Fed up of people saying this about me being a teacher

[tryingsomethingnew]

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!

Teaching is a perfectly respectable profession.

But the experiences of friends and family, working in both state and private sectors, mean it is not a profession I would ever actively encourage my child into.

It’s really good that you’re happy and fulfilled in your role. I expect your charges benefit massively from that.

Also I’m a public sector lawyer. My sister is a teacher. She earns more than I do and works fewer hours 🙃

We've had this for years, It's not just teaching unfortunately. My dc1 is on the path to be a nurse like several family members we get this all the time.
My dc2 is on track to get all 9s at gcse and wants to be a teacher she's had teachers saying you could get a better job than that!
My opinion is I want them to do a job that makes them happy. Money is

Sent to soon
Money isn't everything.

Money can't buy you happiness, but it sure can pay the rent.

90% of threads on here from teachers are them moaning about how difficult their jobs are, so I definitely have a perception from that that teaching isn’t an aspirational profession.

See i have the opposite thing that I kind of want my daughter to be a teacher. She is great with kids and wants to work in a nursery but is bright enough and hopefully will have the qualifications to go onto a teaching degree. Teaching isn't the best paid job but it does have some advantages and it's definitely better than nursery work which paid an absolute pittance. So I am pushing teaching as a "proper" career....

I've been a teacher all my adult life and love it. Most teachers I know also love the job. Very few I've met over the years have quit to do something else - yes some, but not everyone is cut out to be a teacher and that's fine. Quite a few teachers I know used to work in another field but have stuck with teaching once they got into it.

It's not an easy job- emotionally, intellectually and physically demanding and it's hard being ruled by the clock (to the minute). I've always thought that it's a job you have to love, otherwise it would be overwhelming. (I have had my off moments / days / weeks).

It isn't really respected or valued in this country. My parents didn't value it as a career choice particularly and my mother spoke scathingly (and inaccurately in my view) of teaching, seeing it as something beneath my intellect.

Yes that attitude annoys me. I also understand there is a lot of pressure on teachers these days and I know I'm lucky to have lovely colleagues and a head teacher that understands we are all human.

I've often thought about what else I might have done instead and never come up with an answer that made me want to change tack. Maybe law is the only thing but it didn't appeal to the values I held dear at the time. Plus the holidays are worth holding on to, especially when you have children.

It's not often you get anyone posting positively about any job, usually people are talking about how stressful and overwhelming it is. And there are a lot of teachers on MN who fir that category but I have also seen lawyers complain about the long hours, stressful workloads and it not being especially family friendly.

I have several friends who are teachers and most seem content with their job, I know a lot through a sports club/hobby and they don't seem to have a worse work/life balance than others working ft. A close friend is in her early 30s and on at least 50k although she is part of a SLT in a private school so I know not indicative of teachers in general.

And in reply to pp about teachers salaries in London. On a different thread there were people quite amazed and appalled that anyone who worked in London earned less than 30k. In reality there are lots of us....but I think the range of salaries in London is probably greater than anywhere else so those on 200k+ push up the average. I'd say teachers were underpaid compared with some other sectors but even in London they won't be amongst the lowest paid.

Most teachers complain bitterly about stress, overwork, pay, parents. They deny they have holidays - work through them and claim to be paid pro rata.

It's not something that sells the profession to anyone else.

It's great you love it though.

With all these reports of happy, contented and well paid teachers, it's rather surprising that so many voted for strike action, that there are so many teaching vacancies and recruitment figures are dire.

OP you could respond someway along these lines - behind every scientist, physiotherapist,
biologist or environmental or human rights lawyer or even Royalty (add occupations of person berating your occupation) - requires the time, patience and humanity if a caring teacher to help the child understand and enjoy learning for life not just lunch money.

I have many friends who are teachers, teaching is their passion and has more enduring consequences on a child’s life and future, when compared to the paper shuffling & rubber stamping imprints of other ivory tower occupations. Own your career with respect.

What was the voting turnout? Maybe those that didn't vote are contented? Maybe people aren't applying because all they hear on here and eksewhere is misery?

Interesting that people on here give away their true feelings about teachers by use of the words, "whinging," "moaning" and "complaining."

Out of those I know who didn't vote to strike, it's not because they were against the cause, it was because they said they couldn't afford to (and in one case, that it wouldn't make any difference). I think it's precisely because they feel they can't afford it that shows it's necessary.

Which is weird, isn't it, given the people on here insisting that all the teachers they know in real life are just loving teaching right now. It's 'only on MN' that you ever see teachers complaining.

You'd have thought all the 'real life' loving-it teachers who earn way more than the people around them would be encouragement to go into teaching.

Why one earth would I encourage my child to enter a profession that they will be derided in public (as evidence here on MN too), more than likely be verbally and physically abused by children with little to no back up or support by SLT, bear a massive and stressful workload and be paid very poorly for the privilege.
(and yes, same applies to nursing and other jobs).

I would tell them that without teachers there wouldn't be any lawyers.

@Noble There is none so blind as those who will not see.

claim to be paid pro rata

What teacher does this?

I come from a family who historically gravitate towards teaching and nursing , both respectable, worthy professions, I agree. The relief when my sons’ response to my plea that they find another way to help people and make a living was, ‘are you kidding - of course I’m not going to teach” was very real.

I think teaching is manageable IF:
a) it's not your family's main source of income (e.g. a partner earns substantially more),
b) you are able to choose to be part-time when you have a family,
c) if you have a "house-wife" type person at home or you can outsource household chores,
d) you're in a "naice" school or if not then with supportive SLT,
e) you have clear boundaries with which to enforce an appropriate work/life balance,
f) you are in good health.

I've been fortunate enough to have had those things my entire career and can therefore say I've enjoyed it. No way in HELL I'd be happy if my kids had said they wanted to do it.

My 12 year old son wants to be a primary school teacher and it’s his dream. If that’s what he wants to do then who am I to stop him.
I’ve worked in schools and have a childcare/ Education background so know what it entails.

Maybe they think it’s truly sad that a literal child is already planning her future career to accommodate children she doesn’t and may not have.

Let’s hope she doesn’t have any problems conceiving! Or decides to be child free 😮

YANBU @tryingsomethingnew

YANBU @tryingsomethingnew