To leave teaching

[Cookiedough123]

I am 25. I have been teaching for the last 4 years. I cant say i hate it but i dont enjoy it. Im happy with my wage and the holidays but i dont actually enjoy the other side of teaching, massive workload, extra marking, planning etc. I love the actual teaching side and teaching my really nice classes. In reality though that is only a small portion of my job.

Before training i was torn at whether to go into social work or teaching and chose teaching. I am tempted to retrain even if it wasn't social work something else. Anyone done similar?

I'm in the same boat, OP, the data evidencing is getting me down, although I'm 24 years in the job. I love teaching, just not the rest of the shite. Only problem is, I don't know what else to look into which would give me a similar salary ( English teacher). I'm thinking of training to be a celebrant, perhaps?

Data and evidencing- ruddy phone.

subscribe are you sure your staff are happy? Cause I bet their not. I've worked with people like you and there weren't the popular innovators they thought they were.

*they weren't

@bumper1969. I’m off to look at relocating my family to Ireland!

There are barely any jobs in Ireland: that is the flipside.

subscribe you really are talking bollocks and are probably an indication of what is wrong with teaching today. I’ve had the ‘grit’ or whatever other shit you say is needed to teach for 30 years. I’m current,y off work with stress and anxiety.
Teaching is crap compared to when I started. Any head who thinks they’ve made it not crap is deluded.

Leaving teaching after ten years was definitely the right decision for me. I now work in children's mental health and I'm so much happier. I never dread going into work, I don't feel denigrated by my managers, and I don't work 12 hour days or weekends.

At 25 I would give it a bit longer. Maybe try another school for a few years.

Thanks for all your replies. I have considered changing schools but i am in a fantastic school, it is not private but the kids are lovely. Yes there is possibly about 5-10% per year group which are difficult but each year the behaviour is getting more challenging with less parent support e.g. on trying to keep a pupil after school im told by the parent "well they dont listen to me anyway so they wont listen to you" 🙄. More hoops to jump through and data to analyse and act upon. As i said i love teaching and spending time with the pupils. I love the buzz of them happy cos they have achieved or understood something in the lesson but there is just something missing. I feel like teaching used to be about making a difference when i was younger and there is just that lack of spark in kids these days (i feel ironic saying this as im only 25!) Thank you everyone for letting me rant and realise that it isnt just me.

Absolutely leave, you're so young it will be a lucky escape!

My teacher friends all seem to lack confidence that they will be employable outside of teaching...it gives you such a broad range of confidence so I don't believe it at all.

I left in July. I’m so glad it did. I don’t see teaching getting any better soon. Ioved it until I had children but I would not be the teacher and the Mum I wanted to be. Plus my school was shit, 50% off staff left in a 6 month period.

I imagine social worker will be out of the frying pan and into the fire. Over stretched, too much paperwork, not enough time with children and families and targets that aren’t in anyone’s best interests.

Does anyone feel like the new teacher recruitment and retention strategy, and the redirection of Ofsted not to look at internal data, not to ask to see planning etc, will make a positive difference to workload?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy

subscribe I don't think I would enjoy working with you!

OP I would leave because you are young enough to try something different but you will always have your teaching qualification to fall back on. I left teaching two years after qualifying and the career I went into was amazing. Ten years ago family circumstances meant that I had to give up my job and I went back into teaching.

You are young do it! It’s not going to get any better anytime soon.
I am leaving next week I got a job outside of teaching in a new career. If I can do it and I’m a lot older I am sure you can.
It must be that I wasn’t born to be a teacher silly me. I wonder what I was born to do? Let’s hope it wasn’t cleaning toilets

I think you'd be dealing with more difficult stuff than that scenario in social work, OP, tbh.

Sometimes it is impossible controlling teenagers: my mum couldn't control me. She really did try as well.

Um - think carefully about social work. I knew someone who quit because it was giving health problems like high blood pressure.

Does anyone feel like the new teacher recruitment and retention strategy, and the redirection of Ofsted not to look at internal data, not to ask to see planning etc, will make a positive difference to workload?

What the folk at the recent meeting I went to about this were saying was the new Ofsted framework would be less data-heavy but going back to more lesson observations of teaching staff. I can’t see how that will improve staff wellbeing or help retention

Like others have suggested could you change schools? Private, special needs schools etc?
I trained as a teacher and taught for about 6 months. Left and did a range of related jobs whilst doing a masters. I also considered social work but I have worked very closely with social workers and imo it is an equally difficult job, but working in often even more challenging and unsafe environments, more life and death type responsibilities and less holidays. I got my psychology masters and am now a psychologist. I am in schools all the time with my job and admire all the great teachers I see but do not envy the job they have to do. I still miss the lovely times though e.g run up to Christmas :-). Have a good think about what you want and go for it. You are young and teaching gives you a fantastic range of transferable , and specific skills that are needed in lots of sectors.

subscribe talk like a Head who believes their own BS.

I do actually love teaching most of the time. However, I can see what a mess the system is, how unfair the new GCSE Specs are , and how ground down and demotivated the majority of staff are.

We're all playing the game and it can be relentless and shite. Luckily im a non core subject and I keep my head down and pretend im doing all the extra bobbins im meant to. The kids enjoy my lessons and know I will alwayd give them my time.
OP if youre in a good school and still not enjoying it, its probably not for you. Think carefully though. The holidays are a gid send, the sick p.ay and benefits are great.

*should have said I did a doctorate after my masters and am now a psychologist!

Mummy. Thats what I keep w0ndering about, but the 3 years full time with the kids to train is putting me off (and obviously the competition). And being 40...

I so so so wish I qualified as a psych pre kids. I have a masters I could do here (did a psych second degree, got a first!) But the doctorates are all a commute away..

I am still considering though, if Ive not left it too late.

I was desperate for an Ed psych assistant post to come up so I could see if I liked it before committing.

@Holidayshopping ah, good point - aren't they talking about reverting to two day inspections for the good schools, so yes that would tie in to more lesson observations.

@SwimmingJustKeepSwimming
I understand. I did the doctorate with a child and travelled. Not easy but do-able and there was someone your age on my course with 3 kids. I know on other courses that there are 47 year olds so if it's what you want don't give up!