To ask ex teachers why they give up teaching?

[malificent7]

Im hoping to leave education in order go retrain.

For me it's the workload... i dont want to work from 8am to 11pm every day.
I also hate being blamed for student's bad behaviour and being told that if my lessons were x, y ansmd z there would be perfect behaviour.
Also lack of power and toold to dicipline students with.
The realisation that working g in a pricate school was far more difficult tgan working in the state sectir ( parents expect blood/ kids over entitled )
contracts are now mostly fixed term.

I could go on!

Please share!

I love the teaching, I love working with children, I love making a difference however I am very angry at the entire system. I'm sick of the lack of resources and having to beg, borrow and steal even the most basic of resources (pencils for example). I'm sick of the workload and spending every evening working until midnight to get through everything that is required of me (and I still don't manage to fit everything in). I'm sick of the constant testing and basically being told we have to teach to the test. I'm sick of dealing with uncontrollable children and difficult, unreasonable parents. I'm sick of the bullying culture from senior members of staff. I'm sick of the way certain children are bullied by these senior members as well. I'm sick of working for weak headteachers who are verging on incompetent. I'm sick of asking for advice/support when dealing with certain difficult children and being made to feel like I'm making a fuss over nothing. I'm sick of statistics being more important than the children's actual welfare. The list goes on and on. I feel so sad that my career in teaching is over but also relieved. I'm utterly worn down by teaching.

Bullied by SLT, nervous breakdown - not worth it. I was a bloody good teacher too, excellent results. I suspect I became too expensive. I don't miss the horrific workload and constant guilt. Now in a related field where I get treated like an adult, work is work and no one answers emails or works at the weekend! Bliss!

Archie that's awful. They should not be allowed to use the students to work against you like that

Behaviour by the children.
What other job do you get kicked and nothing is done?
Dreadful bullying culture throughout teaching.
If a child doesn't achieve, it's your fault for not making the lesson exciting enough, or accessible enough.
If the child is badly behaved it's your fault for making them want to throw a chair or whatever.
Teaching is like having an abusive partner.
Workload.

I should also add that I'm sick of the underlying pressure not to take time off, even when I've been too ill/unfit to do my job properly. I had one colleague who was coming down with flu and she was guilt tripped so much by the headteacher that she got someone to drop her off at school and did a day of teaching despite sweating profusely, shaking, barely able to keep her eyes open and sleeping through every break. It was only when the senior teacher, after an argument with the headteacher, told her to go home and not come back until she was well enough to return to work. When I broke my ankle, my headteacher told me she expected me in work the following day despite the fact I lived 30 miles away, couldn't drive with a broken ankle, would have needed to get 4 buses and a train to get there, leaving at 4am every morning whilst on crutches and carrying 90+ books that needed marking. It was unreal. My doctor told me under no circumstances was I to even attempt this and signed me off work for 6 weeks. When I returned to work I then had to put up with her sniping at me at every opportunity about making a fuss about working with a broken ankle when another member of staff who had suffered a similar injury was able to teach everyday regardless of being in plaster. This other member of staff lived 5 miles from the school and the headteacher picked her up everyday and dropped her home at the end of the day.

Most of the usual reasons - workload; pointless and onerous marking schemes (e.g. extensive written comments in Year 1 which many of the children couldn't read); endless new initiatives that were rolled out and then abandoned after a few months; the increasing tendency to treat pupils as statistics or economic units rather than individuals; useless SLT who had risen to the top by jumping through hoops rather than through genuine ability; endlessly having to prop up the system by buying my own resources and classroom basics; never being able to fully switch off from the job.

But the main reason was that I no longer wanted to be a cog in a machine that I felt was actively damaging so many of our children. I loved working with children and the actual teaching part but I'm so much happier and healthier since I left.

I worked in FE. Couldn't hack the awful behaviour of some of the students (16-18) it was a constant battle. I had little support and just had to get on with things.

I took over from another lecturer who was off on long term sick, who had left me no lesson plans. I was simply given a copy of the curriculum, told I would be teaching 14 different units and that I had to plan everything from scratch

So I worked solidly and unpaid, for two weeks prior to starting the role to try and get the lessons planned, which obviously wasn't enough time! So I then spent the next term trying desperately to get ahead and would often be up planning until 2am in tears as I was so tired, only to get into the classroom the next day to be faced with a load of students who just didn't give a toss. It was soul destroying.

I taught three different year groups and I had some lovely students in each one. THAT is what made it all worthwhile for me, the ones who genuinely wanted to learn from me, work hard and better themselves. Sadly the rotten apples in every class ruined it for everyone.

I had a complete lack of power as there were no real consequences for their behaviour - and they knew it and exploited it.

I was asked to stay on as a permanent member of staff at the end of my contract as to my bosses eyes, I was doing a bloody fantastic job. I declined, I knew I couldn't cope with the behaviour management side of things. So many colleagues had been signed off with stress/breakdowns etc. A new lecturer started and was in tears at the end of her first day. She lasted a week!

I have a few friends who are TA's and they love their jobs - although this is a primary school and they only teach reception or year one, not sure if that makes a difference. One friend has been one for nearly 16 years now and she rarely moans about her work. Maybe she has just been lucky over the years.
I couldnt be a teacher though - makes me worry about the future of education. I feel so sorry for the people on this thread. It sounds an awful job to have.

Oo I wrote a lovely long post about this and the page crashed! Grr.

I moved from mainstream English teaching when it became too admin focused (and I experienced the awful culture described by many above), to alternative provision where the remit was about using creative approaches to re-engage the most vulnerable and disaffected students in learning.

