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!

There's nothing worse (in my opinion) than cynical people starting the year by trying to tell the trainee that the profession is terrible

Teaching has become a truly horrible job. And there is nothing cynical about that statement.

I had my first ‘waking up early in a mad panic about GCSE results’ of the year this morning. Dreamt I was logging onto Sisra to see them.

I’m sure there will be many more mornings like that before results day.

:( eek at that survey. I posted a thread about being anxious about returning to teaching as a person prone to anxiety/stress. It' the thing I'm worried anout with the job and possibly would have looked for a different job if I could easily access something different.

Jesus Christ this thread is ridiculous. Its not a competition between different jobs about whose is the most stressful.

Every job in the world is stressful!! The question was "is teaching stressful?" Why has this become a bloody "my job is more difficult than your job" competition, it is pathetic.

To answer OP, yes teaching is stressful. You have to put on a big performance for all your classes, be really energetic, enthusiastic, passionate, even on those days that you just want to crawl under the desk and hide. You have to get 30 kids to do exactly what you tell them to do all day, you then have to differentiate for each student making sure they are being stretched enough, ensuring they can access what they need to do. Then there's GCSEs and A Levels- I had 2 Y11 classes this year with around 30 students in each. My target for my appraisal was to make sure every single student got at least a grade 4. Even those that were targeted well below- still a grade 4.

For the first few years I would get really ill most holidays. I used up all my energy and ran on nothing for the last 2-3 weeks that when I eventually stopped it caught up with me and I became ill

Is teaching the most stressful job in the milky way, the universe and all of its galaxies? No.

Are there people goading on this thread that have more stressful jobs? Yes

Is teaching stressful on its own? Yes

noblegiraffe I dropped down from a HoF job for that very reason and also left state education. Life is just too bloody short. I hope you are ok.

@animaginativeusername

I love my job, it is the most wonderful job I ever could've imagined myself doing

Getting to interact with hundreds of young children across the year is incredible, they have the funniest sense of humour, they have no filter and are not afraid to tell you how they really feel and that's what makes the job so special.

I am also so lucky to have the most wonderful colleagues and most supportive HoD, everyone has a laugh with each other, we help each other out through the shit times and there is no judgement at all. The HoD is very supportive and laid back and is always willing to go above and beyond for her staff

Of course teaching is stressful, you are responsible for hundreds of young people on a daily basis. Their future effectively lies in your hands

Find yourself a school that you adore, I hated my training school and I only realised how negative it was when I left. Visit as many schools as possible, visit every single school you apply for a job at. Observe as many different teachers in and out of your subject area

Its a challenging and difficult job, but my god is it a rewarding one too. Everyone complains about their job at some point or another, you just need to find that job that you love and is worth putting up with the stress for.

Yes you are about to enter a stressful job, but you are also about to enter one of the most rewarding jobs and one of the most wonderful jobs too

Good luck x

Teaching has become a truly horrible job.
And there is nothing cynical about that statement.
Telling a trainee who is just starting their career that is unpleasant. Not everyone in teaching hates their job and their life.

Elements of teaching are horrendously stressful. I nearly left the profession at one point. I still think it's pathetic when some colleagues think it's big and clever to put down a 21 year old who's just starting off by telling them their aspirations are crap and then say 'but I'm just being honest...' It's the professional version of 'just telling it like it is' which everyone knows means being rude.

There are some people (in teaching as in every other job) who are utter moaners who endlessly complain, but also complain about any attempts to make things better.

E.g. Our SLT put some good measures in place to practically and meaningfully reduce workload. Most people appreciated it. Did the moaners? Not a chance. They sat around moaning about it and continued to do their own thing (which has more work than what SLT had asked for). Sadly some people aren't happy unless they're complaining and bringing everyone else down around them. They exist in every workplace and teaching is no different.

Telling the truth about teaching to people considering teaching isn’t cynical. If you want a real example of cynicism to attack, try the current get into teaching adverts.

Every job in the world is stressful!!

That's really not true lol. I've had jobs where there's literally nothing to do and I browsed the internet all day. Hence a career change.

I guess it's stressful in that you start having an existential crisis that you're contributing nothing to the world/wasting your days away/could get cancer tomorrow and have nothing to show for your working life so far.

recrudescence
Except I'm not suggesting we don't talk about the challenges and the pressures. what I said was:
There's nothing worse (in my opinion) than cynical people starting the year by trying to tell the trainee that the profession is terrible, but I also think trainees who are grounded with an awareness of the challenges in teaching are better prepared for the inevitable pressures.

I then explained how you could have 2 trainees, one who buys into the superhero and be on SLT in 3 years rubbish and another who has an awareness of the challenges and the latter would be the better teacher long term.

