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Original poster

Any teachers/school staff here?

32 replies

Mzhill · 12/01/2023 09:06

Just wondering what your job is like?

Since I’ve had my son I’ve considered working in a school, working hours and it would work around my son in school. It seems to be rewarding

it doesn’t have to necessarily be teaching but anyone who works in a school, is it really rewarding? Or not really

OP posts:
nzeire · 12/01/2023 09:11

Apparently my face lights up when I talk about my job!
im front office in a primary school. Paid over and above the ministry guidelines, am given free reign to do my job, plus anything extra. I adore the diversity, the challenges, the laughs, the busyness.
if you have a good leadership team, it’s brilliant. If you have a shit one (like when I fist started) it was horrible

MissBlacksheep · 11/02/2023 17:03

I am a TA. Very rewarding job.

CanOfGerms · 11/02/2023 17:07

Head. Very rewarding, very stressful.

Interested in this thread?

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General education
MissWings · 11/02/2023 17:08

Special needs teacher/or TA as I work via an agency so pick and the choose the work I want. It is stressful and full on but I wasn’t made to sit in an office.

leccybill · 11/02/2023 17:08

I'm a high school teacher of 20 years. Absolutely love it, best job in the world. The days, weeks, years race by and you're never more than 7 weeks away from a week off!
Teenagers are interesting, weird and hilarious.

MrsHamlet · 11/02/2023 17:09

I absolutely love my job. I teach in a secondary school. But it is not as family friendly as you might think.

CatOnTheChair · 11/02/2023 17:22

School support staff here.
I've had 2 massive payrises this year (13% as we moved into a MAT and I was seriously underpaid compared to my equivalent in the other schools, then 9% as a flat uplift to all job reference salaries), but the pay is still pretty poor.
I would also need childcare if mine weren't old enough to be home alone for a couple of hours - I start before the school bell, and finish after the bell.
Also, be aware if you work in a different authority to your child's school, the holidays don't necessarily align. We are possibly an anomaly round here, but there are 4 different LA holiday timetables within a 10 mile radius of the school. A friend has kids with different half terms this Feb. Next Feb half term and Easter don't align for me and my kids. In general, the holidays are a great bonus - but I have a DH who does inset days and when holidays don't align. Pay isn't great - but it's also one of the easiest going jobs I've had when compared to industry. I know teachers will object to that statement, but it is my experience.

If you love the sound of the job, go for it.
If you think it would be convenient, stay clear.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 11/02/2023 17:28

I love my job. Very rewarding.

If you mean working school hours as term-time only, then as long as you can cover training days too (not always needed as a TA, depends on the school) then it's good.

If you mean being able to only work school hours in the day, then it's not good. No-one at my school leaves as the kids do. The teachers get there early and have to stay for directed time (and beyond until the work is done). The TAs have it worse as the pay is poor so most of them do before school club, lunchtime duties and then work the after school club too.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 11/02/2023 17:28

And the admin work 8.30-4.00 to man the phones.

Confusedteacher · 11/02/2023 17:28

Teaching absolutely does not work around school hours. I leave the house at 7.30 and get home after 6 (and my commute is only 15 mins!) When my DC were younger I paid a fortune for wraparound care, now they are in secondary school I just feel guilty about the hours they spend at home alone.

Before training as a teacher I was a TA and absolutely loved it- that does work around school hours really well. Pay is awful though.

MissyB1 · 11/02/2023 17:31

I do supply TA work in a private school, it’s rewarding and enjoyable but the pay isn’t great. I could have a permanent contract but I like the flexibility of supply.

blackheartsgirl · 11/02/2023 17:35

I’m a cleaner at my dds high school I’m definitely not the school staff you mean 😂😂

however I do see the teachers stay until 4 or five on a regular basis, they go home and mark work, plan lessons etc and I get to see first hand how hard they work. Some do have problems with childcare because as a pp said that different authorities have different term times which clash.

my job personally is great because I do have school holidays off but as a teacher /TA I’d say it’s not as easy as you would think regarding term times etc

Lovetotravel123 · 11/02/2023 17:43

I love it, BUT, I work in a very small sixth form for international students. No behaviour issues, supportive management etc. I think this is rare.

