Would I BU to train as a primary teacher?

[Chocolateorangegoblin]

I am currently a SAHM and thinking of options for re training. Would it be a bad idea to train as a primary teacher?

I have always wanted to do it but I've heard so many horror stories about having to work 60/70 hours a week and it being really stressful and not enjoyable.

So any primary teachers out there can you tell me what your job is like? Or anyone training to be a teacher are you enjoying it? Thank you.

but if anyone in my school was working these crazy hours, I'd call them into my study and support them or sack them

core hours - shall we say 8:30 - 3:30 = 7 hours per day x 5, 35 hours per week.

I am in by 7:30 x 5 days, so an extra 5 hours a week, 40 hours.

With CPD, not allowed to leave till 5 one day a week so an extra 1 1/2 hours = 41 1/2 hours.

5 x KS3 classes, an expectation that their books are marked on a fortnightly basis, 2 hours per class set. = 10 hours/2 for the fortnight, 5 hours a week = 46 1/2 hours.

1 x KS4 class (this year, had 2 last year) with weekly marking. Smaller clases, still around 2 hours a week, 48 1/2 hours

2 x A level classes with weekly marking. Much smaller classes but very in-depth marking, 2 hours a week. 50 1/2 hours.

Planning for KS3 x with a mixture of top, middle and bottom sets. 3 x lessons a fortnight per class, up to 30 minutes planning time per lesson if you include printing and any additional prep (cutting out tarsia puzzles or dominos, for example). Some parallel planning is possible - depends on your timetable (year 9 for me this year is my only parallel planning possibility). At least 1 hour planning per class then (very conservative) per fortnight, 5 classes, so 5 hours a fortnight, additional 2 1/2 hours per week = 53 hours

KS 4 planning, 5 lessons per fortnight, as with KS3 depends on what you're doing so would say an 1 1/2 hours per fortnight, or 45 minutes a week = 53 3/4 hours

A level planning, 5 lessons per fortnight x 2, at least one hour a week planning = 54 3/4 hours

GCSE and A level planning perhaps harder than usual this year due to new specifications. Hard to say.

Course work catch up sessions, revision sessions, and general 'here if you need me' for exam classes after school, 1 hour for 4 days = 58 3/4 hours per week.

Assessment prep and marking for me is generally done in my PPA so no additional time for that as a rule but it needs to be done one way or another.

That's 58 3/4 hours a week for me working at minimum input rather than above and beyond. It doesn't include time spent phoning parents, dealing with pastoral issues for my form, planning trips, etc. etc. which I would usually do in PPA time.

Is that not a reasonable assessment of how teacher's spend their time?

We need good teachers and if it's something you feel passionate about, then go for it. But I have to be honest, it's a lot more than just a nice job that fits around the kids' holidays (sorry if that comes across as patronising, I don't know how much research you've done into this).

I think, because everyone has been to school, everyone thinks they "know" teaching. It's ridiculous because I've been in hospital giving birth, but that doesn't make me a midwife! The "Oh but you only work 9-3 and get a bazillion weeks off" chat gets seriously old. There isn't a great deal of respect for the profession, which is really sad, and these days I find I'm doing more and more work with social workers and educational psychologists than actual teaching. Some of the things you deal with are very tough.

On the other hand, there are some lovely aspects, some parents are nice, and most days I belly laugh.

Could you volunteer as a TA to get some experience? (Sorry if this has already been suggested, I haven't read the full thread)

Goodness me , a teacher's life in the UK is shocking!!

I am a teacher in Ireland. I would say most teachers put in an extra hour a day. That hour is of your own choice and we would have few meetings after school. Maybe once a month. And we moan about that.....

Maybe younger, newly qualified teachers work longer hours but nothing like what is described on here. It sounds horrendous.
I am wrecked after my school day and it's nothing like what you seem to do.

What is the advantage to all this paperwork? Are your standards going through the roof? Excuse my ignorance on this!

I teach Reception age and can confirm that while it's a fabulous job on paper, the reality is very, very different.

DCs are 11 and 6. We have generous friends/family/MIL who often help out. I have a DH who has his own business so we can both take time together with the DCs, but when he's away it all falls to me to juggle. I don't complain often because I adore my job and I love being around children all day. But I won't deny that it can be exhausting in the extreme. If you don't have a flexible home set-up and lots of spectacular relatives to call on in emergencies, it would be even more of a challenge.

No-I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. Read some of the posts on the staffroom board here.

Thanks everyone.
I have never really had a career in mind when I was younger and now with 3 young children it seems like it will be impossible for me to find a career!
Back to the drawing board I think!

Chocolateorangegoblin would being a TA not appeal? It does have progress opportunities and of course has the bonus of being within school hours. It would also give you ample opportunity to scope out the profession yourself, and (big bonus here), if you did decide to go for it in a few years, you could go through a salaried course.

Can I ask what jobs those who have left the profession are doing now?

