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Original poster

Encouraging children into nursing, care work, dentistry, teaching.

149 replies

ToHellBackAndBeyond · 14/05/2023 15:33

With the lack of medical staff, dentists, carers, teachers and the like how many parents are actively encouraging their children into these careers?
Just curious.

OP posts:
Feenie · 14/05/2023 15:36

As a teacher who is married to another teacher, we would actively discourage our ds if he suggested following in our footsteps. Not that he would, he can see the workload for himself.

angelicaelizapeggy · 14/05/2023 15:37

No we need to address why these jobs are unappealing or have bad retention

i would also probably discourage nursing or teaching as I’ve seen how my friends who are NHS nurses or teachers feel about their work

ComtesseDeSpair · 14/05/2023 15:39

I’m actively encouraging my goddaughter away from the “caring professions.” There are enough opportunities in the lives of most women, particularly those who want children, to do tedious, unappreciated, dirty drudgery without making a career out of it as well. Especially a low-paid one.

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DeathWinsAGolfish · 14/05/2023 15:39

As a nurse of 37 years married to a doctor of similar experience, actively discouraged both DDs.

Upsizer · 14/05/2023 15:39

I would have done but my dc showed no interest. I’ve worked in the nhs and good clinical staff are in so much demand but also the nhs is the only well paying employer in my area, which is rural. The starting salary is low but again compared to other jobs around here, very reasonable. I’ve got friends’ children who are now on over 35k two years after graduating plus nhs pension which is worth around 15-20k a year. It’s a decent life in rural areas.

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 14/05/2023 15:40

I wouldn't discourage my kids from these career paths but I wouldn't encourage it either, they are underpaid and treated so badly.

Gypsyo · 14/05/2023 15:41

Ha! I'm actively discouraging mine! Who on earth would encourage anyone into a career with terrible hours, terrible pay, terrible environments and dreadful work life balance?

Houseupdate · 14/05/2023 15:41

I’m an ex teacher and I would actively discourage my children going down these paths.

vdbfamily · 14/05/2023 15:44

I have encouraged one of mine into mental health nursing because she will be great at it. I still see these careers as vocational

stbrandonsboat · 14/05/2023 15:45

I'm a retired nurse. I've actively discouraged my dcs from doing anything that involves working with the public. Everyone's nuts these days.

EachandEveryone · 14/05/2023 15:51

Well, its served me very well the last 25 years. Brilliant sick pay (which I unfortunately am making the most of), really good pension, good mat leave, and 8 weeks holiday pay. My niece has just qualified as a childrens nurse and is bring home £1,800 not bad for a first job.

thats the thing, it depends what type of nursing. Childrens nursing is a completely different bag to adult. If you specialise within that quite quickly your nursing experience is much different. I feel desperately sorry for staff on the general adult wards you couldnt pay me enough money to work on them. However, my friend has gone from that to day surgery and its completely different. His managers have a spring in their step and a smile on their faces. Even when its busy and theres 75 patients having surgery, everyone mucks in. On nights he will have only five patients between two of them. Theres loads of room for progression as well.

the general side needs looking at. Its just heartbreaking really.

lunar1 · 14/05/2023 15:55

DS1 has decided he wants to do medicine, and I could honestly cry. I'm a clinical nurse specialist, DH is a consultant. I don't want they way we are treated for my children.

AgeingDoc · 14/05/2023 15:58

I actively discourage my children ( and anyone else who asks) from medicine, as do the vast majority of my colleagues.
When I started at medical school in the early 80s I was fairly unusual in coming from a family with nobody in the medical or allied professions. I don't know about the entire year but certainly within my tutor group and my social circle, over half had at least one parent who was a doctor and quite a number were 3rd, 4th or more generation medics in their families. I bet it's very different now. You can look at that as a good thing of course, and a more diverse workforce is without doubt beneficial, but the other side of the coin is that so few doctors are want their children to follow in their footsteps now because the working conditions are so poor. And in fact the children, having seen their parents working lives, aren't interested anyway. The doctors in the last department I worked in probably have between them at least 30 children who have reached school leaving age in the last decade. Of those, one has gone to medical school and two are now allied health professionals. All the rest have done totally unrelated things, and their parents are very happy about that on the whole.

