To be mildly irritated by most tiring job ever?

[brasty]

A friend who is a teacher has been saying how exhausted she is, and that only other teachers would understand. She is not joking. AIBU to be mildly irritated by this? Yes teachers do a hard job, but there are other jobs that are also exhausting.

Teachers are often told that they have it easy and don't work in the real world because they couldn't hack it so pointing out that they can't have a toilet break or eat their lunch, are on their feet and constantly performing is to counter that perception, not to say they're the only ones to do so.

Teaching is exhausting. It's not necessarily MORE exhausting, however it is exhausting.
Bless you if you don't actually comprehend how exhausting it is.
YABU

There are lots of jobs more exhausting than teaching, so no, YANBU.

"Unfortunately that's not true anymore holidays." (That armed forces get no criticism)

Was it ever? My dad used to get shite for being Army in 70's/80's, my ex got it 90's certainly we split early 2000's so I'm less exposed now.

I currently work very long hours in the public sector and am seriously thinking about retraining as a teacher. I have spent lots and lots of days observing teachers in a wide range of schools. They do work very hard and have lots of responsibility. I've talked to loads of them about their job and nearly all "love" it, although they moan about the hours they work, most on close questioning work about 50-55 hours a week, although nearly all say this compensated for but 14 weeks holiday a year. I do agree there is a bit of a culture of no one works as hard as we do or has such a demanding job. I currently work very long days 12 + and rarely get a break to eat drink or go to the loo at a recent observation day one teacher was telling me how many hours she worked and I agreed it's crap when you work long hours and was saying how I too now often never get a break blah blah blah and that I think this is increasingly common across the public sector. She went on to tell me she never got a break and that this was unique to teaching. 1/2 an hour later I saw her eating lunch in the canteen.
In my working life I've worked in a wide variety of setting and have relatives and friends who do the same, TBH I don't think their job is any harder than many others. My DH manages 75+ staff, works 60+ hours a week for 20 days holiday a year, a friend is a corporate lawyer amazing money but she too only gets 20 days holiday a year and even when on holiday and wherever in the world the company policy is to answer emails with 4 hours during office hours which are 7 am - 9 pm. My DH sub contracts work to "fitters" working in top end installation jobs, again earning good money but a physically and mentally very demanding jobs often 12 hours a day, my DC works in his spare time at our local stables, the full time trainees work at 13 hours a day 6 days a week often in shitty weather for no wages, just a free riding lesson lecture, on their 1 day off/in the evening they work in pubs to earn money to buy food. My neighbour was a dairy farmer not really large enough to employ staff for 35 years he got up everyday of the year literally come hell or high water at 3am to start milking, he never married because who wants to be involved with someone who stinks of cow shit and goes to bed at 8 pm having finished milking at 7 pm and it cost more to produce milk than than he was paid for it. I could go on.
As I said yes teachers work very hard but so do plenty of other people.

Nobody is denying that teaching is hard and exhausting. The point many people are making is that boy do we hear a lot about it! Very few nurses are on MN moaning about how hard their job is. Or builders. Or other physically harder jobs. But blimey we've all been on the receiving end of teachers moaning. They do themselves no favours.

And anyone saying that teachers work for all their 13 weeks holiday is lying frankly. They don't. Nowhere near.

And lots and lots and lots of people take work home. And work just as long hours.

It annoys me a bit because I think most teachers work very hard and do a great job. But the moaning does the profession no favours at all

Tbf, I think whom you hear moaning depends on whom you are in contact with. There are no end of moaning nurses and doctors on my Facebook threads and Mumsnet is little more than a massive moan and whinge fest - and a huge chunk of the moaning on here is from mothers about teachers. AIBU to think there are an awful lot of judgmental, self-righteous moaners on Mumsnet? And that most of them are not teachers at all?

I find nurses whinge infinitely more than teachers, but I do think the idea that teachers "have the most exhausting job" is laughable.

Also, all of the teachers I know point out that holidays are one of the perks of their job, so I assume they get more time off than the average Joe.

This reminds me of the essay by David Graeber where he makes the point that people doing bullshit jobs that don't really mean anything (e.g. PR, recruitment, HR etc), want punish those who make more of a difference to lives (e.g. cleaners, teachers, nurses etc) with lower pay and little to no recognition for what they do.

