To consider quitting my job and training to be a teacher?

[magicmummy1]

I have a good job. Earn just over £50,000. Excellent pension arrangements & other benefits. Generous annual leave allowance. Flexible hours. Reasonable boss. Nice office. Short commute. Opportunities for training & career development. Lots of autonomy in my role. Heavy workload but not excessive.

I know I'm lucky in many ways, but I don't find my job remotely rewarding. I also struggle to cope with the high stress levels in my current job, not because of the amount of work that needs to be done, but rather because of the nature of it iyswim.

I secretly harbour a desire to re-train as a primary school teacher. In fact, I have been thinking about this for years, but the desire has become stronger since dd started school about 18 months ago. Apart from the general attractions of working with young children, I am fascinated by the way in which teachers plan lessons and develop the curriculum. I realise that teaching is bloody hard work and can be very stressful. I know too that teachers work long hours and that the long holidays etc are a bit of a myth. None of this puts me off.

Whenever I have considered this previously, I have usually ended up dismissing the idea, not least because of the drop in pay that I'd have to accept. I'm the main breadwinner in our family, and we can't really rely on DH's (limited) income as he has financial commitments to his extended family overseas. He knows how I feel about my current job, but I have never said that I would seriously consider quitting. I think he would be anxious if I told him this, though I think he'd try to be supportive.

Please be honest. Am I crazy to even consider this? (I'm 38 by the way).

I think you are crazy yes - different if you werent the main breadwinner - sorry.

Especially as there's no bursaries anymore for primary teacheing so you'd have a whopping great big debt as well.

Could you do mentoring of children outside of your job or some such?

Quite possibly...I thought there was an oversupply of primary school teachers at the moment?

IMHO you'd be bloody mad

what you describe is about 50% of the job the rest is bureaucracy and infantile politics.

I would recommend you investigate thoroughly before making the leap

You aren't guaranteed a job when you qualify, and it is in itself an extremely stressful job. Combine that with the drop in wages, and I think it's a bad idea.

Nope, not crazy. But think hard about primary, massively over subscribed at the mo. Are there any secondary subjects you could teach? The more in demand the better!

I was in exactly the same boat a few yrs back (but 10 yrs younger which makes no odds) and did it, left job paying similar to yours and retrained as a secondary English teacher.

I did a similar thing recently - quit a good job in banking to do a PhD and hopefully have a new career in scientific research. It's a (very) big drop in pay which was the main thing that made me hesitate, especially as we are hoping to have children soon.

I felt kind of the same as you though, that I was lucky to have such a 'good' job, good pay and benefits etc. But I couldn't escape the growing feeling that it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, that it didn't feel like the right thing to be spending all the time and energy of the best years of my life on, didn't think it would be something where when I looked back in old age I would be able to say I did something worthwhile, I made the world a better place in some tiny way . I wanted to do something I loved and believed in, and this was not it.

So I'd be inclined to say go for it if it's what you truly want :). Obviously you have to consider the practical implications, as you are. For me it helped that I had good savings of my own and my DP has a good job. I guess you need to work out all the possible 'what ifs' e.g. what if your DH lost his job, if you had a sudden big expense like massive work needed on your house etc.

Also obviously find out as much as you can about what being a teacher is realy like. Would you be able to do any voluntary work with children e.g. at a local school? Not sure how this would fit in with your current work committments, but might be good if possible?

Good luck whatever you decide!

I think you are mad. I am a primary teacher. Have been doing it for 7 years and used to work in business (didn't take a pay cut though when I became a teacher).

Teaching is hellishly stressful, physically and mentally exhausting and tons and tons of work. You never feel that you are doing enough no matter how much you do.

If you find your job stressful because of the nature of it-well the nature of teaching in itself is incredibly stressful.

Yes, I had heard that there was an over-supply at present. Also, I'm unsure as to whether my age would make it harder for me to find a job, as I have heard that older teachers tend to be more expensive. No idea if that's true.

I have wondered about some sort of work with children outside my job, falsemessage. Or maybe helping out with some sort of club for kids. However, I don't know how easy this would be to fit in around my current job. Definitely worth considering.

Maybe I am crazy to even think about this then. :( I wish I'd followed my instincts as a student, but so many people tried to put me off teaching back then, and I thought I could always change my mind.

