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Original poster

Any other teachers crippled with exhaustion every holiday?

210 replies

Bobblebasket · 16/02/2026 21:16

It’s half term, I’m a primary teacher with various areas of subject leadership. Im absolutely exhausted, so much so I feel I’m wasting my time feeling like a zombie. Met a colleague in passing today who assured me it’s totally normal to feel so tired at half term and it’ll be fine because we will all be fresh ready to return next week.

I guess my question is, in other full time roles, do you get to every period of annual leave and feel floored with exhaustion? This definitely isn’t a ‘my job is harder’ type thread, I enjoy teaching, I don’t want to leave the profession but I would like some energy! I have two children myself, both at junior school. I have been a teacher for many years and have always felt bone tired by the time holidays come around, I would like it to change!

OP posts:
mumsneedwine · 21/02/2026 19:50

@MayasJamas apologies 😂. Far too used to being told I'm a lazy moaning minny (oh wait, this is what Wes called doctors). Need to not type while watching the curling 🥰

MayasJamas · 21/02/2026 20:11

mumsneedwine · 21/02/2026 19:50

@MayasJamas apologies 😂. Far too used to being told I'm a lazy moaning minny (oh wait, this is what Wes called doctors). Need to not type while watching the curling 🥰

Ha no worries!

metalmutha · 21/02/2026 20:24

I teach post 16, mostly remote with some face to face. The pressures of the job post covid are through the roof. I am wiped out every time I take annual leave. I work for a private training provider so get 25 days leave a year and they're all used on the school hols for my DC, so I never get a break. I've spoken to others in and out of the education industry and everyone seems to be struggling/wiped out by the time weekend/holidays roll around.
I'm not sure if it's modern day stresses, kids, industry, age (I'm mid 40s)
It sucks and you have my sympathy.

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Appuskidu · 22/02/2026 00:08

cleo333 · 21/02/2026 18:30

I’ve just finished working in schools for the last 5 years and returned to the nhs . My observation is this . Teachers work hard but they also have heads of year for support, some support staff lots of holidays and lesser childcare costs ( crippling for many families and also emotionally hard ). Another issue I saw was this looking forward to holidays every six weeks , where there was a culture of “ I’ve got 6 weeks then another holiday “ which I think was not good, as the work was thought of in segments of weeks only . Ive seen these jobs are stressful at times but nothing like that I’ve seen in the nhs or in fact other jobs I’ve had

There’s no ‘heads of year’ for support in my school, and no support staff other than the odd 1:1 either!

1000StrawberryLollies · 22/02/2026 08:22

Babyboomtastic · 21/02/2026 19:02

That genuinely does vary though. Whilst there may be slight differences, the work my second child is being taught is very similar to that of my first daughter. Down to them competing the same worksheets (it's a very worksheet heavy school). The same homeworks, and when we look at their books, it's the same. That doesn't mean there is zero tinkering for the cohort but the bones haven't changed.

It's useful at least in that if my child is off school but well (ie following a one off vomit), I can fill in the gaps for that day because it's literally that predictable, not just down to the topics, but how they deliver it, the work that they do etc.

Perhaps in other better schools it's different. I'm not saying that people should reinvent the wheel, and resources are helpful and must make the job more manageable. But not all teachers are as dedicated as the ones on here, and like in any jobs, many do coast. Done very well, I can see how it would be very labour intensive though.

Show quote history

The thing is, you don't need to reinvent the wheel or be constantly making your own resources for it all to be time-consuming to the point that workload is unmanageable. Just as an example, I teach 11 classes, so about 300 kids, and I'm head of a subject and a form tutor. The amount of admin, prep and marking that, plus the additional tasks as head of subject, that automatically come with that are just huge.

Much of it is stuff that a non-teacher, whose view of teaching comes from having gone to school, wouldn't be aware of at all. I 've been a teacher for 30 years, so I'm very experienced and not inefficient. I'm not exactly complaining - I chose to stay in teaching and am lucky to work in a lovely school. But it's so very wearing to work hours and hours of overtime every week and every holiday and still feel like you're not even close to doing everything you're supposed to. I will have worked 2.5 days of this half term but I'll still go back tomorrow feeling behind.

Pamcakey · 22/02/2026 08:27

When I was a police officer, I was exhausted all of the time. Permanently. The shifts, the adrenaline, the grind, the emotions.

I left due to no work/life balance but it was only then I realised just how much it impacted the rest of my life.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 22/02/2026 09:49

I’m not a teacher but am exhausted all the time too. My job is relentless. By Friday I can barely see the screen my eyes are so tired. I’m just about feeling rested by Sunday evening and it’s time to do it all again. It’s just awful how many people are working so hard just to make ends meet. I despair how hard it all is. I don’t know what the answer is but solidarity to everyone who is finding the pace of life tough.

notnorman · 22/02/2026 10:10

Headstarttohappiness · 17/02/2026 03:21

During all the usual talk of teacher “holidays” can everyone please remember that five weeks of this is unpaid. Salary is aggregated and paid over twelve months but five weeks is unpaid. Always gets forgotten.
It is the guilt of having so little time and energy for my own young adult sons that I find really hard to deal with. That and trying to switch off whilst knowing that there is a large pile of assessments to mark on my desk 150 and A level exam skills lesson to plan. Not really a “holiday”. Plus I’m still finding it difficult to sleep.

Edited
Show quote history

This.

plus 0 overtime pay

Squarealarmclock · 22/02/2026 11:02

I think.most public sector jobs have no overtime pay. Some get flexi or TOIL but overtime is rare ime.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 22/02/2026 11:07

notnorman · 22/02/2026 10:10

This.

plus 0 overtime pay

Show quote history

Salary is paid for 4 weeks. The rest is unpaid. So 9 weeks not 5

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