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

[ToHellBackAndBeyond]

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.

DH is a dentist and now the practice he works in is fully private he loves it and the money is decent- conditions are okay too, Monday to Friday 9 to 5 more or less. Sure some of the public are rude and his back is in tatters but he finds it rewarding.

Whatever our DC decide they want to do I'd be supportive but encourage them to remember there's a whole world out there beyond the public sector in this country and the rubbish pay and conditions. Lots of these jobs and professions are highly valued abroad and do open doors.

We need to address why those in this type of work are treated so badly. It's easy to see why there is a retention problem

I won’t be influencing my children either way as what they want to do is their choice as long as they are happy. I am a community HCSW and currently nearly finished my degree to become a registered nurse. I love my job, yes it’s stressful at times but very very rewarding and the relationships I’ve built with people are amazing. Definitely would prefer to work in the community once qualified as I find ward work too repetitive but wouldn’t not do it if that’s all there was

I'm a dental nurse and I do enjoy it but it's exhausting, the pay is awful and the dentists often treat you like you're an idiot. Plus the gdc requirements to get registered involves a level of work that is miles above the pay scale.

Let's be honest, it's because most of it is classed as 'women's work' that we should do just because we're caring. Teaching used to be a well paid profession until it became a more female lead.

There's a world of difference between a dentist and a care worker. The former has a starting salary of £34k+ and with the majority of dentists now only doing private work, it's really quite cushy (my DB is a dentist). NHS is a different story, but still much better than care work which pays NMW. So yes I'd definitely encourage dentistry if they were inclined. Care work, absolutely not. Not all nursing is horrible either. An old school friend was a children's nurse and is now a specialist children's nurse for a specific disability. She visits babies at home who are born with this disability to be a support for new parents. She doesn't do any 'nursing' at all and is very glamorous. I'd also encourage a role like that.

I would be fine with a doctor / medicine, happy to see that, or teacher if grades for first career not met, not so much nurse or carer

Then again I wouldn’t encourage my sector either knowing what it’s like

As I was cleaning poop off the carpet this morning at my nursing job, whilst trying to calm someone screaming due to their dementia, I really wondered why I've bothered to get into this line of work.

Would certainly actively discourage ANYONE from doing it. Not just my children

Good news though is that your qualification will open a tonne of doors and you're in demand beyond the NHS or care companies. Get out there and escape the poo (in every way).

@Floralie thank you, I know I need to make a move, just trying to plan my escape 😂

Why do more nurses not go into the private sector? I keep seeing adverts for £25+ per hour jobs and wondering why they are not leaving the NHS in droves?

After nearly twenty years in the nhs I certainly would have discouraged Dd away from it if she’d shown any interest. Problem is parents only know what they know. So my parents told me not to be a teacher.

dd went into architecture instead and from what I’m seeing so far the hours are worse, the pay not good and the job security not Great. 🤷‍♀️. However she’s enjoying it. But if I’d been an architect or known what it was like I’d probably have discouraged her away from it.

Despite the fact that both myself and my mother are nurses (and genuinely love aspects of our jobs, though they are very different) I would absolutely discourage my own dc from going into nursing /care/Healthcare

My mum said I was mad when I followed in her footsteps. I said it must be in the gene pool then!

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

it’s really not bad @Nightnurse123 I worked for a trust recently where 1/3 of the staff were band 7 or above: that’s 43k minimum plus equivalent of 20k pa pension.

If you stay and progress the money is good, and the pension is still the best in the country - yes even the current pension.

A lot of my colleagues hated the work but didn’t leave because they were really tied into salaries and terms and conditions that they couldn’t match elsewhere. In rural areas salaries of 35-45k are still incredibly hard to find.

I think it’s almost the downfall of the NHS in a way - a lot of staff have really exhausted their time but can’t see any to leave. They are the worst to manage!

They are leaving the NHS in droves!

I'm encouraging my child away from these professions apart from dentistry. So far she wants to be a chef or a solicitor!

I have said to my dc you could be a doctor as they’re very into science / bodies (they’re really young) so I guess I am encouraging it

Having spent quite a lot of time visiting people in hospital this year I would discourage anyone from going into medicine or care work. The nurses seem to have it easier, but that's just as an observer looking on.

DD did say she fancied social work at one point and DH and I both said NO!

Teachers are probably underpaid and don't have the respect they deserve, but I wouldn't discourage my DC if they really wanted to teach. I'd hope they kept other avenues open though - I think too many teachers feel trapped and don't realise they can actually leave the profession and do something else.

i agree with this wholeheartedly

I have also struggled with the difference between how male and female primary school teachers are treated. I have worked with a handful of excellent blokes but unfortunately the majority of them have been plaid shirt wearing fuckwits with ukuleles who end up being completely carried by their female year group team. They are treated like cheeky chappies who can do no wrong because they are SAINTS for going into such a caring, child orientated job instead of something apparently blokey like engineering or chopping wood

Whereas the women are just expected to constantly
go above and beyond because…..I dunno, it’s in our tits or something? Should we moan about the workload, we aren’t ‘thinking of the chiiiildren’.

I will do anything in my power to stop DD from becoming a teacher, particularly primary

I don't see why any parent would or should actively encourage these careers for their DC? I don't think I'd discourage them if they were passionate and it was something they really wanted to do, but there's a reason there is a shortage of people wanting to do these jobs.

Like many others, not only would I not encourage, I actively would discourage my DC from teaching. Probably nursing and care work too. Really most of the public sector 🙈 it's just an utter shit show that depends on goodwill and martyrdom to survive it.

I'm a nurse and wouldn't discourage my children if that's what they were drawn to. I don't live in the UK with the appalling NHS wages though.
I wouldn't be actively encouraging them either.

Another clinician who is actively discouraging their children away from any caring professions and also any profession where the government has the monopoly as the employer.

Thankfully my role allowed me to move into the private sector at a much higher salary but this is not so easy for teachers, nurses or care workers (unless emigrating). Doctors would need to have completed the 10-15 year long slog in NHS training before they could build up decent private practice too and that is not without its limitations. DB is a dentist and whilst he is generally happy with a good lifestyle, it is not the first career he would steer his children into.

My generation is one where so many of my peers followed in their parents' footsteps into medical or teaching professions but I don't know a single one that is encouraging their child to do the same. Says a lot for current state of affairs in these roles

If it has the potential to get them a Visa for another country, I will encourage it. Clearly there’s still a hierarchy of options though.

As someone who works in that field I’ve actively encouraged my children NOT to enter it. There are shortages for a reason!