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Original poster

Fed up of people saying this about me being a teacher

131 replies

tryingsomethingnew · 16/02/2023 07:43

Sorry long title but didn't want it to be too vague.

Help me out here. This is somewhat lighthearted and I'd like a sassy answer to my issue.

I'm a teacher. My daughter (thinks) she wants to be a teacher. I live my job. I'm good at it. I work in a lovely school with lovely people. The children are great.

The issue I have, is that when we talk about jobs with family and friends, all of them say "Why do you want to do that job!" "Why not be a lawyer".

My answer to her is that she can do anything she wants, teaching is hard, but it allows me a wonderful job, and time with my family as I have the holidays. The money (for me) is decent. Yes it could be more, but we live well.

I'm so annoyed. This is also coming from kids too! Who I would understand might not like their own teachers, but I find it really rude and disrespectful.

So....what would you say to answer them?

Yesterday she answered with "well my mummy is here looking after all of us (playdate with friends) and some parents are at work today. I want to have a good job but still have time with my family". She obviously hears my answers and repeated that.

Come on! We need Laywers, teachers, city workers, but teachers are the least favourable.

Help me answer those critics!

OP posts:
Pinkflipflop85 · 16/02/2023 07:50

I can't really blame them.

The education system is a complete shower of shite right now. I wouldn't want either of my children to consider following me and becoming a teacher.

Alwaystirednowandalways · 16/02/2023 07:51

Just explain that you love teaching because of the naturally optimistic nature of your colleagues Grin

ÉireannachÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ · 16/02/2023 07:53

Whoa whoa whoa!!!!!

You say:
You are a teacher
You get lots of time with family due to the holidays
The money is decent

A mumsnet first!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
stbrandonsboat · 16/02/2023 07:55

Being a teacher appears to me to be little more than poorly paid crowd control whilst being subjected to both verbal and physical abuse. Add in the risk of being falsely accused of harming a pupil and it doesn't sound like much of a way to spend your life. I've never encouraged my dcs to go into teaching. I'm sure some teachers must enjoy their work, but is it worth the risk of training then not being able to find anywhere decent?

MoserRothOrangeandAlmond · 16/02/2023 07:56

People say that about all professions. I wanted to be a nurse... I am btw.
I used to get asked why I didn't want to be a doctor? ..... standard reply was.... because it's a different profession

Bunbuns3 · 16/02/2023 07:57

Yes my neice who is only 26 and is only in her second year of teaching gets the same. Even her own parents do it, but her Mum is by far the worst.

It has got to the point she wants to leave as everyone seems to look down on her. She has worked so hard, but everyone talks to her like she is mad to do her job.

RudsyFarmer · 16/02/2023 08:00

I think some professions have just been talked down over the years. Teaching, nurses, police. It probably goes hand in hand with the unions demanding decent pay etc. it all just sounds so dire and depressing. I know when my child has talked about being a teacher I’ve also tried to steer them another direction. I just want them to be happy!

Meandfour · 16/02/2023 08:03

Well they’ve obviously been striking and all the ones on the news and plenty on social media are saying how shit the job is, how shit the pay is, how overworked they are, how they have to work through the evenings, weekends and holidays to squeeze everything in.
Can’t blame people for believing them.

Singleandproud · 16/02/2023 08:05

What is wrong with the question? If she wanted to be a lawyer they would probably ask her the same.

Wanting to do the same job as their parent is very common the 'Why' is quite important. She is parroting your response at the moment. Working out which careers you do and do not want to go into and the reasons behind them is important. When I was little I wanted to be an "English teacher and be like Miss Honey" in reality I loved reading and Miss Honey reminded me of my own teachers who I liked. As an adult I became a secondary science teacher that started seeing the merits of Trunchballs point of view

Nimbostratus100 · 16/02/2023 08:06

you may have a decent job but many teaching jobs are soul destroying, and no, I wouldnt advice anyone to enter the profession.

I am a teacher, I have a lovely (part time) job - but 90% of my teaching career has been hell on earth, and this school could turn any day, so however happy I am right now, it would be irresponsible of me to encourage anyone else in

Wolfiefan · 16/02/2023 08:07

I was a teacher for nearly 20 years. It wrecked my physical and mental health. So no. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Testina · 16/02/2023 08:10

If she still calls you “mummy” then these kids are young enough that you’re really over thinking this 🤣

Literally no child ever sat with their friends at 7 and said, “I want to be the supervisor for a team of AR Clerks”, and yet - my company has zero trouble recruiting them.

Anyway. I’m just here for the fun of a teacher actually saying it’s family friendly 🍿

Fuctifin0 · 16/02/2023 08:11

How old is your daughter?

Maybe she could say she's not going to get the grades to be a lawyer so will be having a go at teaching.

wtfisgoingonhere21 · 16/02/2023 08:14

@Fuctifin0

Well
We've all been bombarded via social media and news channels for the last I don't know how long of how bad teachers have it and how they get paid bugger all for so so much time working and planning etc etc and that the pensions are crap now and the pay even worse.

So much so loads of teachers are now striking over it so I can totally see why their view is obscured

Testina · 16/02/2023 08:15

“The money (for me) is decent. Yes it could be more, but we live well.”

I’d be interested in why that is.

  • are you well paid because of seniority (despite popular opinion, there are a number of teachers who are)
  • or is it because your husband earns well
  • or you live in a cheap area
  • or your mortgage is low after an inheritance
  • or you have family support and have never paid for childcare

All things that can’t all apply to every teacher.

