Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask why, if you think a job is so cushy, you don't actually do it?

258 replies

Serendippy · 09/01/2011 20:45

Genuine question, although guaranteed to rile a number of you Grin

This comes mostly from the comments about teachers/childminders. Funnily enough, I have never once heard anyone say, 'God, I paid my callout plumber a fortune, I wish I had his job'. Is this because most of us do not have any idea about plumbing? But it seems that most think they know about educating a child, so why not do it? Especially now you are given money to train asa teacher and if you already have a degree, it only takes a 9 month course to qualify? I appreciate that if you have no qualifications in place already, becoming a teacher would involve a long time on no income training, but if you would only have to do 9 months and then get loadsa money for sitting kids in front of DVDs, leaving work at 3 and swanning off on holiday for 13 weeks a year, why don't you? Same goes for childminding, if it is so easy to mind other people's children and at the same time you would save on childcare for your own, why don't you do it?

Right, who wants to throw the first punch?

OP posts:
Original poster
Serendippy · 09/01/2011 20:59

readywithwellies It only takes 9 months to retrain, you get paid to train and if you are good, the liklihood is that you will probably find a job, although admittedly in the current climate that is not a guarantee. So that is why I can't understand people not going for it, if they think that it would be perfect for them.

OP posts:
Catnao · 09/01/2011 20:59

The log lady - I work evenings, weekends and during holidays - OF COURSE!!

TheLogLady · 09/01/2011 21:01

but not nights Wink

compo · 09/01/2011 21:02

I agree with theloglady
I don't hear nurses, firemen, midwifes complain nearly as much as teachers and in my opinion shiftwork is the hardest job of all

Catnao · 09/01/2011 21:03

No - nights are when I get horribly drunk and do the things that will guarantee me getting sacked... (I wish) Wink

readywithwellies · 09/01/2011 21:04

Serendippy - I would not get the equivalent of my salary to retrain and I need my salary (or near it) due to personal circumstances. I am looking into doing the PGCE part time over two years through my job but I have 3 young dcs, so juggling a full time job, part time college and dcs is something I have not yet attempted. Once the youngest goes to school I will be looking more seriously at it.

KangarooCaught · 09/01/2011 21:06

So a list of cushy jobs? Or is anyone going to admit to having a cushy job?

I'll start: hand model Grin

Catnao · 09/01/2011 21:07

PGCE is hard work ( My partner and I did it with a three year old). So is teaching. But it's one of those jobs that anyone who has been to school can do easily, innit?

TheLogLady · 09/01/2011 21:08

SAHM Grin

Original poster
Serendippy · 09/01/2011 21:09

YES! Fianally someone who actually acts on their opinions rather than moans! I hope it works out for you.

Makes me think even more that people who complain without ever even looking into becoming a teacher don't really think it's that easy at all.

TheLogLady re your statement about how you couldn't be a teacher because you don't like children, surely this means that teaching is only cushy if you do like spending lots of time with children?

I agree that there are many less cushy jobs, but there must be some that are more cushy, yet I never hear people commenting on them.

OP posts:
Catnao · 09/01/2011 21:09

I've been to the doctor's surgery - doesn't make me qualified to diagnose does it? That's what some people think about teaching though.

TheLogLady · 09/01/2011 21:10

cushy if you like children. hell if you don't (like me)

Gay40 · 09/01/2011 21:10

I wouldn't be a childminder for 10 times my salary now. Same for a school teacher. I don't think either are cushy - any job where you have to listen to other people's kids being twats cannot by definition be cushy.
I don't know anyone who has a cushy job.

schroeder · 09/01/2011 21:10

I always say I wish I had the plumber's job,it's even occured to me to retrain except I'm not sure I could take the shit! Confused how odd you've not heard that?

No way do I think teachers childminders and nursery workers have cushy jobs far from it. Yikes I can only stick my own dcs for so long.Smile

Librarian's suffer most from stress apparently, but you won't here me whinge.

