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.

fruitcider do nurses automatically get a yearly pay rise? Teachers don't anymore so I also assumed nurses don't. Although they should, we need to retain good nurses!

I don't get why teachers need over an hour of prep every morning on top of the prep they are doing every evening, every weekend and every holiday.

Are teachers just perpetually underprepared?

You're teaching children not Stephen Hawking!

Noble giraffe has hit the nail on the head.

Why can't the daily mail pick this real story up.

Nurses get 5 or 6 yearly pay rises within their pay band. Generally as you become more experienced you take on more responsibility and learn new skills so it makes sense to start off lower and increase pay. But after the top of the pay bracket is reached....that's it. Unless you get a new job/promotion.

Herethereandeverywhere.
It genuinely take the time and you have to "evidence" everything. Micromanaged and watched to breaking point.
Call a parent. Have to log that.

But we are teaching a lot of children all at once, who all have different needs.
Also my hour in the morning isn't really lesson prep, it's more the practical side of things like putting homework online and getting photocopying done etc.

And honestly, if every job/person/type got infuriated by this weeks Daily Mail rant the entire nation would be on valium. It's the Daily Mail FFS! Why on earth take it seriously.

I worked in private equity when it was getting an absolute pasting by everyone, press, commons select committee, whatever. Everyone in the business/profession just carried on and addressed concerns/questions if necessary. I know that on average they would earn far more but that shouldn't correlate to a reaction to the press/public criticism.

Primary school day:
Get in at 7.30 (I'd get in earlier but I get the kids up).

7.30-8.30. Setting up work for the day, marking, doing displays etc.
8.30. Meeting.
8.50. Pick up kids from playground.
We only have two assemblies a week at my school so it's straight in with lessons.
9.00-10.45. Guided reading and literacy.
10.45 break. There's usually a few things to sort out or twice a week I'm on duty.
11.00-12. Maths.
12-1. Lunch during which I ll work with some children after I've had my lunch with them in the lunch hall.
1-2.15. Afternoon lessons.
2.15-2.30 playtime.
2.30-3.15 lesson.
3.15 onwards. Marking, after school club, meetings.
I leave at 5 because I need to do nursery pick up so I do tend to be in the go all day so I can get everything done.

On paper that looks reasonable, but I find it more draining than other jobs I've done because I work in a deprived inner city school where a fair few kids have emotional and serious behavioural issues. There's several children who require one to one and don't get it and I've had four children arrive in the last two months who don't speak any English. Given I don't have a TA (money issues) and I'm on my own with 29 kids most of the time, it's certainly more tiring than it could be. There's more to do than I can do (well) on my own, and I would never claim a monopoly on tiredness; many people are tired especially those with with kids, but it is more intense than people might realise.

I'm leaving the profession for a while. I've realised that not seeing my own children and being tired and grumpy when I do isn't benefitting anyone. But the thing is, if I had a good TA, support for my SEN and EAL group and could ignore the new ridiculous demands of the new curriculum (under which 80% of my class and 'below expectations'then I probably would have stayed because it's my profession and date I say, I'm a good teacher. I'm not claiming the crown of tiredness, but something has changed, teaching us being driven into the ground and those that work in it are being dragged down too.

I work in law so I have to log everything I do broken down into 6 minute units, justifiable to the person that's paying the bills. It's not that difficult.

*are and dare

I don't think anyone's saying it's difficult herethereandeverywhere. Just that it's another thing to do.

hereandthere yes, but try doing that with 30 kids needing attention. It's not comparable.

fruitcider do nurses automatically get a yearly pay rise? Teachers don't anymore so I also assumed nurses don't. Although they should, we need to retain good nurses!

It is meant to be conditional on appraisal and KSF but in reality everyone just goes up 1 increment a year. I never realised teacher increments were not automatic now. If that's the case they may well have over taken nurses for "most underpaid professional". That's appalling, as both sets of professionals are experiential learners AND struggle to retain staff!

Herethereandeverywhere I also used to work in an accountancy practice where I had a timeshares like you describe.

I did not have at least two hours of work each evening to take home with me. If something wasn't done it just was done the next day.

Totally different pressures. Mettings can be rearranged or you can call a client another time. Timetables are set and if you are not well planned the students will not progress and all hell breaks loose.

If you want the loo you can go. If you need a drink you can get one.

Done both teaching and nursing. I found teaching very exhausting. Nursing is exhausting.

4 walled holiday home nurse typical day:

07:00 handover
07:30 medication round
09:30 medication stock check and order more medication
10:00 nurse triage - I triage around 5 minor ailments.
11:15 handover
12:00 lunch
13:00 medication
14:00 finish triage
14:30 patient reviews - usually around 5
16:00 medication
17:00 admin
18:00 tea break
18:30 admin
19:00 new patients arrive, who need close monitoring and medicating once they have seen a doctor
20:00 handover

And then of course I have to respond to all of "walked into a door frame" incidents, meaning I don't get half of the reviews or triages done!

Yesterday I had 1 cold cup of tea all day. I often have a banging headache by the time I finish because I'm so dehydrated. On the upside, at least it means I don't need to wee either

And having said all that, there is no way I would want to be a teacher!

I'm a teacher with a toddler who doesn't sleep much and I can guarantee I'm not half as tired as my friend who when she has to work night shift on a busy A&E ward.

