To leave a teaching job after 3 weeks?

[nocontactforevermore]

I am ready to break:/

I left a very stressful head full time of department job in the October half term. I decided to go part time, without extra responsibilities etc and my DP is supportive of this. I had originally felt so bruised by it all that I wanted to leave teaching altogether but was approached by a very local school to me who offered me part time and I thought I'd hit the jackpot. On paper it sounds amazing - 3 miles from my house, working only Tuesdays and Thursdays. The trouble is....I've inherited a department that doesn't have a leader (it's very small anyway) but also is in a big mess. Kids have been entered for wrong exams, haven't completed coursework and to top it off, they've been wild in my lessons:/. I started just before Xmas and within the first day I was sick with anxiety. It built up all over xmas and now that I'm back, it's worse than ever. I am only contracted two days, but the workload means I will have to work at least another 2 from home. They also schedule me for meetings that are the responsibility of a head of department, but that was not the deal. I've pointed out that they are asking too much of me and pushing the kids to achieve too high a level of the qualification that I will never get it gone in time for summer. All I keep getting reminded of is that I was a former head of dept and 'can handle it'.

I can't though. Well I could, if I didn't sleep or felt resentful that I left a full time job for a part time one only to realise I'll be working just as hard. The reason for this is purely and simply because the department has been left to shit. I am on a temporary contract (suited me fine) and feel like they are simply going to 'milk me' until summer, while I'm sent over the edge.

How bad would it be to walk? I've an unbroken 15 year employment history. I am not flaky, but I didn't sleep at all over Xmas and this isn't the fresh start I envisaged.

Well she was certainly in the UK yesterday at 07.51.

The Op is in the uk. She says so above.

The Op is in the uk. She says so above.

Oh yes I'm in the UK. The meetings they'd scheduled were related to behaviour management and the schools marking policy. They were laid on specifically for me and other new starters. No advanced notice, and no 'asking', I was told. There was no question I might not be able to attend and given that I had finished my last lesson at lunchtime, its quote a cheek to assume they could just take 5 hours of my time without so much as a by your leave.

Hilariously, some of the meetings were adjourned so the SLT could go for lunch (two separate sittings). While I sat there like a pleb. Twice.
Unpaid.

Oh sorry, I misread somewhere upthread .

You NEED to resign and ask that you leave almost immediately by mutual consent. If necessary go off sick for the period that you agree on if you feel you cannot go on any longer. My son's lovely girlfriend has just left her last teaching job under a similar situation, although she started Sept and left at the end of December. The school was not at all what it had been portrayed as - they had a lot of teachers leave the previous year and the Head stated that they had left for 'various promotions' all 7 of them had left because it was an utter nightmare. 2 schools had been amalgamated. 1 was an 'outstanding' school' the other had been identified as failing. When they joined the head of the 'failing' school became the head of the whole new set up, he allocated his cronies (the teachers at the failing school) to classes that contained 90%
of the 'outstanding' school kids and 10% of his own 'failing' school kids.
The teachers who had transferred from the outstanding school got the reverse of the deal as they would be able to 'bring them up to standard'.
Yes, they were the ones that walked within the year. When my son's partner tried to impose any discipline, rules etc on the children she was told that she was 'expecting too much' - when she spoke to teachers who had been at the school for some time she was told to 'not rock the boat, get through the day and take your money - don't make it look bad for the rest of us' - what a shower of shits!. The school discipline was so bad that her class received a merit award for being 'the only class that walked from classroom to assembly in a proper manner' - this meant they were the only group where there were no runaways on this small journey. Parents would come in to tclassroom and take their kids out at say 2.30pm because 'they can't wait all day and they wanted little Johnnie now and 'they were the only ones to tell their kids what to do'
My sons partner had moved from 400 miles away, had good experience in city centre, docklands schools and had never seen anything like what she experienced. When you tell anyone within teaching that she left they all say that they could not fault her and that it needs sorting out at this school. The secondary school which is the feeder to this school is complaining all the time about the behaviour/standards they are being
presented with and still the primary school is getting away with it.
LEAVE NOW, for your own sanity

Nocontact, when you say you finished your last lesson at lunchtime, do you mean you only teach in the morning, that is half a day, for one of your two contracted days?
If you are employed for two days, the school is perfectly entitled to expect you to stay on the premises for the duration of the school day and use the time either for meetings if required or for marking and preparation.

