...do teachers really work that hard?

[User298895613]

I know the general idea on AIBU is that teachers work load is ridiculous, that they work extra hard and that they never never stop to the point that they r all seemingly leaving the profession.

But, AIBU to wonder if they are any different to anyone else? and actually might have it a bit easier? I mean, I also work myself into the ground, am exhausted, never stop etc... But I don't have summer holidays off to look after my kids, and I often work well into the small hours at night.

I'm not saying teachers don't work hard, but sometimes on munsnet I just feel like some teachers kind of spend a lot of time complaining about the workload, when maybe it's just the same as everyone elses, but with a nice long summer holiday?

(Sorry, I appreciate this will really inflame some posters, but it just had been annoying me lately)

You are always going to have problems with stating things as facts if you begin only.

And to be honest, re management : the rot set in in both schools and the NHS when management models were brought in rather than good old fashioned leadership.

Only teachers can leave at 3.10pm

Meanwhile, back in the ‘real’ world. My school bell doesn’t go until 3.30 and some kids often still haven’t been picked up by 3.50/4. Then, it’s time to tidy up, mark, assess and settle down to plan for the next day. That’s presuming it’s not staff meeting or department meeting day.

The lack of awareness of teaching is most of the problem, I think and I am NOT saying I work harder than anyone else, but I’m saying that we don’t leave at 3.10. No doubt though, some people will translate what I have said as ‘all teachers work harder than you’.

I see the OP hasn't been back to the thread. Totally goady fucker behaviour.

Just because you have not done something does not mean you can't have an opinion on it

I had opinions about teachers and their jobs over the years, not unlike many here who think ‘yes but it’s really not that bad’. Then my partner started working in education. All I can say is how wrong I was, teachers don’t get enough recognition or bloody pay for the shit they have to put up with. It’s a horror show, you can’t do right by student, parent, management or society.

I can’t imagine being in a job where nothing you do is good enough and the goalposts keep moving. A job where you are expected to reach high targets but without basic resources in some cases. Where you don’t know if the next student is going to thank you or punch you, and if they do the latter they’ll still be in school next week because there’s nowhere to send them. Could you imagine any other job where a person threatens or physically harms you, and you still have to keep working with them (bar prison, and quite frankly that is not something you should have to compare a school with).

I can’t imagine being in a job where nothing you do is good enough and the goalposts keep moving.

A job where there are weekly (sometimes daily) posts on here moaning about your profession. Calling you lazy, part timers, work shy, that you don’t live in the real world, that you moan all of time.

It’s quite depressing really. I would never think to come on here and complain about a whole profession.

The public sector is being shat on and society and the government relies on them being dedicated enough to stick in the job.

DH is Head of Dept. Currently there are 3 teachers in the department who are teaching 2 classes simultaneously due to sickness, staff shortages and no cover available. So that's 2 separate classes in adjacent classrooms, with one teacher flitting between them.

As he teaches Science and there's no food or drink allowed in the labs, he regularly comes home not having had a break, lunch or a cup of tea all day. I think that's terrible working conditions tbh.

People like the OP tell teachers their working conditions are ok because of the holidays. They're not even allowed to defend themselves from goady posts without people going "boo hoo, other people have shit jobs as well you know!"

We should make a MN pact to ignore all goady posts about teachers or just reply with .

halfwit have ypu read this thread or are you being delibratrly dense and goady

Only teachers can leave at 3.10pm they don't!!! Never have done. They stay and set the room up for the next day. Mark books. Plan. Put up desplays. Run sports and drama activities. Staff meetings. Even on a good day many aren't leaving till 5.
Only teachers can have 6 weeks of continuous vacation in the summer.

Yeah yeah those contunious six where your expected to run summer school, sort out your class room, restock your class room. Plan a whole year, exam mark those six weeks????
Only teachers have a week (at least) off every six weeks again same applies read above

perks of the job what being thrown desks at being called bitch, parents telling you can't teach. Parents nicking sats papers for their year 2 child because tjey dont belive you can do your job. Parents ringimg tje school every five minutes over things like their child not wearing a coat. Not seeing your own children, marking until midnight some nights. Seeing children in the worst state of povety and spending uour own money to feed them? Those perks you mean

The problem with teaching is that it never stops. You might not get the holidays off, but I’m betting you get home at say 6:30pm on Friday and don’t have to think about work again until 9am Monday morning.
When I was a teacher, I’d stay behind on a Friday (school finished at 4:30 and I would stay until 8-9pm) to finish marking work/call parents and ensure I have stuff tidied up and put away. I’d chase other teachers for a certain child’s book, I’d be meeting the headmaster to see if there was something we could do about a certain child’s behaviour, trying to think of a way to resolve the situation of period poverty in my tutor group and reflecting/writing reflections on my lessons so I could put it into appraisals.
I would then spend a chunk of time on Saturday morning with finishing anything not done on Friday, answering emails, preparing resources and checking my school supplies. If I needed any more stationary or things for school I’d go out and purchase them on my own money because I knew the school struggled.
Sunday’s were usually spent reading textbooks to continue my professional development and check I’m up to date on the latest methods. I’d check lesson plans for the week ahead and normally find that small pile of books which had gone missing on the Friday and have to mark them.
It’s worse in an offstead week/world book week/exam times or any of the charity days. I’d be collecting money and ticking names off a list for ages.
Then there’s all the pastoral/support work.
Being a teacher is not easy. It’s bloody hard work and you really have to love it, otherwise you wouldn’t do it.
The only reason I don’t is because I actually can’t afford the childcare for two kids and keep teaching.
It’s a tough job.