Teaching is a tiring job but it's def not the only tiring job. I've also noticed that there are a lot of teachers (& people in other professions too) who just actually aren't good at time management and/or feel that staying up the latest etc is synonymous with being the most productive.

Reading this I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm used to people becoming increasingly more hostile towards teachers but I can't believe the bitter undertones.

I'm a primary teacher in a fairly wealthy area but it's no easy ride.

I get into work fairly late - 8 o'clock most days - as I have 3 children of my own to get ready for school. I leave work at 6 most nights. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later, depending on the clubs my children have, the meetings I have to attend, clubs I run etc. Everyday is different but an average day would be:

8 - in school and getting morning lessons ready. Making sure I have enough resources, looking through books to see which children I need to support today.
8.30 - Prep TA
8.45 - doors open for relaxed entry. Talk to parents about homework, playground niggles etc. Chn also love to touch base with their teacher so there's often a queue of them wanting to share something with me.
9 - collective worship. Sometimes meeting with SENCO and parents, sometimes meeting with year group colleagues or have a group of chn to support.
9.30- 11 first 2 lessons.
11 - break. Duty once a week or I stay in and try to mark some books.
11.15 - 12.15 third lesson.
12.15 - 1.25 lunch. Catch up on marking, get together resources for the afternoon. Go to the loo! I make sure to take time out to eat. 2 days I run a club.
1.25 - 3.25 another 2 lessons then home time.

After school I mark again. Our marking policy involves next step marking. So each piece of work needs commenting on and chn are given an individual next step to move their learning on.
English also needs highlighting - pink for good words, phrases, sentences etc and green for improvement. That's 30 books most days.

I phone parents or reply to emails if I didn't get the opportunity to at lunch time.
Meet with colleagues or as a whole staff.
Plan lessons and prep for next day.
I try very hard not to bring work home with me weekdays although weekends I usually have marking, prepping to get together. This weekend I have brought home laminating for resources and displays. Weekend before was marking.

In the holidays I take my children into work with me for a few days at least. They get to play in the playground whilst I try to get to the bottom of my to do list, change displays, try to get on top of the planning, marking, resources etc.

This is an average day. It doesn't sound too stressful. But once you throw in 30 children, all with their own barriers to learning, strengths, previous experiences, behaviour, attitudes to learning, home life etc it becomes so much more trickier. And yes it is exhausting.
I've been in the profession for nearly 15 years. I love the job. I love working with children. But the paperwork, marking and expectations are becoming more and more difficult to manage. I think I will soon be looking for another job 'in the real world.'

Go on then herethereandeverywhere, what do you think we need to prep? Give us a list of what you think we need to prep for:
a) Primary Teachers
b) Secondary Teachers

If you're going to criticise an entire job, I'd have more respect if you actually knew anything about the job.

What do you do? Can we judge how exhausting your job is?

Yawn, yawn Sick And tired of hearing how hard teachers have it If you don't like it go and get a real job
Like others on here I left. Do you consider farming a real job? The autumn term is exhausting.

Sorry herethereandeverywhere I just read you work in law.

Surely it's not that hard to type up letters/briefs in a day? You must get breaks surely? I bet the pay makes it all worth it...

Oh wait, I've never worked in Law, so it's unfair of me to judge your job, without any experience.

Yet it is ok for you to do that about Teaching?! Good grief.

"And honestly, if every job/person/type got infuriated by this weeks Daily Mail rant the entire nation would be on valium. It's the Daily Mail FFS! Why on earth take it seriously."

Because it isn't just the Daily Mail! It's other media outlets, politicians, Ofsted, Social Media - often just parents with an axe to grind. It's been going on for years and it's the direct cause of so many childminders giving up.

People complain they can't find a childminder - well, that's the reason. Childminders felt so undervalued and unappreciated, they stopped doing it. Just like teachers are doing now. Who wants to do a stressful, exhausting job when they're treated with contempt for doing it?

And now we have a serious shortage of childcare places, especially for school age children, and they don't have enough places for the free 30 hours that parents think they're going to get next year.

I've never found teaching that tiring. Sure you have some days which are tiring but all in all I find it quite a pleasant job.

Far more tiring for me would be my dad's job which starts and ends with a two hour commute in and out of London crammed onto trains. He works 6-8.

I work 8-4 as a teacher unless I have a meeting or parents evening. I do very little in the evenings and have 6 WEEKS off all at once. Some people work for 40+ years with never a break of more that 2 weeks. In my holidays did nothing much. Now I have children I do a lot more of course.

I am not a martyr and never have been. I do what I need to do and absolutely no more. I am probably my headteacher' worst nightmare because I am an NUT union rep and will not let unreasonable demands be left unchallenged. I am excellent at saying no. I will challenge too much paperwork. The teachers I know which work under high stress do so because they put unreasonable demands on themselves. My children make excellent progress without be spending a million hours cutting laminated flash cards for them.

Just remembered report writing time. Now that is stressful and is about an extra 60 hours of work.

kitty - everyone went to school. Therefore they are entitled to have an opinion about teaching. Because they obviously know what it's like. 🙄

I must add I am a KS1 primary school teacher though. I wouldn't be a secondary school teacher for love nor money.