Winkle no, I do a full day and toe half days, but have and am only paid on a a 2 day contract.

Then you are only there two days until lunchtime, and one full day. But you need to put that in writing to remind the SLT and HT 'in case there was some confusion'

It is unreasonable to be kept on your half days with no notice. It is reasonable for you to say you have made other arrangements, and indeed these arrangements apply for the rest of the term.
If the school deems it essential that you attend the meeting, it is again reasonable for them to offer you time off in lieu on your full day. Obviously this is an expense for the school , but if the meeting is that important they should consider it.
The school calendar should have been published and should not be varied and you should expect to attend a proportion of scheduled meetings. If these fall after school on your full day you should accept this. If they fall after school on your half days, your union should argue that it is unreasonable. However you would be expected to attend a proportion of training days even if they do not fall on your 'work' days.

I have been a part time teacher for a number of years for various schools (state and private sectors). I am afraid sadly the nature of part time teaching means you will end up working a lot more than contracted or paid to do. This doesn't make it right or acceptable but this seems to be the case for virtually all part time teachers I know. Schools get a good deal from part time teachers.

Many people who work in the schools usually fail to see that you are a part time teacher and this will never be considered when meetings etc are planned. You need to develop a thick skin and whenever asked to do extra things repeat that ad repeatedly it isn't your teaching day.

Keep a record of all extra tasks you do outside of your contract. Date it and write down the length time it took. Keep it on your computer so you can add everything as you go along. as a running record.

You need to contact your union before doing anything drastic. I would have a meeting with the Head with the Union rep present. Show your list of extra jobs/meetings you are being expected to attend. They probably haven't got a clue.

I think I've got this right- the SLT member was teaching the exam group before you and has not (taught?) marked or assessed the work adequately?
This person has responsibility for assessment whole school and is now putting massive pressure on you as a new teacher to correct mistakes made?
This is what I think is happening OP... The person's attitude towards you has nothing to do with you but everything to do with them. Classic passing the buck. They KNOW that this is a messs and are worried because a person in their position shouldn't have let it happen.
You have come along to teach VERY part time and instead of working with you, supportively, they are now implying that this is now YOUR problem to fix.
The comments about you having been HOD in your last school are part of this tactic. This person is trying to say 'if you are any good you'd be able to sort it out'.
The comments about scrupulous monitoring has been said to intimidate and give this person (in their own head) authority over you. They are demanding respect when they actually know they deserve none because their own work has been inadequate.
This person is bullying you in an attempt to cover their own tracks. If you haven't already, e-mail the HEDTEACHER bullet pointing each concern in a very factual ( not emotional) way.
YANBU to leave. Good luck OP!

OP, you really really HAVE to declare that you have worked there, no matter how short the time period. My friend was in the same position as you, worked for three weeks, the school was dire and she moved on. It didn't even occur to her to list it on her CV. However, because of the Safer Recruitment law, her new school found out and she was given a formal warning which has to remain on her file. They didn't want to - they loved her and could understand why she left, but they HAD to. Please listen to what posters like ils are saying.

That said, your school sounds awful. Good plan to put it all in writing. Hope it works out for you!

Thank you Batman

I can just about understand why non teachers think the OP can "lose" this from her CV but I've been utterly appalled to see teachers advocating it.

And like you I wish the OP all the luck in the world moving on from this.

