Is teaching really so stressful?

[summertime06]

Really trying to get my head around this without getting flamed. I have a good friend who is a teacher, part time since having kids, doing the same hours as me (I'm not a teacher), 3 days a week.

For the past year or two, all I ever heard when we met up was how stressful her job was, how difficult it was to be a teacher and a mum at the same time etc etc. I get that there's work to be done outside teaching hours, but I do the same in my completely different job and just get on with it, I think it's part of the job when you get up the pay scale/responsibility level a bit. Any time I did mention that things were similar in my job, I was put down, I couldn't possibly understand how stressful it was to be a teacher?!

And now she's made the decision to take a career break for a few years because there's just no way she can continue to be a teacher and a mum to 3 young kids. That's fine if that's what she wants to do but she's making out that she's been left with no choice but to make this decision because teaching is just so difficult. Is it just me or am I missing something? I get that it can be stressful as are lots of other jobs, but there are surely also lots of advantages? Not having to sort out summer camps and childcare during school holidays? Is it really so much more difficult and stressful compared to other jobs? I genuinely want to understand!

@herculepoirot2 duh yourself

I was actually referring to the OP trying to make her job and her friend’s job into a competition. I didn’t say teaching wasn’t stressful. I was a fucking teacher myself and I’m well aware of how stressful it is, thanks.

I think teaching is an incredibly important, difficult and draining job that's made more difficult by U.K. government policy, but I also think that many teachers don't have that much experience of working in roles with heavy responsibilities outside teaching - so they don't necessary have the perspective that would allow comparison with non-teaching jobs.

I don't think teaching is a uniquely difficult job - I suspect that a lot of healthcare/emergency services roles involve as much responsibility and as many hours (including more antisocial hours) but without the long holidays.

Of course it's not a competition and I'm not sure why teachers in particular can be quite defensive their working conditions, especially holidays. Personally I absolutely don't begrudge them their time off - I get that you need a break, in particular from the "performing in front of kids" aspect of the job, and tbh there aren't many other reasons why you would go into teaching these days! But the idea that school teachers actually work 47 weeks a year like people in non-teaching jobs is not, in my experience, anywhere near the truth.

Who needs perspective to compare with other jobs when you can have statistics?

“Teaching is among the most stressful jobs you can do in Britain, according to new health and safety statistics.

The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in the teaching profession there were 2,460 cases of work-related stress per 100,000 workers.

This was twice the average rate across all industries of 1,230 cases per 100,000 workers in the three-year period averaged over 2014-15 to 2016-17.

“Stress is more prevalent in public service industries, such as education, human health and social care work activities and public administration and defence,” the report states.”

It's not the 'teaching' that is the stressy bit, although that is quite full on...
Imagine having to chair about 5 or 6 meetings or conferences from 9 am to 3 pm, for 25 to 30 people. Having first written your speeches, prepared or found online suitable powerpoints, got the agendas printed and for everyone. Maintain the energy to be tactful with the bossy know-it-alls, jolly the bored and disgruntled, manage any disagreements, etc. Don't forget you have to ensure everyone has kept minutes which show they understood what has gone on, which you will need to collect, edit and return. Later on, you will need to test everyone on their recollection of the meetings, and they and you will be measured for their performance on this.

That's the easy bit.

The hard bit is the constant undermining of what you were previously told was good, by the government and your senior management.

Didi it for many years. Left now and haven't regretted it - though the kids are missed.

Of course it's not a competition and I'm not sure why teachers in particular can be quite defensive their working conditions, especially holidays
Because sadly the world is full of idiots who claim teachers wouldn't manage in the real world, routinely have a go at the holidays (often whilst saying how exhausted they are having one child at home in the holidays), spend half their life complaining about different school things, make life difficult for teachers who are trying to do their job well, make utterly untrue comments about our working hours, tell us we wouldn't manage in the magical 'real world', ask stupud questions full of fake curiosity for no other reason than to start a bun fight.
And don't forget those people who think having a child and having gone to school makes them the authority on all things educational.

I've met a few moaning minnies in teaching and it was the same in my last career. I've met very few who are defensive, unless they've been prodded and prodded with a metaphorical stick and goaded about how easy their job is and how pathetic and weak they must be to ever be tired or stressed.

It's fairly standard:
Person 1 - make a silly goady comments
Some posters- omg yeah teacher bashing
Teachers - actually you're wrong and here is why
Goady posters - see! Don't they always complain about how tough their job is!

Jobs which have an element which is hugely visible to the public and other elements which are invisible (paperwork, meetings, admin, cpd, visits etc) are always going to be underestimated from the outside.

I'm in Healthcare and we see it too. Loads of threads complaining about the surgery being closed for a couple of hours over lunch for example (but missing the home visit, nursing home round, social work or safeguarding meeting and dealing with all the blood results, hospital letters for approx 1500 patients each...)

It's the same with education but more so because you still think it's the same as when you were 16, and at that age most teens only see the bits that impact on them personally. It doesn't help that when you talk about other jobs being stressful to a stressed teacher the temptation is for them to shut you down as though you're a troublemaker in 4c, but I can see why they crack!

I'm not sure why teachers in particular can be quite defensive their working conditions

If you were constantly told from all angles that your job was easy and you were a workshy part timer who could quite easily be replaced with someone with an NVQ level 3 (see other post), you would probably be defensive too.

To anyone who says we do Disney or games or colouring in in the summer term. No - secondary English in any school I've worked in there is not time on the curriculum. On the last lesson only I get out board games and chess and we do quizzes and storytelling activities. I hope that is acceptable.

