that teachers really do have a pretty easy life.
I know it's controversial and for years I believed my teaching friends and relatives who said that teachers needed all those holidays because it's such a tough job. It's true there are some teachers who really shouldn't be teaching and for them it's an impossible job no matter how hard they work, but that's true in any profession, if you're not suited to it it's incredibly hard.
For the rest, compared to the the jobs I've done in the private sector, they have loads of breaks and PPA time (most of which is spent taking things pretty easy IMO) and all (my?) school staff seem to spend huge amounts of time chatting - that was really rare in most of my other jobs. Even when in front of a class, provided they have control (again, if they're up to the job) they spend a lot of time sitting quietly while the class get on with stuff/watch TV
I've seen people working under pressure and none of the teachers I work with are under anything like the pressure I've seen and experienced in the past. I've never had it so easy, although I'm not teaching, really very little is expected from me for the money compared to my experiences in a "proper" 
job.
I do have huge respect for those who are good at it and it definitely wouldn't be for me, but for those who are in the right job it really isn't hard work, certainly not harder than jobs others have to do 48/46 weeks per year.