I posted on here a while back asking for advice about going to work for the civil service over carrying on teaching .
I applied for a CS job - I’ve had the interview and I’m waiting to hear back . This job would be a cut on my pay when compared to what I could get as a permanent teacher ( about £200 monthly ) and I wouldn’t get the holidays off . But it’s part working from home , progression , less travel , flexible hours etc . It would include one 8pm finish per week and 6 Saturdays a year but these can both be from home. It’s a job that ends when your shift ends .
Currently I’m a supply teacher and whilst technically my pay could be higher than the CS ( if I worked every school day on supply it would be 27k ish before tax , CS is £25k ish before tax ) but on day to day supply you don’t always get work every day ( last year I had about £18k total ) . I don’t take any work home on day to day supply but financially I have to work still in the holidays .
Im currently on long term supply at a lovely school ( no planning ) until the end of the school year . They have asked me if I would do a long term supply role next year for the whole year . I would have to ask my agency for a higher pay ( technically on long term I would be entitled to it ) as this would include planning. It would be full responsibility, unlike how I am now ( although planning is the only thing I don’t do at the moment - I am doing assesments etc ) . With this higher pay - averaged over the year - I would take home £200 a year shy of the teaching salary for my pay scale . This may be a little less as I have to account for not knowing if I get paid for teacher training days that have no training and obviously if there is snow etc and school is closed I won’t get paid . No sick pay etc . Technically I would have to save holiday pay ( I have accounted for this in my calculations) but it depends how it works out ( eg - depending on length of terms - if I save say £70 of my higher pay weekly each week would that then leave me with enough to cover the Easter break for eg and I would probably have to work in the 6 weeks next year too ) .
Im torn. I had a bad experience in a school so I’m wary of going back in permanently ( observations etc ) and this school is heavy marking - I stay late most nights but I don’t take anything home , however if I’m planning etc I may need to and then that means if I have to work in holidays and take work home I’ll be exhausted . Also if I need time off for my children etc any time ( rare ) then I feel like it’s easy with day to day I just call in but if I’m the permanent class teacher it’s not as easy ! They are a hard class and I would be with them next year .
But then the pros - I’ll know the class already. The school is lovely and very supportive . I leave later - maybe I haven’t got the hang of marking yet - I don’t see lots of teachers there really late which is a good sign . It will be a year of guaranteed work .
I really don’t know what to do , I’m a big believer in things happening for a reason . I left my previous role after I was offered a chance to leave with a good reference because I mentioned “mental health “ and then I loved supply . I applied for another teaching role in a lovely school and didn’t get it and then my husband had an accident and I needed to be off work to care for him - wouldn’t have been able to happen if I had got the job . I applied for this CS role and have been praying that work works out for me in a way that is best for me - i was thinking this then the same day I had this opportunity so I don’t know if it’s a sign . I’m confused! What would you do ?