MsLT - your post struck the fear into me. It pretty much sums up what I FEEL is happening but struggled to articulate and wondered if I was being paranoid. The day that she started talking about their 'stringent marking' was immediately after a shitty shitty first lesson with a very challenging group. She briefly asked me how I got on with them, and when I said they were difficult, she started saying they were no problem for her. I wanted to scream that if they were no problem for her, then why the fuck has their work not be done????
I should also add that as she is SLT, the students have had a LOT of supply because she is constantly being taken away for meetings. She started this big serious conversation with me about the marking after my first lesson with a shitty group?? It stank.

Go woman, go !
Nothing good can come out staying.

Without wishing to judge this sounds like the prospect most private sector workers find themselves in all the time. I think yes its wrong but also perfectly normal these days and that is why its a temp contract.
You need to decide whether your up for it because i suspect your not going to find a job thats set hours with no encroachment on 'your time' unless you like jobs with no responsibilty.
If you don't need to work perhaps volunteer, if you do then as above.

What MrsLT said word for word. Honestly OP, as I said up-thread, I have seen this happen in RL! The teacher it happened to was feisty enough to take a stand but essentially got black-marked and has struggled to get any kind of fair hearing in school over any matter since, including promotions she is well-qualified for. The difference is this was her FT job and she turned down another job for the convenience of working locally - a decision I believe she has regretted ever since!

This often seems to happen where people have been promoted to SLT posts beyond their capabilities. Also seems to happen to SLT people who are great 'ideas' people but fall down on actually delivering. Their classes become an inconvenience in their quest for world domination! Remember: some very good teachers go into SLT but equally so do many poor teachers who can't stick the daily grind of teaching, assessment, planning.

Sebastian in the nicest possible way you don't seem to know what you're talking about. There are specific challenges for part-time teachers around timetabling and workload that bear no resemblance to private sector (I've worked in both). Let's try to keep this a thread to help the OP, rather than it descend into the usual MN 'teachers vs the world' thread. Just once I would love to see a teaching related thread that doesn't become a race for the bottom in terms of terms and conditions!

nocontactforevermore I didn't want to make you feel fearful :(
I've read all of your posts and was trying to sum up what I think is happening based on everything you have said.
You are NOT being paranoid, your gut feeling is telling you that something is not right and you must trust your instincts!
You are in unfamiliar territory and he/she is your SLT link but he/she sounds brazen and you mustn't doubt your own intuition.
You sound like you are in a state of panic which is making it harder for you to work out what's going on so brain storm.
For example:

1. The students have incomplete coursework. What has been done does not satisfy the exam specification (write down what they have done, what should have been done by now and what needs to be done & by what date).
2. The students are disaffected and behaviour is challenging.

You believe that this is because they have had a number of different teachers including supply and that this inconsistent approach has created apathy towards the subject (and subsequently anyone who teaches the subject to them).

1. The work that has been done has not been assessed rigorously.

(Yes you SLT person!) Students do not know what needs to be done/how/ by when.

1. Having assessed the work and spoken to the students over the last few weeks, you can see that they are in an unfortunate situation and believe that (insert what needs to be done) is the way forward.
2. You would like to make it clear that you work 1 full day and 2 half days only. It is not possible for you to work excessively outside of these hours and are bemused that meetings have been arranged without prior consultation and at times which are not mutually convenient.

5.You believe that unrealistic expectations have been placed on you regarding this role. Despite your experience as HOD, you are now a temporary, part-time member of staff and not a subject leader. You were not made aware that it would be necessary to trouble shoot to such an extent on appointment and if you had of been, you would not have taken up the position.

1. You have never come across such disorder at any level and it is with regret that in this instance, you are unable to continue in this post.

Or something like that!! :)

BTW, some/all of the above = hard truths. Remember, you do not need to use this school as a reference but do include it on CV as temporary work for x weeks.

Without wishing to judge this sounds like the prospect most private sector workers find themselves in all the time

And yet surprisingly you stuck your oar of ignorance right in there. Well done you!

The advice has been given again and again.

It's up to you to follow it, you seem to be dithering.

MsLT.

AMAZING email! Thank you soooo much!