What would you think if your adult child wanted to become a primary school teacher ?

[SwanWings]

Really smart, still in uni, it's that adult dc life and their choice, but I probably worry it could lead to a hard life, low pay, too many demanding parents, unrealistic expectations from the schools, being inspected alot.

Just wondering what you'd think if was adult child considering this
Of course we will support dc regardless and of course its a valuable job indeed

Awww, I would be so proud of my child. I would be telling my bff and my family members, i would feel like i did a good job raising my child. I would be so impressed. It is such a respectable career. I would be beaming with pride and when other mum's speak about there child, i would feel very confident about speaking about my child. 🌿☘️🍀🌱

I'm a primary school teacher and have been for 30+ years.
My dd considered teaching when she was younger but I successfully put her off. I wasn't thinking about the pay (which I'm happy with) but the pressure and workload which is way higher than when I began teaching.

I’d think they were mad as it’s too much stress for rubbish pay, but as long as they were going into it knowing that, what could I do? It’s their life and you have to let them get on with it.

I wouldn't mind at all, would be proud that they want to do such a vital job. But I'm in Finland where, while there are issues of course, teachers generally have better conditions than it appears they do in the UK, and parents seem to be less over involved.

As a daughter of a teacher, I would be worried. DM had a personality change (for the better) when she gave up teaching and switched to another career. She also stopped being constantly unwell.

As a teacher I actively encouraged my DC to look at other careers. I love my job but the stress teachers are under and the number of hours they work is just too much. Primary teachers arrive early and leave late. It seems that in secondary they arrive later and leave earlier. Could be the amount of non teaching time and a set syllabus = less prep time.

My dsis retrained as a primary teacher at 36.

It gave her a secure job in her community (no massive commute). Term time only so good for childcare. She progressed to deputy head on a salary well above national average while staying in the same school for 26 years.
Yes she had run ins with parents and was grabbed by an irate father once, but teaching is a vocation.
There are few jobs that are entirely without risk or stress. As a marketing manager I had no angry parents to deal with but had two emergency landings while on business trips, was held up at gunpoint is S. Africa, was assaulted by a colleague and got stuck in the US on Sept 11th.

As a primary teacher, I would discourage my own children from following me into teaching. Mainly due to the lack of progression after the first few years. There is a stalling point where pay is ok but moving upwards requires even more work and pressure on top of the already heavily condensed workload.

However, if they have made the decision, I would encourage them to do a direct training route so they are gaining experience from the start in schools (and are more employable straight after training). I would also encourage them to look at teaching abroad for a few years whilst young so they can experience the world and benefit from higher pay and better conditions. And tell them not to stay put in a bad school - there are lots out there - but the right school can be a rewarding place to be.

I would advise speaking to a wide range of primary teachers. I think it’s telling that I work in secondary and know at least 5 teachers who come from primary and prefer secondary - less stressful for one. I spent a week in primary, have friends and family who’ve taught in primary and I’m firmly convinced primary teachers have some kind of superpowers I don’t possess.
It will all depend on the school and the support they receive as a trainee. Pay is low, offset by the pension - but thank you for acknowledging our low pay!

I'd be happy they've got a focus and actually know what they want to do. Not every job tgsts available following uni pay well, but the degree does give you flexibility for employment.

My friend's daughter and niece primary school teacher (ages 25 and 32) - they both love it. My niece has a smile all over her face when she's talking about work.

I think primary is better than secondary. DD1 absolutely hero worshipped her Y6 teacher, I'm not sure there are many other jobs where people hang off your every word without you having to be CEO!

Sure they are unlikely to be flying first class and wearing Rolex watches but it's not destined to be a life of poverty either.

Im proud of my 15yos ambition to go into teaching.

As a teacher, I’d steer my children away.

If it’s primary what is the job situation like where you are, in Scotland there are very few jobs

That they want to be a teacher 🤷 oh is that not good enough for you?

Why do you think teaching is poorly paid ? What did you think your chiid was going to do as a career there is nothing wrong or "failing " in wanting to be a teacher. @SwanWings

I think it’s a good job and I’d be pleased if my DC wanted to do that. Yes it’s hard but so are many other jobs. Teachers get a decent salary, especially starting salary, excellent holidays and a decent pension. Not likely to be replaced by AI. It’s a good career choice.

My Dd is doing this, she did a science degree and will start a year PGCE to become a teacher in September. I'm happy for her, she will be a great teacher.
My friends Dd did this too, she worked in London in finance for a couple of years and hated it, so did her PGCE and is loving being a teacher.
Starting pay in England is 34k full time so it's really not bad. It's more than a newly qualified Nurse gets.

I’d be pretty disappointed. In the current economic situation we find ourselves in I’d want my DC to have a far better paid career than teaching.

I appreciate money isn’t everything however targeting a low paid career makes no sense to me.

Which career would you think is good enough ?

Teacher of 18 years here.

Yes it has its negatives, but doesn’t every job 🤷‍♀️.

Yes days can be hard, long and difficult but doesn’t every job 🤷‍♀️?!
Yes you might have to deal with difficult ‘clients’ but doesn’t every job 🤷‍♀️ ?!
I actually think it’s a great career. We get to influence young people’s lives - hopefully positively. We get to impart some wisdom - hopefully it sticks 😂.
The salary - really not too bad, I own my own home, work 4 days a week, save every month and have regular holidays / mini breaks.
The 13 weeks of school holidays every year are a huge bonus especially if your child plans to have their own children, I’ve loved being able to spending that time with mine and having quality time together.
I think, like every role, it can overtake your life … if you let it. But as an experienced teacher I’ve learnt ways in which I can work smarter not harder, to prioritise what’s important (including my own family and home life) and most importantly learnt to say no to things that will negatively affect my work life balance and not feel guilty about it.

If that’s what your child wants to do then support them and encourage them and be proud.

Dc1 wanted to be a primary teacher and during their gap year they worked as an LSA, so had a really good idea of what was involved. When they were at university they realised they actually wanted to teach their degree subject (STEM) and wouldn't be able to do that at primary level, so ended up doing a secondary pgce. They have been teaching now for about ten years. They have worked their way up through head of subject, head of department to assistant head. Yes, they work long hours and sometimes it is hard going and they could definitely earn a lot more outside teaching. But, they love their job, love sharing their knowledge with the students and always say the best two days of the year are results days when they can share in the joy of students getting their results.
Teaching is hard and is not always appreciated by the study and parents. The pressures can be extreme, but for some people, it is a true vocation. If this is your DC, I would say be proud that she wants to make such an important contribution to society.

I'd hope a career where most people hold a post-graduate level degree is well above minimum wage! What a low bar.

One of my family members is a primary school teacher.
She has a good work/life balance. She does work hard but no harder than young professionals in other fields need to.
She isn’t 30 yet and has had a number of promotions.
Consequently she earns a good salary and has a very good pension.
She seems very happy with her situation.
Based on observing her experience I would not hesitate to recommend the teaching profession for someone with a strong desire to work in this field.

I'd be proud if any of my children wanted to be a primary school teacher.