Africa2go · 14/05/2023 16:01

I have - as a pp said, DD is passionate about it and wants to pursue it. She's realistic though and is going into it with her eyes open (as far as you can from work experience and lots of research etc).

Conversely H and I are lawyers - have discouraged DC from pursuing law.

Hudhud35 · 14/05/2023 16:07

I will be actively discouraging my child from all of those professions, i'll be encouraging them into engineering of some description.

I looked at retraining to a teacher, radiographer and a social worker - and was put off each of them by how poor the salary is when considering the work and treatment you receive.

postitnot · 14/05/2023 16:10

There are enough dentists, it's just that the contract to work in the NHS is so awful that nobody wants to do it.

Mind you, in rural parts of the country even private dentists are in short supply, so if your kids like an outdoor lifestyle it might be just the job for them.

However, it is bonkers competitive to get in to dental school, I'd advise them to really want to do it before making the decision. And you do have to enjoy working with people, in a team, with patients, have good communication skills. It's a bit of an odd job really!

Nightnurse123 · 14/05/2023 16:10

Upsizer · 14/05/2023 15:39

I would have done but my dc showed no interest. I’ve worked in the nhs and good clinical staff are in so much demand but also the nhs is the only well paying employer in my area, which is rural. The starting salary is low but again compared to other jobs around here, very reasonable. I’ve got friends’ children who are now on over 35k two years after graduating plus nhs pension which is worth around 15-20k a year. It’s a decent life in rural areas.

£35k per annum is great but what are their long term earning potentials like?

Shinyandnew1 · 14/05/2023 16:10

Nope-I am in one of those professions and would actively discourage my kids from training. I don’t need to though as they can see for themselves that it’s not something they would want to spend a lifetime doing.

We don’t need parents encouraging their kids to do these jobs, we need the government valuing them and paying them accordingly.

silverfullmoon · 14/05/2023 16:11

No way will my kids be going into those careers. I worked for the nhs for many years and I’d never encourage my kids to do the same. I want better for them.

SerendipityJane · 14/05/2023 16:11

Not quite sure why the assumption is that people would need to put up with UK conditions once they qualify. Plenty of other countries that will gladly take them on and pay and treat them better.

ElmTree22 · 14/05/2023 16:15

I have been a carer for 10 years, and while I love my job and am fiercely proud of my role. I will actively steer my dd down a completely different path. It would break my heart to see her work the hours I do for the money I earn. There is so much responsibility that goes with the job, the money is just not worth it, I could earn more stacking shelves at my local supermarket. 🙄

I'm planning on encouraging her into a trade. Seems to be the only way to make any decent money where I am, in Cornwall.

GneissGuysFinishLast · 14/05/2023 16:15

SerendipityJane · 14/05/2023 16:11

Not quite sure why the assumption is that people would need to put up with UK conditions once they qualify. Plenty of other countries that will gladly take them on and pay and treat them better.

You don’t even need to leave the UK - Scottish teachers are significantly better paid than their English counterparts.

Bluevelvetsofa · 14/05/2023 16:17

One of mine wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all, but he married someone in the same profession as me. Actively discouraging the next generation, one of whom started speaking about it.

The other one, fortunately, wasn’t interested.

AlliumFairy · 14/05/2023 16:18

Of my DC friends theone doing best is a dentist. Decent hours and healthy earnings with private patients from aged 24.

Theimpossiblegirl · 14/05/2023 16:20

I'm not encouraging my children to get into a lot of debt training, be treated appallingly and then burn out.

They're striking for a reason.