(FWIW, I think competitive tiredness is annoying AF. That said, this term is particularly knackering. Maybe not as knackering as cleaning a daycare or operating on brains or going on patrol in Helmand but still tiring, and I think that's what your friend was saying.)

Woah this post is making me really sad! I never realised how resentful of teachers people are. I'm a paramedic (7 years of 12 hour shifts, 50% nights, big city, understaffed service at crisis point. Before that a year of 13 hour shifts in A&E as a clinical support worker, crap money and on my feet the entire shift. Before that on a ward, same shifts but a lot more poo). I live with a primary school teacher and I wouldn't swap jobs for twice the money.

She works 70 hour weeks and is simply never done with work. I work long and hard shifts but when I'm done I'm done, I come home and watch telly and spend my rest days doing what I like. She's at school 7-6 then comes home, walks the dog and puts the laptop on. She falls asleep with her work on the bed, and often sets her alarm for 4.30 so she can do 2 hours work before school. Every weekend she is either working or feeling bad for not working. She does get the school holidays but spends the first week sorting out her wreck of a classroom and finishing overdue work, then a week or more sleeping - she also gets recurrent labyrinthitis which is stress related and bloody terrible.

I suppose I'm not going to change anyone's mind as it's just anecdotal, but as someone with a stereotypically 'tough' job, I think there's aspects to teaching that make it uniquely miserable. The infinite workload means you're never finished, you just tap out when you're too exhausted to do more. The days off aren't real, the pay is rubbish and the politics is endless. The profession as a whole is in absolute crisis which adds another level of existential dread that is familiar from working in the NHS.

I wish my housemate would quit, but she works at a school in a deprived area, with kids up against the odds. I think walking away from that is extremely difficult, because she does make a difference. And there's such an exodus of teachers that it feels like abandoning the kids. Grimness. Please be a little more charitable to your kids teachers! Gin goes down very well at this time of year.

I'm a teacher. I find it exhausting, and I do work long hours - but those hours are fairly flexible (obviously I have to be in school when the students are, but I can do marking/planning whenever). I work in the holidays as well - but I can always do marking on a plane/in a hotel/etc while travelling. I can't book a day's leave to go to DD's assembly - but I do get to spend all of her school holidays with her.

Teaching is the only job I've done (other than part-time work at uni) so I can't really compare it. DH on the other hand was a physiotherapist before becoming a teacher, and he says that teaching is more stressful but less physical effort.

It's swings and roundabouts, like any other job.

I do have a moan sometimes, and I get annoyed (at least internally) with people who say they'd love to only work 9 - 3 or find every opportunity to complain about teachers, but I get annoyed at my colleagues who make themselves out to be martyrs who are forced to work 24/7

From your OP, it doesn't sound as though your friend was dismissing other jobs, merely saying that only teachers understand that kind of mental tiredness you get from being 100% alert and making a thousand tiny decisions a day against a backdrop of constant movement, noise and fidgeting.

This. I'm sure other jobs are just as tiring but for me it's the sheer mental exhaustion of the performance it takes to manage 35 kids hour after hour and make sure they all make progress. Secondary teacher here, see over 300 different children a week.

The thing I find hardest is that your success (basically the success of the pupils) doesn't even correlate to how hard you work. You can spend ages planning a really great lesson and if some little darling decides to ruin it they can. Even if you're great at behaviour management your effort and attention is taken up dealing with whatever disruption they are causing.

To me it's like working in a team with 35 other people, half of whom are totally apathetic and anything you ask them to do is met with cries of "effort" even though it is directly for their benefit and about a quarter are actively working against you, disrupting everyone else.

The thing that pisses me off the most is when you're lying awake at night worrying about the results of pupils and you just know they don't even care.

I've had some great times teaching and I've taught some wonderful kids who I'll never forget but I'm so relieved I'm giving my notice in next week.