Secondary might be an option, Ninkynonker. My first degree was in English. But not sure if I'm really motivated to do secondary as much.

Activate, I will certainly investigate thoroughly before doing anything rash - too risk-averse not to! Actually, it's good for me to hear about the bureaucracy etc. I need to hear about the rubbish bits of the job.

I'm not averse to stressful jobs in themselves - have done other very stressful jobs that I loved. Just dislike the particular stresses in my current job.

Thank you for all the replies. Have a feeling that you're all going to talk me out of it, which is probably a good thing...

Older teachers who have just qualified don't get paid any more than teachers straight out of uni.

I don't think you are crazy at all. I tend to think if there is something you really want to do, then go for it. If you didn't do you think you would always regret this? If yes, then do it.

Yes there will be practical difficulties to overcome, but if you really want to do this you will find a way.

Just a thought - you don't need to be qualified to work in a private school. It might be worth contacting local private schools and see if there are any openings.

Are you a graduate? Could you research GTP (Graduate Training Programmes) in your area?

It's hard work and doesn't pay much but you will be earning while you train.

And yes, teaching is very stressful!

Yes, ephiny, that's exactly how I feel. On a rational level, I know it's stupid to consider chucking away a good career. But I can't shake off the nagging feeling that I'm not doing what I want to do with my life.

Some of the jobs I did when I was younger were much more "worthwhile", and I miss that.

Sorry to keep putting you off but...decent private schools will now expect their teachers to be properly qualified. In any case, not sure why anyone would want their child to be taught by someone who had no teaching qualifications, especially at primary school.

That's assuming you actually get a job. Primary jobs are few and far between. People think teaching is an easy job until they actually do it (am a SAHM ex-teacher myself). I worked with several high flyers who came in on the Teach First programme and all had dropped out of teaching within a year (including one breakdown and one being asked to leave). It is tougher than people realise as it is the day in day out workload and pressure that eventually grind you down.

Sorry that sounds really negative. Some people go into teaching, totally love it and are brilliant at it however they are rare. Most people either keep at it becoming gradually disillusioned or get themselves promoted up or out of the classroom in order to keep going (it is exhausting being a normal classroom teacher). Anyway, good luck. Go onto the TES forum for advice.

lesley - it would be marvellous if we could all do that but someones got to pay the mortgage havent they?

OP - could you drop to 4 days a week and do something more rewarding on the 5th day or really have a think about what you would find rewarding outside your job - speak to your local volunteering centre. You probably have loads of skills that people will fall upon.

There is a lot more competition to do paid work with children due to redundancies - certainly in my area. So don't assume this will be easier to get into than teaching - because it may not.

Might it help if you listed all the practicalities you would have to overcome and then look at how to do this.

It sounds like something you really want to do, so I think you should go for it.

I have looked at GTP programmes in my area. I know that they're quite competitive, but I think I'd stand a reasonable chance of getting on to one.

I know that teaching is stressful - have friends and relatives who are teachers, and I am well aware that it's no walk in the park. But I think there is good stress and bad stress iyswim. My stress strikes me as utterly, utterly pointless.

Lesley, I know you don't necessarily need qualified teacher status to work in a private school, but if I were to make this leap, I'd definitely want to work in the state sector.

So honestly...what is stopping you from making the leap?

falsemessage, that's not a bad idea to drop down to 4 days a week and do something "worthwhile" on the other day. I think that would certainly help to fill the gap that I'm feeling at the moment. Not sure if my current employer would allow me to reduce my hours though. One to think about perhaps...

I'd recommend volunteering in your chosen sector (primary) for at least a week before you make any decision! You.ll have a better idea then before you leap!

Something like being a magistrate or getting involved in local governance? Being on the board of governers of a school etc.

Have you spent time in a school? If not, could you take a week or a fortnight in a local school to witness the day to day?

That's what swung it for me, but I'm secondary trained so it's a bit different.

Could you work part time or even freelance in your current post and retrain?

I think it's mainly the money thing, Lesley. We have a mortgage to pay, and we're used to being financially secure. Personally, I would be happy to accept the drop in income, but not sure if this would be fair on DH and DD :(

Perhaps a bit of fear, too. What if it turned out to be the wrong decision?! What if I found that there was too much bureaucracy and infantile politics like Activate suggests?