Thinking About primary teaching – Is It Worth It?

[ThoughtfulSeeker]

My DD is 16 and thinking about becoming a primary school teacher. She really likes the idea of working with children (she volunteers as an assistant coach with a local football team and is a student reader in a primary school) and making a difference, but she’s also worried about whether it’s a sensible career. She’s read about teachers being overstretched, dealing with heavy workloads, and sometimes burning out.

She would love to hear from people who are teachers, trainee teachers, or anyone who has insight into the profession:

• Is teaching still rewarding despite the challenges?
• Are there ways to avoid burnout, or is it just part of the job?
• Would you recommend teaching to someone her age who’s passionate about working with kids?

Any honest advice or personal experiences would be really helpful. Thanks!

Yes teaching is amazingly rewarding but primary school teachers used to work an average of 60 hours a week but I suspect that’s increased. The biggest group of people who leave teaching are women with young children. Personally I found it impossible to be a good teacher and a good Mum. Should see go for it? Yes, we need good teachers.

Glad I am retired. The last 10 years was awful. Avoid it

I'm a teacher of 30 years standing and remember being 16 and desperately wanting to go into teaching. I'm glad I did!
I've had an amazing career working in schools and in the local authority advisory team. Now I work in teacher training and spend my days with people like your daughter!
Many of the people I trained with are still teaching, some in the classroom, some are headteachers.
I loved my course and being in school on placement, but it wasn't until I was newly qualified with my own class that I learned to teach and make it work with the rest of my life. It's definitely a hard gig, especially in the first few years, but I developed strategies and built up resources that I could then adapt.
Once you've qualified and got some experience, a UK teaching qualification is highly regarded on the international market as well as having lots of transferable skills, if your daughter decided to switch career at some point.
I would encourage her to follow her dreams, but to speak with teachers who have been in the profession for at least 10 years to find out the reality of teaching today, so she goes in with realism.

It’s very rewarding working with the children and I absolutely loved that part of it, but I left three years ago otherwise I would have burnt out altogether. Looking back I think I was pretty close to it.

60 hour weeks were the norm and I never switched off. I taught all the way through Covid and things really deteriorated after that. I have several family members who are teachers and the pressures are still massive. My hugely capable and gifted DIL had several weeks off last year with stress - one very violent child (she works in a special
school), one highly uncooperative and aggressive parent and no support from SLT whatsoever, plus all the usual stuff that goes with being a class teacher. There’s been a change at the top this year which has been a lot better but it’s still a lot to deal with.

There are many, many threads about this on here. Just google it.

Most people who have taught will say don't, but if you find a supportive school it can be a reasonably well paid and fulfilling career.

It is never easy (and no-one should do it for the holidays) but actually many people do stick at it because working with children and young people is intrinsically worthwhile and fulfilling, even though the system you are working in often feels like it is doing its best to make it the opposite.

I would suggest that before she commits herself she works as a TA ...no it's not the same workload but will give her a good insight into how it really is day to day in schools (and whether she prefers mainstream or Special Needs)
A few of our TAs have gone on to become teachers ...most have not!