I think people are too defensive. I'm a teacher and I am exhausted. This week I got called a cunt and on another occasion pushed over. I'm tired and want the holidays and yes, I have mentioned to friends how tired I am.
I have never said or even thought that my job is more tiring or hard than anyone else's, but for some reason there are always a few who think that's what I mean. Because teachers don't live in the real world, don't have a real job, get loads of paid holiday (really?!)... etc etc. The amount of threads like this recently is depressing.

Do you know what, if it's such a piss easy fake job, you are also welcome to do it.

I have never known teachers to claim they work harder than anyone else or have a more exhausting job than anyone else.

The reason why we are defensive about our job is imo
a) everyone is an expert about education because they once went to school.

However they went to school 9-3.30 and had a break and lunch together with the school holidays and didn't see the behind the scenes hours

b) it is our fault for everything and why don't we teach x,y,z

We see these children for a few hours a day (secondary sometimes only 50 mins a week) - we are not their parents we are also not in charge!

c) we can't do right for doing wrong

Read the numerous threads on here!

I could go on but I've had 'real jobs' before and have not been subjected to the constant moaning about the profession I was in by the press, online forums etc therefore didn't need to get defensive prior to my undertaking this pretend job

I know every day is different, but can someone who is a teacher talk me through their average day please?

I think as a non teacher i don't understand why the hours are so long. Surely you get to reuse some of the lesson plans from previous years? I know topics can change, but when it comes to core spelling, maths, reading etc the plan can't change that much?

In my head I think a School day is 9-3 so 6 hours, 1 hour breaks so 5 hours teaching. I would think 3 hours lesson planning and marking for 5 hours teaching was reasonable (this is probably where I'm getting it wrong!). So an average day should be 9-6. With extras such as parents evening, changing displays as and when etc.

With playground duty I would expect that to rotate so it's not every day.

Thanks everyone for helping me understand.

DP is a teacher. Yes, it's hard work but he gets SO MANY HOLIDAYS. Some of them he will do some work in, but it still amounts to a lot of time to recharge. I haven't had a day off work since June.

I think there are many other professions with long hours, physical shifts and fewer breaks that are harder to do.

Really? You can't imagine what we do in a day?

So generally I get to work at 7.15 and get my lessons ready for the day- books in the right rooms, ppts ready, last minute repel and upload any homework to the online site. Have a meeting at 8.25 and the school day starts at 8.50.
Teach two lessons and then at breaktime I do the lates detention. Teach 2 more, lunch, then final lesson.
Usually on most days of the week I have some students for catch up for half and hour to 45 minutes.
I then start marking- depending on who I am marking for this can take over an hour per class. For KS4 and 5 marks also have to be inputted onto our system.
I then plan lessons. Some lessons can be partially reused but some are planned from scratch and for example my exam class is a new syllabus but I don't have money for any resources so currently this is taking a lot of my time.

I usually phone at least 3 parents in a day because I am a form tutor and this brings its own issues, as well as organising a trip abroad for 80 students which is making me want to tear my hair out! There tends to be some level of admin involved at all times.

I tend to leave work at 17.45 - 6. Come home, cook dinner and then crack on with some more marking or feedback.

So no, I might not work harder than anyone else. But I don't do absolutely nothing.

I have never known teachers to claim they work harder than anyone else or have a more exhausting job than anyone else.

Really? Blimey you must live in a different planet to me.

I have never done any of your 3 things cricket balls but I have heard a lot of moaning from teacher friends and family. That is what gets my goat

Ps I do obe of the "useless" jobs that's been mentioned here. I'm at my desk at 7am in a Saturday morning, MNing working

Thanks Leslie, that makes sense. Especially teaching KS4 as its more complex with the marking etc.

MrsGB

From your questions it seems you are asking from a primary perspective but from a teacher with no official responsibility in secondary my day consists of

7am in school to sort out that days lessons which include new curriculum KS3 so we can only reuse a limited amount of planning. Even the planning that can be reused has to be differentiated for the students you will be teaching that day.
KS4, again new specs so same as KS3 atm

Answer emails, enter tracking data and grab a quick brew.