I am leaving at the end of next summer after 10 years. I am thankful I've been reminded of all the reasons I need to leave.

knottybeams
You're totally right.
It's a problem with people who have so much time in their hands that they have time to sit and stew over other people's jobs without really having a clue what the role entails.

It's a lot more stressful than the job (better paid) that I have now.

Basically when I was teaching I had about the same amount of work to do as I do now at work But I had to teach for 20+ hours a week on top of this workload.

It quite simply exhausted me.

Herculepoirot2 - I don’t think I said anywhere in my post that I know what teaching is like - apart from saying it’s a tough gig and I would never dismiss it as easy.

I honk you are looking for an insult where there’s is none.

If you were constantly told from all angles that your job was easy and you were a workshy part timer who could quite easily be replaced with someone with an NVQ level 3 (see other post), you would probably be defensive too.

Maybe one way of lowering your stress levels is to give up trying to argue with stupid. Ultimately you know the truth and I don't think anyone who has never taught has any idea of what it is actually like.

There are other jobs that I think are comparatively stressful, particularly in the NHS. But that doesn't mean that teaching isn't really tough.

Most of my stress comes from other teachers and the parents. I live the kids I teach (in the main) but some of the adults make it much more difficult than it needs to be.

Love!!!!

I think it varies school to school. My department is fantastic but the school/ trust lousy. As an English teacher our work load is heavy and have to also deal with EAL students and supporting other departments. Along side other schemes and projects.
We struggle to get new teachers because our school have a bad reputation. Behaviour is poor and while it could be worse it doesn’t get any better. There is no real punishment. I came in as support but took on further work with little help which has not been effective for both me and the students as they still see me as support. I work really hard and struggle with behaviour management and planning creative and engaging lessons when the curriculum is dry and boring. It can be brilliant but as the same time soul destroying

@Dippypippy1980 I think you’re right. I was insulted by the same poster who totally read my post wrong

I’m not a teacher and haven’t known any teachers since I was at school (as much as any child knows their teachers anyway) so my opinion is just from an outsider.

I would NEVER be a teacher.
It is one of the most important jobs that you can do and underpaid, undervalued and difficult.
Most of the general public hates you, the media hates you, government hates you and your students hate you and their parents hate you more.
Lesson planning, reports, evaluations and all that other paperwork sounds tedious, the majority seems pointless and it takes up a lot of time.
Class sizes are growing and budgets are shrinking.
Everyone thinks you have a short day and amazing holidays when in reality you can’t have a drink or a wee all day, your ‘breaks’ are taken up with the students problems, tidying the class etc etc, you still have to work in the holidays and work after school is finished.
You have to spend your own money on supplies.
Children seem to have a lot of issues that need to be dealt with and you’re expected to teach at the same time as dealing with them.
Everyone who comments on teachers having such an easy job ‘playing with some sand and paint and then clocking off at 3:30pm’ or complains about teachers not being good enough or the job not being as stressful as teachers say etc aren’t lining up to do the job themselves!

All jobs are stressful in their own way but there are stresses I would much rather have than teaching.

BollocksIsTheWord

Well, apologies, but that isn’t how your post came across at all. It came across as teaching is just likely not to stress one person out as it is to stress another person, because everyone is different. But actually that isn’t the case. Look at noble’s post above.

@herculepoirot2 my post was solely to indicate to the OP that, as she couldn’t “get” why teaching was so stressful and that her job was equally as stressful, somebody’s idea of stress can be completely overwhelming whereas another person may not cope.

When I was teaching some people had a breakdown. Some others embraced it and lived for it- which is why I quit because I wanted more work/life balance.

When I was teaching some people had a breakdown. Some others embraced it and lived for it- which is why I quit because I wanted more work/life balance.

But again, that is a bit disingenuous, because it seems very neutral - oh, some people like stress. Actually, most people don’t, and twice as many people appear to suffer from chronic stress in this particular profession as the average.

I was a teacher. Now I work in an office with fairly senior responsibility, managing a team of six or so professionals sometimes to demanding deadlines, and paid probably more than double what I'd be earning in teaching.

There is no doubt in my mind that teaching is way more stressful. I could only imagine if I'd got to the point of having a similar level of management responsibility in teaching and continued classroom responsibility, I'd be heading for a nervous breakdown. Sure, I sometimes do work in the evenings or weekends, but it doesn't dominate my waking hours the way teaching did.

In my current job, on the whole, we work as a team, support each other, if something's a problem it's not the end of the world, you can work together to fix it. The classroom (ironically) can be a lonely place - if things are going badly you are mostly on your own, and there's 20 or 30 teenagers watching (if not making) you suffer. I should add that there are wonderful highs to teaching, and building those relationships and seeing your students succeed can be very satisfying.

Given what I've observed, I wouldn't deny that other jobs can be stressful - nurse, soldier, social worker - it doesn't have to be a competition, we just need to think as a society what it is we demand of some people.

some people like stress. Actually, most people don’t

I don't agree with this - a non-stressful job would bore me to tears.

The problem in teaching is that it's bad stress and in particular the fact that you are judged on things over which you often have limited control.

Plus, my impression from teacher friends and family (I'm one of the few non-teachers in my family, thank god ) is that teaching has a very specific issue with catastrophically poor management - not across the board by any means, but there seem to be a lot of egos in British schools, along with an inverse relationship between size of ego and managerial competence.

@herculepoirot2 what aren’t you understanding! I was a teacher, I’m well aware of the stress which is why I quit! It doesn’t mean other people in other professions can’t experience stress but my original post was pointing out that it isn’t a contest and people handle it differently!

Seriously, take your surveys and statistics and shove them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Seriously, take your surveys and statistics and shove them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

😂

And where the fuck did I ever say “some people like stress”??