Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that many people have no idea how hard teaching is like?

193 replies

malificent7 · 05/12/2017 19:54

I have been criticised on here by some for not teaching full time as i have PGCE. The truth is it makes me ill. It is at least a 60 hour week and o cant cope with the politics, classroom management and workload.

Plus most of the contracts are short term. I am crap at ill i feel and have been managed out before.

I now teach pt and do care work pt. I am skint but happy. Aibu to not teach ft and to think many have no idea how greulling it is?

OP posts:
Dixiestampsagain · 07/12/2017 05:05

Still chuckling at the suggestion that teaching has ‘family friendly hours’...

MaisyPops · 07/12/2017 06:27

Back to the original topic:

The state generally pays a premium for the same role and people.
Based on your amazing knowledge of the 'real world'.

There isn't a lack of money in the state - all GP's and many government roles are some of the highest paid roles.
Explain that to the schools in my area making reducing yhe curriculum, making people redundant and reducing trips because they've had around £400,000-500,000 cut in their budgets.
Oh amd within that they're having to spend money on pastoral staff, mentors and counsellors as well as alternative provision through charities because it's difficult to get students into CAMHS etc because of cuts there ao we have to do more in house with less money.
The simple fact is that there are many people capable of being teachers - and at the moment there isn't actually a shortage able to teach. If any shortage was acute, the state would increase pay to attract better people (as the state does in other state industries)
Able to teach as in meets the criteria of being able to do teacher training, obbiouslh there's more people.
But then by thr same token I am also capable to doing counselling, publishing, communiry relations work, multiagency family work, journalism etc ... and I'm teaching.

people are paid more in other roles because there are less people who can do them, and hence are more difficult.
Fewer people may be able to do very specialist roles, but there are also fewer jobs in those area too.
There is a skill set in teaching which you clearly have no idea about it other than anyone with half a brain could teach almost any subject because it's so easy but at the same timr you think people should have 15 years at thr top of a field out of teaching before teaching. You make no sense.

If someone in teaching can see an easier role, just take it - nothing is stopping you
And as people have said, people are leaving which why schools are having a recruitment issues (but you know it all and say there is no issue)
Whilst everyone agrees not everyone with good subject knowledge would be a good teacher; at the moment we have a lot of teachers without good subject knowledge - but luckily, before A-Level not a great deal is really required.
Lovely sweeping statement.
Staff sometimes have to teach out of specialism, which both fine and not fine for you because obviously limited subject knowledge is requires up to y11 but thrn you deny anything leading to staff out of specialism.
Some schools are having to have staff teach out of specialism because they can't recruit, but then you say there isn't a recruitment issue.
Some have to deploy staff out of specialism because the alternative is redundancies due ti lack of money

But you're right. There's no issue with recruitment or money.

You know it all, obviously. Please go to the DfE and present your insight. Clearly ypu have all thr answers, loads of teachers are crap and you can single handedly solve thr situation by telling people to leave! Grin Gosh we are so lucky to have a genius complete and utter goady fucker who shows their lack of knowledge/understanding of the sector each time they post around here.

I genuinely don't know how someone not in education seems to be so arrogant and self-assured in their appraisal of a system that they have nothing to do with (or how said GF can dismiss multiple people in the system, quite a few who are happy in their jobs, because GF knows best)

MaisyPops · 07/12/2017 06:33

bold fail
Back to the original topic:

The state generally pays a premium for the same role and people.
People have already outlined issues of pay and people like me have said it's not just increasing pay that matters. E.g. my job at another school came up with £10,000 more pay. Wouldn't even consider leaving my school for it.

there isn't a lack of money in the state - all GP's and many government roles are some of the highest paid roles.
Explain that to the schools in my area making reducing yhe curriculum, making people redundant and reducing trips because they've had around £400,000-500,000 cut in their budgets.
Oh amd within that they're having to spend money on pastoral staff, mentors and counsellors as well as alternative provision through charities because it's difficult to get students into CAMHS etc because of cuts there ao we have to do more in house with less money.
The simple fact is that there are many people capable of being teachers - and at the moment there isn't actually a shortage able to teach. If any shortage was acute, the state would increase pay to attract better people (as the state does in other state industries)
Able to teach as in meets the criteria of being able to do teacher training, obbiouslh there's more people.
But then by thr same token I am also capable to doing counselling, publishing, communiry relations work, multiagency family work, journalism etc ... and I'm teaching.

people are paid more in other roles because there are less people who can do them, and hence are more difficult.
Fewer people may be able to do very specialist roles, but there are also fewer jobs in those area too.
There is a skill set in teaching which you clearly have no idea about it other thananyone with half a brain could teach almost any subject because it's so easy but at the same timr you think people should have 15 years at thr top of a field out of teaching before teaching.But why would someone spend 15 yeara working to the top of their field to thrn take a monumental pay cut and start at thr bottom.You make no sense.

If someone in teaching can see an easier role, just take it - nothing is stopping you
And as people have said, people are leaving which why schools are having a recruitment issues (but you know it all and say there is no issue)
Whilst everyone agrees not everyone with good subject knowledge would be a good teacher; at the moment we have a lot of teachers without good subject knowledge - but luckily, before A-Level not a great deal is really required.
Lovely sweeping statement. Tell that to primary teachers doing phonics or SPaG. Hell tell me you can teach grade 9 GCSE off the top of your head.
Staff sometimes have to teach out of specialism, which both fine and not fine for you because obviously limited subject knowledge is requires up to y11 but thrn you deny anything leading to staff out of specialism.
Some schools are having to have staff teach out of specialism because they can't recruit, but then you say there isn't a recruitment issue.
Some have to deploy staff out of specialism because the alternative is redundancies due ti lack of money

But you're right. There's no issue with recruitment or money.

