To wonder why so many teachers want to quit

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Inspired by other threads but I didn't want to derail.

What is going on in education that is making teaching so stressful?

I work in the City and you don't see too many people quitting with stress even though the work can be stressful. Certainly, not the numbers you see in teaching.

'If teachers leave in droves I suspect that the government will claim those teachers are not up to the job.'

And non teachers who think 'Not everyone cuts and runs when the going gets tough' Which will include a lot of MNetters and parents in general.

If teachers leave in droves I suspect that the government will claim those teachers are not up to the job

That was almost word-for-word what our headteacher told the parents when over twenty staff left our secondary school during the last academic year. The reality was that half were forced out, and half just couldn't take any more of the insanity!

I haven't read all of this thread, just the first few pages, but I'd like to echo what other teachers and ex-teachers have said. I never had any problem with the children (Reception) and got on well with most parents. After 30 years of being respected as a teacher a change of management following a failed Ofsted (based entirely on the data from a poor Year 6 cohort) and everything went downhill. I was given conflicting advice from various people and then criticised for it by others. So many things happened that I couldn't detail here for fear of being recognised. Like some others on here, I woke up one morning and just couldn't do it any more, luckily I was near enough to 60 to retire.

To the person, way back in the thread, who asked if teachers were ill-prepared for the actual job. I was well-prepared by my initial training and I loved the job. It is the expectations that have changed and the fact that children are treated as units of production rather than unique individuals that is unbearable. Teaching will become a job that young people do for a few years and then leave, a career in teaching is no longer compatible with a young family and those interested in pursuing management roles are probably born managers rather than born teachers..

It was what head said when the three of us with nearly 70 years of experience left within a year.

I have just sent the thread to Lucy Powell by the way.

I will send to my MP too.

My MP is a conservative. I don't think there's any point in sending it to her but I hope that Lucy Powell as shadow minister for education will act on it.

If teachers leave in droves I suspect that the government will claim those teachers are not up to the job.
I agree and in some cases it will be true because the teachers are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted.
I remember telling my old dad about how awful my job was. He just told me to 'tell them to stuff their bloody job'. He was right.

My ex head added that "younger teachers are thriving"

Even if that were true then I don't think it is now otherwise why would so many leave within five years?

^"If teachers leave in droves I suspect that the government will claim those teachers are not up to the job"

That was almost word-for-word what our headteacher told the parents when over twenty staff left our secondary school during the last academic year. The reality was that half were forced out, and half just couldn't take any more of the insanity!^

In the private sector, that sort of turnover would result in serious questions being asked about recruitment and management practices. I don't know how parents can swallow it.

Our school lost 2 long-term and widely-appreciated members of staff last year, over a disputed with the HT, and I must admit that even though I happened to agree with the HT on the issue in question it definitely made me raise my eyebrows and wonder whether there had not been a management failure somewhere along the way.

Because they aren't young any more?
Like a cheetah being the fastest land mammal over a short distance, but it's not sustainable.

I'd be interested in knowing how many of these teachers who leave are offered exit interviews and why more questions aren't being asked.

The youngest and least experienced members of my department were really struggling to make it to the end of this term. One told me that they had to force themselves to get out of the car in the morning, and another didn't make it.

Youth doesn't give you superpowers in the face of unreasonable demands.

Absolutely noblegiraffe

The last NQT I mentored last was potentially an excellent teacher in the making : great mix of techno-savvy, traditional education herself, resilient, young, pretty, tough, realistic, well-trained & lived at home with her loving parents who looked after her totally. By the end of the first term she was diagnosed with WRS, IBS, asthmatic cough, awful skin & insomnia. By the end of the year (which she passed by grafting through), she went to work in Sales, vowing never to set foot in a classroom again. She had so much potential, but being on £22k while the SLTs drew £60k + for their vanishing acts & provided no support for the needy kids was too iniquitous for her liking. She's done brilliantly in her new career, has had rapid promotion & is enjoying life to the full. I'm so glad for her that she's getting what she deserves from life. I wish more young teachers could, but this won't happen while the deadwood SLT (of all ages) is leeching the system.

We're losing two at Christmas. Both are under 30.

It was a great moment when she challenged the 'SLT responsible for observation of NQTs' (lecherous erstwhile PE teacher) on the finer points of her Maths lesson on how she could get an 'Outstanding' because he stared right through her blouse & was unable to answer ...

