Teaching to academia?

[jimmyjammyjumbo]

I’m currently on a career break from teaching while raising my young dc. I was feeling pretty fed up with teaching to be honest and as I went straight into it from my BSc I don’t have any other work experience. I feel like I don’t want to miss out on having a career that makes me feel really fulfilled.
Has anyone come out of teaching and found a passion for their subject/research again or is it mad? Or has anyone gone from academia into teaching and care to tell me why the grass is not always greener?
Maybe being a sahm for a while has just made me desperate to get my brain going again.
I really enjoy teaching A level Biology and feel like I would really enjoy researching the subject more and lecturing/teaching to a higher level.
TIA

I’m sorry too. Have been through similar and know how devastating it can be.

Hello @TheOriginalMagratGarlik - special though to the OTBT thread and our bats

I come late to the battle - however, I would agree with not ignoring the extremes; they do exists, because shitty fuckwit departments do exist.

I can't say I have quite the same set-up as magrat, but not far - until ~1.5 years ago, I worked til 2am and was back in for 9am, and was still blacklisted during the last REF as not producing enough 4* papers - after all, we all love a bit of public humiliation at college meetings.

Now, with the advantage of being a bit senior, and clearly not promotable to the next rung of the ladder (short of a few millions) I have mellowed a lot. BUT, I still work with fuckwits - the types who scream during academic meetings when something was not done because you were off sick . And why do I not tell HR? Because HR does not give a crap what-so-ever.

I don't think academia is a sane job - at least where I operate. But my discipline is full of crazies, and my unit is not known to be the worst...

I am very sorry to hear, in the above, that so many have had such horrible experiences. It does not denies the fact that some of you/us have a normal happy employment in academic, but we still need to acknowledge that the environment is still often sour and toxic.

Would I want my daughter to start a PhD to become an academic? HELL NO!!

Hi @Marasme, thank you.

I should add that I'm very lucky to have always had amazing colleagues. They were really supportive throughout the time the dean tried to get rid of me. When I was denied promotion, all of the professors in my department wrote a letter of protest. One of the professors came with me to all of the meetings and took notes of everything said for me. While some meetings can be a bit fraught, I've never heard anyone swear. People are willing to pitch in and help colleagues if they're struggling or ill. I'm aware that I'm very lucky in this respect.

All of my poor treatment came from the Dean and Human Resources just followed him like a sheep--regardless of the fact that he was breaking employment law. I cheered when I heard he was retiring.

iveburntthetoast I have also had a similar experience of my university being prepared, til challenged, to break employment law or at least make decisions not based on a strong knowledge of it, but more in the hopes no-one will have the money or the time to challenge them properly.

Like you, I have also 'won' in terms of being backed by colleagues and ultimately the university, but it is emotionally tiring and it does undermine your sense of yourself for a while afterwards.

Funnily enough, I would still encourage my dd to go for an academic career. I know the pitfalls, but she'd love most of the work and is very driven; you can be unfairly treated in pretty much any industry, I came out of one and it was just as bad in different ways.