past, because of a ND child. Any of you teaching on top of caring responsibilities (beyond parenting but nonetheless chapeau to you all)
have my utmost respect. I could not do what you do.
I did consider part-time but know from sharing classes on a maternity, I was doing more for less.

Shall take a look at the video now.

Well that's a complete lie. Top of the pay scale is £41k so there is absolutely no way all your teaching friends earn "well over £50k".

Fringe and outer London UPS3 is still under £50k. Inner London UPS3 in £50,935 soo still not "well over £50k". And that is the most you can earn without extra responsibilities and leadership.

Starting for call centre is about 20k. It was 15k twenty years ago so has not gone up. I could say the same for supply though. You could earn up to £135 in 2001. Most agencies try to get you for £115 now or Cover Supervisor rates if you want day-to-day or short term. Even long-term, a colleague of mine is only on £120. Just to those thinking you can name your price - in London, perhaps but not everywhere, not anymore.
Sorry - not trying to be a Debbie Downer, as not everyone handing in their notice will be in my shoes. I just think in the current economic climate, unless you have flexibility, you need to be aware/realistic.

I do wish you all luck though and hope that you find a work-life balance that means thriving rather than existing.

@Itstarts I’m not lying, they probably do have additional responsibilities as they’ve been teaching a long time. One is head of 6th form and not sure what other is. Are most teachers not able to achieve these roles after 20 years of teaching? One of them was working in London at one point and her salary was over £70k

www.educationtay.com/teacher-pay-scale-uk/

and what I have said tallies with this. An experienced teacher with extra responsibility can be earning up to £120k according to this. Appreciate that’s not everyone and not new starters.

One is head of 6th form

Calling a head of 6th form a teacher would be like calling an assistant manager of a supermarket a shop worker.

It doesn't quite capture it.

😂😂😂 Hilarious!

To put it into perspective, a head of an average primary earns roughly £60-£70k.

Ok but surely after 20 years you wouldn’t still be a shop worker, you’d expect to be a manager!

they don’t work in primary schools hence one being head of 6th form! the highest paid head teacher in UK earns over £450k according to the Guardian!

But @Wondershoe if all the experienced teachers decide to go into management, it leaves your classrooms full of more inexperienced teachers.

I am 15 years in. After birth of my first child I dropped all ambition I had (I was a HOD and on ELT) because whilst the holidays etc are child friendly, the working week is not!

Also some of us actually just really enjoy teaching- the more you earn the less of that you actually do!

the highest paid head teacher in UK earns over £450k according to the Guardian!

They're not a headteacher, they're the CEO of a MAT and in charge of 48 schools. Totally different job to headteacher. The government has tried to step in and make him take a pay cut as it's widely acknowledged as a ridiculous salary.

Nothing more annoying than someone who has no idea about your job trying to tell you stuff that's wrong.

Fair few posters who've never let ignorance get in the way of taking a pop at the teaching profession though, eh Noble?

@RoastedTurnip and that’s fine. It’s same in the private sector - we could all aim for CEO but really I couldn’t be bothered therefore I earn less.

@Wondershoe it's the 'you'd expect to be a manager' part of your post I was referring to really.
You can't expect anything!