My Students results are some of the best, in one of the best performing state schools in the country, yet:
Only one student has to tell one lie about me and my career could be over.
I could fail to be a "paragon / good example" in or out of school and my career could be over.
I am constantly assessed on my activities and ability to perform time consuming and irrelevant tasks which are not in the best interests of myself or my students.
The school demonstrates no duty of care towards its staff, yes we "are expected" to lesson plan when ill, supervise students rather than take breaks or eat lunch. and stay after school to help other peoples children rather than our own.
We may not leave the classroom to go to the toilet - yet we have no real breaks.
It is entirely possible that we would have no access to food or drink throughout an entire working day.
I increasingly have no choices about how or what I teach in order that my teaching conforms to an approved pattern which is at best mediocre and actually positively encourages mediocrity.
I have been off work with stress and exhaustion more than once.
I could go on, and on...and on.
But actually I cant - I have no idea how I could do this until retirement age at 68 and no-one will be along to replace me, who could afford to be a teacher with the costs of gaining a sufficient eduction and the increasing costs of living and housing compared to the declining potential income (in real terms) ?

I am very glad my children will be leaving school soon and hope that I can have that same opportunity.

Hi GiraffesCanDance1

I've just retired this year after 28 years teaching in private schools. There is no way I would have considered working in the state system. So many advantages - more money, treated well by SMT and HM and just left alone to get on with it. Never needed to do lesson plans, no learning walks etc and no OFSTED. We were inspected every 5 years but this was by ex teachers from private sector. HM used to pop in to lessons quite frequently, especially if he was showing a parent around - I taught Chem and Physics so there was usually something interesting going on, He used to phone me if I was doing a practical. Having time to relax at lunchtime, with free meals each day was also good.

No real downsides to private teaching. Parents were quite demanding, but then were paying a lot of money. They were very supportive and since retiring I have so many emails and texts thanking me for helping to get good grades for their sons and daughters. Not sure that this would happen in the State schools. Lots of teachers did extra sports, trips etc, but I tried to stick to the teaching side. I did notice a trend for more data analysis in the last few years, but my GCSE results were usually 95-100% passes and 70-75% A* to A, so if I tended to ignore this stuff they still left me alone.

I don't know how difficult it is to get into Private schools these days - I know that if there was a position going we would get a lot of applicants. I was lucky in that when I first applied I had come from working in the Chem industry so had some interesting experience.

So, I don't regret going into teaching and am enjoying retirement. If you are new to teaching, consider the private sector. If you have a good Science or Maths degree I would defer teaching and get some experience of the real world first.

Exit interview? When I left I walked myself to IT to hand in my laptop; took myself to HR to hand in my ID; walked myself to my car and went home.

No member of the SLT contacted me in any way. I simply came into work, tidied my desk and left.

I did wonder, for a while, if I could have made it t the end of the year. But could feel myself drifting towards self destructive thoughts, much like ILS. My Sunday Sob was the last straw.

And I am mentally hardy, just reached the end of my ability to cope with it all.

My exam results were really good this year. 4 sets of results where if you looked at each class individually you'd say 'gosh, you must be really pleased with those'.

Did I get a bonus? Praise? Thanks? Any sort of recognition at all?

I don't think the school even noticed. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm quite disappointed.

If my results had been below-par, I'm pretty sure it would have been mentioned.

I've taught in Ireland and England. They're like two different worlds. In Ireland, you're given your class and you get on with it. There's very much the attitude that they're children and so need plenty of stimulation and fun - huge emphasis on art, PE, drama and music. It can be stressful but it's also great fun. I can only describe teaching in England as a bizarre form of torture.

I have a close friend who is a teacher. Her school recently paid around £20 per head for some kind of 'wellness' package for teaching which gets them a free massage once a year and a dedicated phoneline to call if they are stressed.

The SAME school then brought in an assessment regime so utterly insane and pointless that teachers there are on their hands and knees and spend so much time doing assessments in class that they have no actual time to deliver any CONTENT. Then have to set Christmas and summer exams about - what??? They haven't had time to learn anything because they're so busy assessing key skills.

It is utterly, utterly mad and my child would not be going within a hundred miles of that school.

I won't need an exit interview as my Headteacher is very aware of why I'm going. She did try to get me to stay - offered me part time etc, but I don't want that. She is retiring in a year, and is hanging on herself til then. She knows that my workload is unreasonable, and to her credit tries very hard to manage that, but she is constrained by HMI visits, SIPs, looming OFSTED, threats about being below floor standard, applying the LEA led performance management and pay policies etc.

And it's not just class teachers at Primary Level. My LEA will need a projected 18 new Primary Heads in the next two years, and at a recent conference for our Deputies they ran a survey asking who was ready and willing to step up to Headship soon, and I think 3 said yes.

And this insane arrogant government really don't think there's a recruitment crisis?