To ask primary school teachers the upsides and downsides ?

[chlobell]

I am seriously considering primary school teaching as a career.

I'm a secondary teacher but will bump it anyway! Good sides: the kids, bad sides: SLT and stress

Good things
It's never dull
The children
The feeling of making a difference
The holidays if you have your own dc

Bad things
The feeling of constantly being judged and assessed and having to justify everything
The money
The paperwork

I would absolutely second everything on MrsKrabbapple's list said other than the money (it's not amazing but not bad).
I'd also add dealing with difficult parents into the negative column.

Ealy Years and KS1 teacher here.
The children are without doubt the best thing about the job - they make my day everyday.
The worst:
Paperwork
No support from SLT
Ridiculous expectations of very small children
Very restricted curriculum
Data for data's sake
Crap pay for professional career
Outstandingly long working hours
Seriously bad pension - ignore everything you've ever read about gold plated pensions. After 31 years of paying in (on a final salary pension) I'll be lucky to get 14K a year at 60.

I'm an ex primary Teacher. I'd teach in a deprived area again as I did feel I was making a difference & the school was a hugely appreciated focal point where parents who had genuine issues could get help/support & the children loved it so much they'd hang around helping me with wall displays etc after school . The wealthy area, never again. Nightmare parents,(regular queue each day wanting 45min chats over random minutiae). Head who spent extra money allocated for taking special needs children outside catchment area ( still allowed?) on 'marketing' : mugs with school name on. I'd been spending my own money on materials for one disabled SLD pupil when he let that slip. I was never reimbursed. The pay back then was less than an advert for bin men too.

Pop into the Staffroom in Education. There's loads threads asking and answering this question.

I'm leaving after 15 years and I cannot describe how wonderful it feels. I have no idea what to move onto next but just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel has improved my health already.
I don't know if it would be different for those just going into the career now but the job is unrecognizable from the job I went in to and used to love. The government and its anti-teacher agenda has succeeded in creating a 'them and us' environment - everyone vs the teacher, it seems. Even the head teachers are against us. They have become so data-driven and robotic that it's very hard to believe they were once teachers themselves. They are almost like having Ofsted inspectors in the school constantly.
Children aren't encouraged to be individual or creative any more and there in no room for manoeuvre in the ridiculously difficult and restrictive curriculum.
Unfortunately, even the wonderful children, colleagues and supportive parents and the holidays weren't enough to make me consider another year. I felt that I couldn't be a part of a system I find myself disagreeing so strongly with.
Sorry, that wasn't meant to be so ranty 😳

Read some of the posts on the Staff Room
Board on here-this question has been posted on a regular basis for years. The replies are excellent.

The children are without doubt the best thing about the job - they make my day everyday.

How is making your day mundane an upside?

Upsides

The children
Getting those breakthrough moments
Doing fun lessons where everything goes to plan and you see your class learn
Working with parents and colleagues
The summer holidays with my own DC
Very recent improved pay

Downsides
Vague and constantly shifting expectations (Scotland)
A small minority of children who are rude/aggressive/disrespectful
Critical parents
Pointless Paperwork
The bugs!
Worrying about other people’s children more than I worry about my own

Upsides:
The majority of the children I have taught were lovely
Some of the parents are lovely, and I’ve kept cards & letters from them that make me feel proud to have made a difference.
Getting to watch a Nativity play every year!

Downsides:
Everyone thinks they know teaching because they went to school. It’s bizarre because I’ve been in a hospital but wouldn’t consider myself to be a surgeon. However, the lack of respect for teachers is staggering - you only have to read a handful of threads on here to see that. It gets really exhausting after a bit.
The pay - when I worked out how much I was being paid for the hours I was doing, it was less than minimum wage.
Unrealistic expectations of teachers and pupils. Children are just data to Ofsted, they don’t care if a child has been bereaved or taken into care, they’re just numbers on a page.

I left after 8 years - I’m a SAHM now, but don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Someone mentioned the queue of parents at the end of the day. Simple solution, an appointment system, I can't walk into my doctor or dentist at will, it should be the same courtesy. Anything genuinely important, not the usual niggles can be dealt with through the Head.

How is making your day mundane an upside?

I presume that when the poster said-
The children are without doubt the best thing about the job - they make my day everyday.

...they meant that they ‘make my day’ every single day. Not that they make every day seem the same!