I’m having an uncharacteristic last-minute panic and I’m hoping for some advice and perspective.
I’m 3 years out of my PhD, since submitting I’ve been doing a range of short term teaching, project management and research contracts at the same university I did the PhD with. Been applying for more permanent jobs everywhere but nothing’s come of it (I know this isn’t unusual)
Last year, due to covid, we moved somewhere very remote to be near my in-laws. I was able to continue working remotely but was getting sick of precarious academic life, had no balance with spending time with my kids and wanting something that grounded me in my new home.
So I applied for teacher training (my background is education) and got a place. The thing is, since then a colleague and I have been offered a contract for an edited book - it would be a real chance to make an impact in our field (it would be my 2nd book). I had been optimistically hoping I could combine writing the book with teacher training, but looking at our timescales I’m starting to doubt that.
I’m also fast becoming disillusioned with the course, it starts next week but communication has been really poor. I always saw teaching as my back up - I worked in schools for years before starting my PhD and enjoyed it. But now I’m wondering, if I’ve committed to a year of not earning (I have savings and low outgoings just now, so it’s do-able), whether I shouldn’t just sack off the course and put my all behind this book. There’s a few other projects I could carry on, and I could then get back to applying for academic jobs in earnest (I didn’t really do that this year due to workload)
TL;DR should I train to be a school teacher or take a year out of the precarious roundabout to produce a big edited book?