secondary science to uni admin

[mumofoneofeach75]

re-posting from Higher Ed for hopefully a few more responses (thanks BizzyFizzy for your responses there)...
I'm hoping to get some advice on a possible career change. I've been a secondary science teacher for 9 years and need to leave - work place bullying, excessive workload, unachievable targets etc etc. I've looked for jobs in all sorts of areas, schools data officer, school admin etc but there's not much in my area. After widening my search and signing up for more job alerts, lots of uni admin jobs are coming up. I'm a single mum and not sure how I would cope with such a big drop in salary. But I'm really desperate and at over 40, don't think I have a lot of options. If I could do some exam marking and tutoring on the side, could I make this work? I'm considering an au pair for child care to help with having to work the school holidays. Any advice would be much appreciated.

@arbrighton Thanks for replying. I'm trying to get some tutoring going and I'm also applying for long distance learning tutoring. Hopefully something will come up.

What about project management roles in a science field. Not sure what your degree was in but if in any of the earth sciences there are quite a few project management roles about. You can do online introduction certificate in project management with the APM. Starting salary for PM £28-30k.
What about teaching at a college rathet than a school (only have to deal with A level then) not sure if this helps?
Do you have anything else you'd love to do if qualifications/location etc was no object? Start there and think what would work towards that.

www2.uea.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-deGREe/detail/msc-adult-nursing

@DoveBlue Thanks-I was looking at project management online certificates to help secure admin jobs but hadn't thought about project management in a science field. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the advice.

How on earth did you earn that as a TA? A lot of schools aren't keen on teachers becoming TAs though in my experience

I think its because I was the same as Brighton . Degree in Physics so I could take Maths and Science intervention groups. So they didn't mind me being a TA.

All TA's in my town though and there are 10 in my school earn 18-26k . I live in the North.

It is hard. The thing that annoys me more than anything is the apethetic kids. It really gets my goat. I can deal with politics and ignore the other stuff.

You should come and work at my school. We are all lovely in Science.

@ Tinkerbec. thanks for the reply. I'd love to work somewhere as lovely as your department sounds- you're very lucky. the stress and anxiety of where i am is making me really ill. i'm miserable all the time and the impact on my own children is getting worse. i had thought that as there is significant and growing teacher shortage in my area, if i managed to escape from my school, after a year or two's break in another a lower paid admin, i might consider applying to other schools as a returning teacher.