However, the government removed the specialist PRU Ofsted criteria, and made all PRUs be inspected on the same criteria as mainstream schools. In short, the focus changed to academic, the pressure ramped up on staff through performance related pay, and the most vulnerable youngsters are voting with their feet. The freedom and joy of using creative approaches to engage has been lost.

I initially left my post to bring up DS, as I was told I couldn't do my management role part time, and wasn't prepared to be demoted and see someone else fuck up do my job. It has changed massively now anyway, and the beautiful creative ethos and pastoral focus has been destroyed by the excessive focus on data, evidence, and bloody progress. When success looks like a young person actually turning up and staying in the classroom for an hour, and the criteria want you to write which level they are working at, what do you do?! If they are making academic progress they go back to school ffs. I have never seen morale so low as I have amongst my former colleagues, who all left mainstream for the same reasons as me - too much focus data and bad workplace culture.

So I wouldn't go back, however I have to do something as we need the cash so have signed up with a teaching agency for sept somebody stop me. I am sad that I can't currently use my specialisms and help vulnerable youngsters, but government policy has destroyed what it was. If you make the inspection criteria impossible to meet, it makes enforced academisation much easier you know!

Teaching is like having an abusive partner.

This! I have never thought about it that way before but this is it!

This thread has me in tears. I love being in the classroom and the buzz when students are enjoying learning. I am dreading going back to an erratic, disorganised head of dept, the bullying by middle leaders which isn't addressed by slt and feeling like a zombie when I get home. I crave a 9-5 job where I can leave work at work and not constantly feel like I should be marking and planning when I get home.

I'm watching a wanted down under episodes and the woman has a graduate starting salary of 5 grand more than I am paid with 5 years experience. It's not fair.

I love the teaching, I love working with children, I love making a difference however I am very angry at the entire system.

^^This. It is a rotten system. I worked in state schools in two other continents and loved my job. The system here is not about children learning, it is all about data and evidence and the whims of whichever clueless politician is currently in charge - nothing else matters.

I haven't left, but will probably be forced out in the next year or two as I am too expensive and can be replaced by two Teach first.

I worked in an inner city school, the children didn't want to learn, they just weren't interested. It was sad and frustrating and I found myself depressed and wanting out of education. I have my own business now and I'm much happier.

My DH gave up because he was fed up of marking and prepairing work till the early hours.

The final straw came when he had a ofstead inspection and they marked him down because a student did not turn up to his class and did not get in touch with a reason why. Turns out the student had been killed that morning and of course the parents did not immediately ring the college to let them know.

My DH was still marked down

I decided to leave when I woke up crying one too many times.

When I contemplated driving into a tree on the way to work.

When I realised that I had no professional status whatsoever.

When I realised that whatever I did would never be enough.

I am going to apply to start a SCITT program in September 2018.

I have specifically waited until DS is 19 to do this, do you think that it may be easier as I will not have to take his needs into account as much as people with younger children?

Teaching is like having an abusive partner.

I had never thought of it in those terms before, but it does fit.

@persiancatlady can't see how it would make a difference. What will make a difference is if you are the following type of person:

• you enjoy admin, spreadsheets etc
• you are hyper-organised
• you are able to keep your emotions out of work
• you are very strict about work-life balance
• you are able to balance planning highly creative and differentiated lessons, progress tracking, evidence keeping, setting homework, marking, meetings, interventions, keeping up with regular changes in Ofsted criteria, your subject's curriculum and exams, education initiatives, SEN, meeting targets and your own performance management criteria AS WELL as your daily teaching practice and pedagogy.
• you have a very thick skin

I wish this was a cynical joke. However this is how I will aim to be if/when I return, as these are the traits I see in people who cope in teaching these days (and often get promoted).

I'm leaving because I've been made redundant. I've been teaching for 16 years and for the past 10 I've specialised in Music. Arts subjects are disappearing from the curriculum at a rate of knots so my job has literally disappeared in front of me.
I could have applied for a job in primary teaching again but as the government has quietly removed the right for teachers to retain their salary when moving between jobs, I'd have ended up fighting the nqts with their recent training to work 5 days a week, (I'm part time currently) for nqt wage. I have earned my way through pay threshold twice. I just don't have the fight in me to do that again. Plus, I don't WANT to work in an education system where core subjects are EVERYTHING and there is no room for anything else. So I'm leaving. I will miss the kids and my colleagues so much! But the paperwork? Discipline? Planning and assessing? Oh no!

Teaching is like having an abusive partner
No it's not because you are having an abusive relationship with someone who has actual power over you and teaching also forces you into co- dependent relationships with 100s of self destructive and disenfranchised people you are constantly held responsible for in ways you have no means of affecting

@persiancatlady can't see how it would make a difference
I just thought that a lot of the PP talk about guilt over spending less time with their own kids than their students.

Surely as my DS will, be at uni, I won't have this worry?

I left because it made me physically and mentally ill, I had a huge breakdown and haven't been able to leave my house for a year and a half.

When I contemplated driving into a tree on the way to work.

Me too mumbod. I spent three years in an 'outstanding' academy that punishes the staff with unachievable targets. I watched staff develop mental health issues including me and then be forced out of their jobs. I remain thankful that teaching in a shortage subject meant they didn't try. I probably have my battle axe witch of an old HoD to thank for that.

However, I did change schools last year. It is a better school - calmer and with an SLT that actually trusts it's staff. A rarity I know but worth knowing for new staff, or those wanting to train there are still good schools and good staff. Sometimes it just takes a while to find them. It isn't all shit

All of the reasons stated before by pp, plus I was assaulted by a parent for keeping his kid in for 5 mins detention.
And my car was vandalised.
I decided then, I didn't get paid enough to take this crap. Just tired of it all.