Original poster
Serendippy · 09/01/2011 21:13

OK, I'm going to shock you now.

Not all teachers like all children. I am not saying that they actively dislike children, I am just saying that they don't all find it easy and a pleasure to be around children all day. I even know of a couple of teachers who don't have children of their own through choice! Shock horror!

OP posts:
Catnao · 09/01/2011 21:13

I like my teaching job - and I like the kids I deal with day to day. If I thought they (son's teachers) were all lazy feckers - I'd educate my kid at home. And be happy with that.

northerngirl41 · 09/01/2011 21:13

I spent 3 hours listening to about 8 mums whine about how crap the school was just before Xmas.

These are all professional women and none of them work full time - in there we have an architect, a designer, a university lecturer in French, an office manager, a legal secretary, an accountant and an early years teacher so they all have skills.

Because I was thoroughly bored of their whining I suggested they could all take a day off work a week and teach their kids themselves if the children were truly learning nothing but foul language. Strangely they backed down immediately.

Not an easy job being a teacher. Especially not when everyone is a critic.

Catnao · 09/01/2011 21:14

And Serendippty - absolutely - my son's teacher is childless and the best he has ever had. (Y6)

Original poster
Serendippy · 09/01/2011 21:14

schroeder that's what I mean, I have never heard anyone seriously think they cound do the plumber's job, there is always an aspect of the job that they don't find appealing. Not so with teaching, now there's a job with no downsides at all...

OP posts:
cobbledtogether · 09/01/2011 21:20

I used to be a teacher.

I spent almost all of my long holidays doing planning / preparation / marking / creating resources. I spent pretty much every evening working and weekends too.

It was endless, it was bloody hard work and I had to deal with numpty parents whose children were like ferral animals / dimmer than a 15w lightbulb / smelly / rude or just not as good as the parent thought they were.

I no longer teach. I have 20 days holiday a year, but am more relaxed as they are not spent doing bloody work and also when I get home from work, my evening is my own.

Frankly you have to have the patience of a saint to be a teacher and I say, good on them. Anyone who thinks its easy and they could do it - go and teach in an inner city comprehensive on special measures like I did, then report back so I can have a good laugh at you and your ill-informed idiocy.

WillieWaggledagger · 09/01/2011 21:23

working 9-3

dp is a teacher and he works far longer than I do. there certainly are harder jobs but it's not cushy

COCKadoodledooo · 09/01/2011 21:23

I think if you're not prepared to be one then you should at least try living with one before you begin with the judgy-judgy cushy comments.

Dh quit the rat race in 2009 and is now a teacher. He's on half the salary, and double the hours as far as I can see. Hardly cushy Hmm

schroeder · 09/01/2011 21:24

I'm sorry you're feeling a bit beleaguered
serendippy But not everyone thinks teachers have it easy, certainly not me.

ssd · 09/01/2011 21:25

op, great op!

here's another thought to the above, NOT ALL TEACHERS LIKE CHILDREN...

NOT ALL CHILDMINDERS LIKE ALL CHILDREN..........AND MOST OF THEM COULD TAKE OR LEAVE THE PARENTS TOO

everyone I know who uses child minders seem to think its easy money, so why don't they do it then>>???

kerrykatonaskebab · 09/01/2011 21:25

Im a secondary teacher, everyone has been to school and therefore thinks they understand what we do.

They dont.

I do love my job but it is draining. The hours can be long. Im in my classroom by 8am and never leave before 5.30pm, later for parents evenings, information evenings, open evenings, school productions etc. rarely take lunchbreak and always have kids in my room at break.

Holidays are good but I do tend to get ill at half terms as you run on adreneline term time and I tend to go in even if Im poorly cos I dont want to let my kids down.

IMO wouldnt say it is an easy option but I can understand why some people think it is. YANBU at all!

Swipe left for the next trending thread