No different to any other profession working long hours

The correct term for teaching is "a job in the town"
ie, nice and easy!

RTFuckingThread, Poloshot.

Haven’t rtft but even the DfE now recognise it’s a massive issue - research has shown that teachers in this country are asked to spend far longer on non-teaching related tasks than in other countries. Add that to the constant pressure around Ofsted and results and it’s no wonder teachers burn out. It’s not an attractive profession at the moment.

I work in the public sector and haven’t had a pay rise for 10 years but still earn loads more than I would do as a teacher.

I haven't got time to rtft (am meant to be working!), but I usually work about 60 hours a week (sometimes closer to 70). I'm also in Year 1 at the moment, so I don't have huge amounts of marking. I do spend hours preparing lessons though.

A couple of half-terms I have worked 40 - 50 hours at home. Next week I've given myself one day to do work and the rest I'm going to spend with my own kids. This means I won't get everything done, but recently I've come to realise that I have to put myself and my family first.

I had a number of jobs before teaching and I can most definitely say the hours I worked are nothing compared to what I work now. Some days I don't even have time to go to the toilet.

Teachers don't believe they have the hardest job in the world, the most stressful or the longest hours. What gets to us is that a lot of people seem to think we have it easy.

I used to be a teacher, now work in a high pressure corporate industry earning a fair bit more than I did as a teacher. I’d say the work load teaching was far more demanding than my current role (which anecdotally many people consider quite demanding itself). So in my experience, yes their workload is tougher. I am far happier having less holiday rather than putting up with the ridiculous workload and other pressures - quite honestly the longer holidays weee the only thing that kept me sane for a long while

Haven't read the thread yet but YABU. I work in a support staff role in a secondary school and the amount of work teachers have to do is ridiculous. They often work late into the night and weekends marking and lesson planning, ditto with the school holidays that you presume they use to look after their kids. I'm sick of the teacher bashing on here just recently when I see day in day out how wrung out they are with how much they have to do!

I was married to a secondary English teacher. Teaching was def a big factor in our marriage ending... No evenings together. He was always marking or planning, days of each and every holiday spent by him at school catching up, solo parenting most Sundays as he needed to mark /plan. Ridiculous pressure around inspections and internal observations, stress re gcse and a'level results during our family summer hols. Hours I spent belong sort coursework top sheets or typing stuff up for him. He just wanted to blot all the stress by Friday eve so would often drink heavily meaning Saturdays wiped out by him being hungover. Perma stress, detrimental to family life.

Had a subsequent relationship with a teacher.... Head of Department /SLT. Often stressed to the point of tears and now considering leaving the profession despite being an outstanding teacher.

Well some of the comments on this thread really go to show why teachers get defensive - would you say to a policeman or social worker “oh it’s nice and easy and no different from working long hours as an estate agent”. Yes there are other stressful jobs requiring long hours - they are all hard jobs. However people generally seem to accept that policing or nursing or social work is hard while teaching is still seen a ‘those who can’t’ fallback profession.

I reckon teaching is probably a better deal than nursing or social work on the whole but my nurse relative thinks nursing is easier than teaching! She was a school nurse for a while and definitely felt that was ‘easier’ than teaching. They are all stressful but obviously individuals make choices about what they want is an acceptable kind of stress for them.

Teachers complain that they work in evenings and on weekends. So do most of us, mate

The vast majority of people don't take work home.

OP and those that think as they do...

getintoteaching.education.gov.uk

Honestly come join us. It’s brilliant. AMAZING holidays, start at 8.30am finish at 3pm, children are such sweethearts and their parents are so supportive and kind. I honestly don’t know why anyone isn’t a teacher. There really shouldn’t be a recruitment crisis..

Not surprised by the reactions on here tbh. There's obviously a lot of people posting who have never left the education system bubble.

I think there are other professions that work as hard as teaching, but I also think it's a major issue that something cant be done about the teaching situation. I think you have to be a certain type of person to teach, and I think a lot of people are scared off by the horror stories. Which is terrible if they're true, as it's no way to live with no work/life balance - and also terrible if they're exaggerated, as it is putting others off joining and therefore adding extra strain to those already in the profession. I hear a lot of people I know who are teachers saying it is incredibly hard work but worth it, but equally I hear a lot saying it just isnt what they expected or really want to do now. Too many targets and far too results orientated I think

Ok so my mum is a special needs primary teacher and she is home by 1730 mon-thurs and by 1630 on a Friday. The only time I have ever seen her work in the evenings is when annual reports are due. She watches tv every night and have never seen her work weekends. Their kids are gone in school by 3pm. She loves her job and I have no reason to think she is bad. She comes up with new ideas and plays and activities. She is always collecting stuff to take into school or picking stuff up when out and about. She has always had good feedback. She only had about 10 kids in her class. She is good friends with the other teachers and I really don't think they are working in the evening.

@Greatorb hit the nail on the head.

I was a teacher for 14 years (secondary).

I worked a 9-5 day, Monday to Friday, term time only. I worked for about 3 weeks in the school holidays. However I was part time and only ‘theoretically’ worked 3.5 days. I had to spread it over 5 full days to avoid evening and weekend work (which I couldn’t cope with due to medical condition).

After 14 years in teaching I was earning £24k. The wages just weren’t worth the hours.

In the end I burnt out. It wasn’t the teaching - I was good at that and enjoyed it. It was all the other shite.