ITotallyPaused · 16/02/2023 08:17

You're being too sensitive! I mean MN confuses me because the amount of teachers on here whinging about their job and then this thread being offended by people not suggesting teaching as a career is baffling!

I work in a really tough industry and there's no way I would want my child to go into the same industry - there is absolutely no work/life balance and it can be dangerous. Pay is great but work is exhausting. When people ask if my child will follow in mine and my husband's career footsteps I respond with "I hope not!"

ITotallyPaused · 16/02/2023 08:17

ÉireannachÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ · 16/02/2023 07:53

Whoa whoa whoa!!!!!

You say:
You are a teacher
You get lots of time with family due to the holidays
The money is decent

A mumsnet first!

Haha! Isn't it??

IwasToldThereWouldBeCake · 16/02/2023 08:18

Could respond with :

It's a state job with lots of holidays and DD will make good wifey material to all the1950s style men, who don't want any responsibility of juggling childcare around holidays etc 😜. DD also wants to boss people around and get paid for it 😝😝

Smoothlines · 16/02/2023 08:22

How old is your DD? At first, I thought she might be mid-teens, but then you started talking about play dates.
To be honest, teachers are the highest paid people I know, and I live in London where “everyone is rich”. The teachers I know love their jobs and think they are good teachers. There have certainly been jobs they haven’t liked and schools they didn’t like, but all are pretty happy where they are now. All the teachers I know live alone, so no other income coming in.

Rinkydinkydoodle · 16/02/2023 08:22

Hi OP

I’d be wondering why they don’t realise if there were no teachers there would be no lawyers, doctors, or anything else. In fact, society wouldn’t be able to continue. I think it’s nice when I hear children say they want to be teachers.

(I was quite forcibly talked out of being a teacher by my teacher parent at 17, and became a lawyer - she now admits that was wrong).

ShillyShallySherbet · 16/02/2023 08:26

I think the most worrying thing is that she’s using ‘having time with my family’ as a reason for her career choice. That really shouldn’t come into it at such a young age, she should be aiming for a career she loves not thinking about what will work around the children who may or may not exist in the future when hopefully won’t be solely her responsibility when and if that time comes.

I always wanted to be a teacher growing up and people I told used to be less than enthusiastic about it. I think it’s so wrong how teaching is automatically looked down on when it’s such an important career and vocation. The immediate response when you tell people seems to be “I’m sure you can do better than that” or “that’s a bit unoriginal” which is so wrong.

Testina · 16/02/2023 08:26

@Rinkydinkydoodle “I’d be wondering why they don’t realise if there were no teachers there would be no lawyers, doctors, or anything else. “

Well that all sounds very clever, but these are little kids saying what they think sounds like a fun career. Not what is needed for current society to function. When you child looks at the moon and dreams of being an astronaut do you bring them back to earth with the bump of “but darling, who’ll collect the bins?” Don’t be so pious 🤣

WonderingWanda · 16/02/2023 08:29

Iam pleased for you that you feel so happy with your job that you'd recommend it to your daughter but I don't think this is the experience of the vast majority of teachers. I am also a teacher and I tell my kids not to go down that route.

It's a career that sucks you in and traps you, there is no way I can swap into another industry now without halving my salary and starting at the bottom again. For the first 6 years of my career I was skint, I struggled with paying back uni related debt, rent, bills and trying to get on the housing ladder. Nike felt constantly like I was failing due to the phenomenal workload and scrutiny. Colleagues told me how good I was and I didn't believe them, how could I be hood if I was encountering the same issues day in day out, disengagement SEND kids who's grades I couldn't raise. OFSTED who always found something obscure to cristicse and ignored the 1 million things we'd been told to put in place to please them.

Then I had kids and battled with nursery fees etc. I went part time and now I am trapped as a part timer in the classroom on ups3. Jumping through hoops each year to prove my worthiness of ups but also now too expensive get a new full time job, feedback is always very positive but there's always someone much younger and cheaper who gets the job. Not to mention the abuse and horrendous behaviour I deal with on a daily basis. I am regularly sworn at and children are not sanctioned because they say they didn't do it. We have barely any TA's so it's all on me in the classroom and it's more unachievable than ever, class sizes are growing, staff sickness is at an all time high. It is be a brutal job. It used to reduce me to tears but now after 20 years I realise that I am not the problem. No way I want my kids to do this job, it's thankless, undervalued and constantly at the whim of whatever the education minister of the week has decided.

noblegiraffe · 16/02/2023 08:31

Lots of threads about teachers this week.

To be honest, teachers are the highest paid people I know, and I live in London where “everyone is rich”.

😂

VanillaSox · 16/02/2023 08:34

Amazed that people around you are taking seriously anything a child young enough to have playdates thinks will be their career.
I have a 6th form tutor group as nd most of them still have no idea what career they might follow and definitely nonr of them are thinking about planning s career around the holidays. Nowadays there is much more flexibility around with patterns anyway /my DS works in a male dominated industry which is very well paid and had just negotiated a 3 day working week /no-one batted an eyelid. The job I did before I went into teaching didn't even exist when I was 9 years old and I negotiated a flexible working arrangement. Many jobs have more family friendly work patterns than teaching which is still stuck in s 19th century idea of term times and unions that show no interrdt in promoting alternative work patterns.