You know it all, obviously. Please go to the DfE and present your insight. Clearly ypu have all thr answers, loads of teachers are crap and you can single handedly solve thr situation by telling people to leave!Gosh we are so lucky to have a geniuscomplete and utter goady fucker who shows their lack of knowledge/understanding of the sector each time they postaround here.

I genuinely don't know how someone not in education seems to be so arrogant and self-assured in their appraisal of a system that they have nothing to do with (or how said GF can dismiss multiple people in the system, quite a few who are happy in their jobs, because GF knows best)

Appuskidu · 07/12/2017 09:10

There isn't a lack of money in the state

But there is a lack of money being channeled into education. Schools are losing hundreds of thousands of pounds in their budgets. We are having to make two teachers redundant and we are a very small school. The plan at the moment is that one class is going to be taught by a mix of the head, deputy and a TA and another will be taught by a teacher in the morning and then split between other classes in the afternoon (2 classes of 45 in the afternoon!).

TheLuminaries · 07/12/2017 09:25

You know, I am reading the teachers' posts and all I am hearing is 'whinge, whinge, whinge'. Change the record. Thank fuck my DH isn't such a pathetic whiner..

monkeymamma · 07/12/2017 09:38

People who haven't taught don't know how hard it is

People who've never eaten chocolate don't know how nice it is

People who've never been to Scotland don't know what it's like in Scotland

People who've never had a beard don't know how hairy it feels

I could go on! No-one can really assess the ease or difficulty of someone else's job. I don't know why they would bother trying. If you like your job, great. If you don't, retrain!

jellyfrizz · 07/12/2017 09:46

You know, I am reading the teachers' posts and all I am hearing is 'whinge, whinge, whinge'. Change the record. Thank fuck my DH isn't such a pathetic whiner..

I used to be a manager for a multinational.

Then I became a teacher and taught on 2 continents and LOVED my job.

I then moved back to England and taught in a state school here. I lasted a year and a half.

It's a total shit show.

The experience has made me seriously worried for my own children's education.

It doesn't need to be like this.

Knittedbreasts · 07/12/2017 09:47

There are lots of jobs that require stupid amounts of over time and don't have long holidays. That doesn't mean that teaching isn't hard but there are lots of jobs where that is the norm also.

jellyfrizz · 07/12/2017 09:47

Tldr: I'm not a teacher. I'm complaining about this because children are being let down by a crappy education system.

Quickchange1 · 07/12/2017 09:53

You know, I am reading the teachers' posts and all I am hearing is 'whinge, whinge, whinge'. Change the record. Thank fuck my DH isn't such a pathetic whiner..

Do you know Parents can be the same 'another Inset day' 'My child should be top of the class' 'Why did their grade go down?' 'Why is the new GCSE so hard' ?

Why don't you take some fucking responsibility for the education of your children that gets funded by the tax payer and see that they are being LET DOWN! Not by hardworking teachers who actually care about your child but by a government that has destroyed education for all! That's why we whinge! Its called not being a fucking doormat!

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 07/12/2017 09:54

People who haven't taught don't know how hard it is

True, just like those that have never done anything but teach have no idea as to how hard other jobs can be.

Appuskidu · 07/12/2017 10:10

True, just like those that have never done anything but teach have no idea as to how hard other jobs can be.

That’s doesn’t really explain the high drop out of mature trainee teachers who were career changers upthread.

MiaowTheCat · 07/12/2017 10:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 07/12/2017 10:16

That’s doesn’t really explain the high drop out of mature trainee teachers who were career changers upthread.

Depends what job tbh. Just like it depends, where and what you teach can sometimes alter how you feel about teaching.

I have certainly had some teaching jobs that have been a lot easier than others.

noblegiraffe · 07/12/2017 11:18

TheLuminaries’ DH doesn’t teach in England.

PurpleCrowbar · 07/12/2017 17:29

Then he's probably having a lovely time. So am I.

Blink, you should probably tell my ex HOD I'm not missed. Might stop her posting on my FB timeline begging me to come back, what with her having failed to retain an acceptable replacement in the 2 years since I left...

Your other comments are ignorant hogwash, I'm afraid. You can think teachers are all workshy whingebags, & that's fine. You are perfectly entitled to your own opinion.

Your own facts? Not so much. No recruitment problems? Ha.

Tw1nsetAndPearls · 07/12/2017 18:33

* You know, I am reading the teachers' posts and all I am hearing is 'whinge, whinge, whinge'. Change the record. Thank fuck my DH isn't such a pathetic whiner..*

The thread is about the challenges of being a teacher and so that is what people have posted about. That does not mean that teachers only have have negative things to say about being a teacher.

Whenever there is a thread about people who enjoy their jobs it is packed with teachers

Fitbitironic · 07/12/2017 22:36

There are lots of jobs that require stupid amounts of over time and don't have long holidays. That doesn't mean that teaching isn't hard but there are lots of jobs where that is the norm also.
Curious as to which ones these are, where you don't get paid for overtime, admin and bureaucracy has increased to the point that it's taking over, and the perks of the job are vastly outweighed by the crap (yes, long holidays, but evened out by the fact you still work in them, and pretty much every week eve and weekends too, also can't take time off during school terms at all... )

New posts on this thread. Refresh page