8.30 - staff briefing
8.45 - registration; I have a 6th form tutor group so atm UCAS and personal statements whilst also dealing with any pastoral issues
9.10 - start teaching! As I have no formal responsibility I only have 4 non teaching lessons a week so my day is spent teaching a different group/age/subject (I teach 2 subjects) every lesson and not in the same room
Before school, break, after school duty once a week
Meetings after school at least once a week
After school ends for students I
mark work - I teach a coursework loaded courses to 5 year groups so that takes a lot of time.
Check emails and deal with important ones that can't wait till next morning
Write reports - in total I teach 7 year groups (7-13) so there is usually either a full report to write or a termly data one to complete
Support staff as I'm the most knowledgeable/experienced with 2 qualification types that more subjects are starting to use
Return phone calls/call parents
Sometimes having to complete safeguarding/SEN referrals

Once home, after sorting out meals/my own children etc I sit down with my laptop to write Schemes of work, resource new materials, catch up with things I didn't have time to do in school (planning, marking, report writing etc)
Also call parents whom either are not available in school day or won't answer the phone during the day (or from school) -putting 141 first! This is good fun especially when students think they are safe from you being able to contact home

This is the day to day life I lead which doesn't take into account lots of things that crop up on a daily basis, e.g. breaking up fights, dealing with someone who has vomited etc

I think most public sector jobs these days are exhausting.

My mum was a teacher, and I did witness her literally run into the ground over 30 or so years. I am a nurse and I dread to think what I'll come out the other end like. Equally though, I know council workers, social services employees and school workers who are not 'front line', but definitely still at breaking point.

As for teaching, my mother never moaned about breaks or long days. She saw huge changes in teaching over the years and found it demoralising. In the end she had little if any say in what she taught or how she did it. She also saw a change in the relationships she had with parents and how they viewed her. I think that ultimately wore her down and she lost faith in the system.

I employed a teacher in my nursery at the end of October
She has just handed in her notice

She has found it much harder and more tiring than she ever expected

She is going back to a school

It made me laugh
She's tired?
She wants to try my job

What gets me the most if when non teacher people don't understand the amount of time off I actually get away from school. My hubby who works as an accountant and gets a standard quota of leave is always trying to use it up by the end of the year as I just can't take any more time away from my job to have off with him.

My usual term time weekdays days are 6.20am to 6pm, plus commuting time. In the holidays usually 7am to 4pm. That is with no lunch break too. Functions this week meant I only got home past 9pm two nights.

I have no doubting that a very physical job is more demanding on the body, but it's the flitting from one thing to another, juggling many plates, brain ache that gets to you, plus picking up more bugs as you are around sneezing/coughing children with poor germ control! You also have to continue to work outside of work. My husband works hard at work, but does bugger all outside of work for it.

There are some days I would prefer not to teach, but ultimately I get a decent wage, I wouldn't say fair considering the hours I put in, but decent and no day is ever the same.

Holidaysaregreat nurses are on much the same salary as teachers.

Sorry but that comment made me laugh so hard I nearly wet myself!

After 5 years in the job teachers are paid £33160.

After 5 years a nurse on a ward would be paid around £29k.

For every year continuing after that, the pay gap between nurses and teachers increases.

As a nurse in a 4 walled holiday home I find 3 13.5 hour shifts back to back utterly exhausting.

However I will say don't be fooled by the long holidays teachers get. They work 47x37.5 hours, compressed into around 38 weeks? That's pretty brutal too!

I can say that my current job as a childminder is the most exhausting I've ever had, but I don't know about it being worse than any others as they're out of my experience.

I start at 6.30am and finish at 7, sometimes later if there's a train or traffic problem - that's the actual minding bit. I do overnight care, too. Three this week, including a teething baby. I do get to eat; I don't really get a break unless we're quiet (I'm lucky enough to work with another childminder).

Then there's all the paperwork, planning (meals and menus and shopping included); we have Ofsted to contend with, too; training is on our own time; dealing with parents; and the cooking and cleaning is down to me.

What really, really angers me, though, is the almost constant attacks on us by media and Government bodies to suit their agendas. The recent Daily Mail claim that we feed the kids junk food has infuriated us all, when so many of us have undertaken nutrition training and pride ourselves on our food.

I do think the moaning is a defence thing. Teachers are so sick of being criticised and attacked, they feel they have to constantly justify themselves.