Sorry OP! Every single teacher I know works to the bones and then some. I wonder if Devorak works in an independent or international school? Or has been out of class so long that they are not up to speed with all the extra shite teachers are supposed to do these days on top of day to day teaching? It is a very different job now to what it was even 1 decade ago, let alone 3!!! Sorry Devorak, but I would say that if a teacher isn't putting in 50-60 hours a week these days, they are not doing their job properly. To suggest that it is not the norm for most teachers to work these hours shows you to be severely out of touch with what is currently required to be a successful teacher.

I must also add that it is, of course, an absolute travesty that teachers are expected to work these hours to do the job properly.

I realise you're 'on trend' but I have cried twice in my years due to professional reasons. One was something which affected a single child and was terrible and the other when Labour introduced academies.

Hi devorak, not sure what you mean by "on trend" or the point of the rest of your post really.

I fear for my own children as the pressure and expectations are so high for children as well as staff.

^^This. Primary used to be fun for everyone involved and children still learned and gained a love of learning. It's not like that anymore.

Primary teacher here. The workload is obscene. Full time pre children is ok as you can dedicate your life to it. I work part time now and find my work days exhausting (leave home at 7am with grumpy children in tow for childcare, get home at 6pm, get kids ready for bed, eat, planning for next day/ logging behaviour issues / emailing colleagues/ making resources, shower then bed at 10pm). 2 days of this is enough for me! The paperwork we have to do is imposed by the head who is told to expect it by the local authority. If you don't do it you will be called out through monitoring. Performance related pay means if your class don't meet expectations you don't get a pay rise.
It's my calling and I love working with my class, the challenge is great and I'm never bored. But looking after 30 little people, teaching to all their different needs, keeping in mind SEN children, those with English as a second language, those with difficult home lives, with very little resources and often no teaching assistant is very demanding. I frequently catch colds and get tummy bugs from school. Stress levels can be very high and you only get 10 mins for lunch. But when I'm doing something lovely like pottery or painting with my class and getting paid for it, and having that relationship with the children, it's quite special.

Don't do it. You will have no life.
You won't have time for family.
Find something, anything else.
Its an awful job.

although not a classroom teacher any more

Interesting.

anyone working all weekends or 60 hours isn't doing it properly and needs to reassess their suitability.

I think you are very wrong. The teacher workload survey would seem to agree with me.

sailor cherries I'm leaving in the summer to be a SAHM. No idea what I'll do once the children are school age, but I definitely won't be returning to teaching. Thinking about applying to work for an exam board...

OP A friend restarted her education in her 30s with 4DC between 6 and 12. No particular social or other advantages but an organised and determined person who just gets on with things. She is in her second year as a competent and enthusiastic secondary science teacher, it can be done!

You'd be a lunatic in my opinion. I can't think of many less family friendly jobs (I've worked in the city & DH is in NHS so not speaking as unworldly wise).

Private tutors can be very well paid and qualifications are not as important as competence. Many teenagers do this between school and uni. Agencies all have their own criteria and some have better reputations than others.

Don't do it. It's an awful job these days.

I now teach in an international school overseas & have my mojo back .

Smaller classes, less contact time, less pointless paperwork. My dc attend the school so childcare is easy - after school activities or colleagues looking out for each other with reciprocal childcare.

Under no circumstances would I consider teaching in the UK again. It's like the 'frog in a boiling pot' thing. You don't realise it's killing you unless something makes you jump out!

Sorry to piss on your chips OP .

Smaller classes, less contact time, less pointless paperwork. My dc attend the school so childcare is easy - after school activities or colleagues looking out for each other with reciprocal childcare

That sounds absolutely wonderful . What about Observations, PMR, Learning Objectives, success criteria, AFP, deep marking etc etc?? Does any of that newfangledtotal bollocks stuff exist of is it just lovely teaching?

Writing that post reminded me how much I actually used to love teaching.

How are such jobs advertised, if you don't mind me asking? Was the move a real upheaval?

I do wish people would stop suggesting that the work load is any less in the independent sector! The hours are considerable longer - my children are in for registration at 8.15 and lessons continue until 4. Then there are clubs and prep, so many of the children are in school until 6.15.

We are inspected by ISI who have the same guidelines as OFSTED so there are the same expectations for paperwork. I almost laughed at the secondary teacher above who claimed that it was onerous to have to mark books once a week/a fortnight as our marking policy expects books to be marked in depth daily! I have 3 lunch time duties a week, plus other supervisory duties. I have 2 parents' evenings a year for each of the 4 year groups that I teach as well as termly reports to write.

On top of all of that, we have enormous pressure from parents who are paying for the service and so expect great things!

Despite all of this, however, I bloody love my job !

When I lived in the Uk, I worked as a teacher in sixth form colleges. Work load was very reasonable in all of them certainly wasnt working more than 40 hrs a week. Might be something to consider. Now work at a private college in Canada where teaching 2 days a week is considered full time!

I think it really depends on the school. I'm secondary English, do 0.6 and find it fine. Have yr11, 12 and 13 this year and coping without too much stress.