Bernadinetta · 11/02/2023 17:44

I’m a primary teacher with 2 young kids. It’s not a family friendly job.

beccy11 · 11/02/2023 17:46

I'm a Director of Operations in a Trust and I love it! Every day is different, I work time time plus 2 weeks so best of both worlds

Quitelikeacatslife · 11/02/2023 17:49

School office 8.30-4.30 term time , really like it very varied busy and interesting, nice people to work with . Money not great at all . TA's do seem to have hard jobs with the most challenging kids but do leave dead on 3.15. Teachers and heads another ball game of responsibility and time required (but good money)

dapsnotplimsolls · 11/02/2023 17:51

If you want to go into teaching, be prepared to work 50-60 hours every week. However, it is rewarding and no lesson is the same!

Nutellaontoastplease · 11/02/2023 17:56

School admin. Loved my previous school. Varied and a lovely team. New school now (don't ask, not the best decision I've ever made!) and I'm not loving it. I have been very fortunate to have headteachers who have allowed me time off to see my children in their school plays etc, but not all heads allow this.
I'm trying to retrain at the moment, in a school environment still, as I do really enjoy it. I just think I have had my fill of office admin for a while!

GeoffGiraffe · 11/02/2023 17:58

TA, I love it. Exhausting but rewarding. I often get left to cover classes at a moment's notice so you do need to be confident enough to be in front of 30 kids and teach without any prep or knowledge about the lesson.

I wouldn't do teacher training until my DC were old enough to not need intense daily input.

Notellinganyone · 11/02/2023 18:01

leccybill · 11/02/2023 17:08

I'm a high school teacher of 20 years. Absolutely love it, best job in the world. The days, weeks, years race by and you're never more than 7 weeks away from a week off!
Teenagers are interesting, weird and hilarious.

Exactly this. But it’s hard work and not everyone is cut out for it.

modgepodge · 11/02/2023 18:01

I’m in school 7.45-5.15 most days so my daughter has to go to wrap around. It is a small independent school so not much marking (small classes) and time not wasted dealimg with poor behaviour. However I haven’t really had a pay rise (2-3% some years) in 5 years so I now don’t do anything outside of those hours unless I really have to. This is unusual, even in my school. In state it would be unheard of.

TAs in my school work 8.30-12.30 or 3.30 so all school hours. But unless your child are in the same school as you you’d still need some wrap around.

I did love the job for many years but am jaded now and looking for an ‘exit route’.

LadyDanburysCane · 11/02/2023 18:06

I am school admin. I LOVE my job BUT it is not as “family friendly” as you may think. The school office is manned from 8am to 4.30pm. I work 40 weeks per year and pay is around £12 per hour. IF my DC were still at school then I would need childcare but that doesn’t apply to me. It’s fabulous varied, challenging, rewarding work but OP shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking school workers are on the same hours as the children.

MissBPotter · 11/02/2023 18:08

Teaching is not family friendly. I’m out between 7.30 and 6 most days and sometimes longer. I get paid less now in real terms than I got when I first graduated (albeit in a different profession), even though I was unqualified. That was in 2005. Probably similar equivalent to what I got in my first year of teaching in 2009. And I’m head of three large subjects in a secondary school. I’ve spent the last three weekends marking non stop and I am
now facing the prospect of marking most of half term. With my three kids off school/nursery….. also I am feeling ill: probably because I relaxed a bit today after a horrific term of massive workload including covering two staff in my team and being unable to recruit any replacements. Even supply.

bit of a rant but to want to teach because it’s family friendly…. No…it is good at times but I’m pretty pissed off right now!

Serena1977 · 11/02/2023 18:35

I'm a teacher. Drop off dc at childminder at 7am, get to my school at 7.40am.
It's rewarding, busy and I never have to clock watch! But it's not just teaching now. I am on safeguarding alert all the time. I have SEN children that are not getting the support they need. Many low ability children and a few high ability who I don't stretch enough because I am always dealing with behaviour, meltdowns, playground fights, safeguarding etc etc.

I get home at around 5.45pm. DH is very supportive and now deals with home, dc and dog and does all the cooking.

Now on half term break and I've got about 8 hours work to do over the hols, dc are not off for half term as in a different county so DH has had to use his hols for half term to cover.

I would love to be the office manager!

MissWings · 11/02/2023 18:37

A lot of teachers are leaving school by 4:30 although there is competetive attendance in some.