There is a big difference between constructively talking about the challenges and being the sort of moaning pain in the arse who seems to think that because they are miserable and cynical, everyone else has to be.

One of my top moaning colleagues tried to pull some of us up for being positive with trainee teachers and NQTs. Apparently we shouldn't be sharing resources and encouraging them because they should be doing 14 hour days and know how horrible it is. This is in a department that has a central planning bank to adapt and use in a school that consciously aims to reduce workload.

Of course, the moaner doesn't listen to SLT initiatives to reduce workload and does their own thing. The moaner doesn't make use of departmental material. The moaner insists on marking more than the school policy. The moaner finds something to bitch about in even the nicest thing because God help them if they couldn't sit and complain.
Ultimately, the moaners wants to be miserable and gets some weird smugness out of complaining and sucking the joy out of things.

LolaSmiles

It sounds as though you feel hostile towards some of your colleagues who you regard as “moaners” and about whom you have formed a particularly low opinion. It’s possible, of course, that they don’t think much of you either. Who knows or cares?

My point is that it is not cynical to tell the truth about teaching to prospective entrants and nothing you have said dissuades me of that. Is it possible, perhaps, that you don’t know what cynical means?

recrudescence
There is a difference between discussing the challenges and stresses of the job and blanket telling trainees and those considering it that the whole profession is shit and horrible.

I repeat I have zero issue talking about the challenges and pressures.

I have an issue with the moaners who pride themselves on trying to bring others down. I do have a low opinion of that. I think it's really shitty for people to tell trainees and NQTs who are just starting off that they may as well leave now.
I do have an issue with people who think trainees should be expected to work 14 hour days because then they'll see how horrible it is (when an alternative is decent mentoring and support and sharing so they know it's difficult but have places and people to turn to).
I do have an issue with people who complain about colleagues supporting new members of staff to form good habits (because obviosuly if they choose to ignore whole school policy, mark 5 times more than policy & moan, we should tell our trainees to follow their example and not the policy outlined by school following a workload review).

These moaners exist in every school and in every workplace. Teachers do themselves no favours for pretending that they don't exist.

There is a massive difference between a discussion of very real pressures and pissing on people's parade out of their own bitterness.

Totally agree with @LolaSmiles , a supportive and positive working environment is really important. I am returning to teaching in September and my new department have been very much steering me towards shared planning, strategic ways to manage marking etc and have been very open about prioritising yourself as a professional, not doing things for the sake of it. I'm obviously nervous but I don't feel the whole bitter 'good luck, you'll need it' vibe from anyone.

I agree @CalamityJune
I nearly left the profession due to a poor environment and culture but have since found a better school.

When I trained, I had a great mentor who talked me through some of the crap, shared strategies to save time, tick boxes. It's what I pass on to trainees. It's so much nicer than 'what are you training for, there's no point'.

Your school sounds similar to mine and there's quite a lot of schools moving to that model now. It's not perfect, but it's progress.

There's no need (in my opinion) for the empty endless moaning by those who want to wallow in bitterness. They just dismiss any attempt at improving things and rarely offer any constructive solutions either.

Dealing with a very angry child whilst teaching a class of 30 in the heat today by trying to protect the rest of the class from a flying chair thrown by said angry child. I'd say that's stressful.

Well, that’s just more ranting about people you’ve identified as “moaners”. At the risk of repeating myself, they probably don’t think much of you either. And at the risk of being thought cynical by you, I will continue to advise any prospective entrant to teaching to do something else. If I were still working as a teacher, I would advise anyone for whom it was possible to seek other employment.

My children's school rather sensibly has half of KS3 on residential trips this week and the other half on day trips and workshops. Year 10 have been on work experience for 2 weeks and year 11 have left.
They'll be back next week but hopefully they can plonk them in front of a film or something

By how can anyone make a sweeping comment about a whole profession and advise people against it.

There are many different school types in the state sector, many schools with their own ethos, different leadership teams, there's also the private sector with a range of school types, there's the options of education work with charities and museums, there's alternative provision, pastoral work, intervention teaching, private tutoring, work in education that isn't teaching in mainstream secondary, there's PPA cover, specialist music/drama/sport teaching, teaching in 6th form colleges or FE, moving into teacher training.

Some of them you'd never get me doing in a month of Sundays (and I have friends who would openly hate my role), but they're opportunities and avenues available once someone is in the profession.

There are so many opportunities out there for people to consider that writing the whole lot off to an aspiring trainee as not being worth doing seems driven more by bitterness than anything else.

Surely a discussion of 'here are the current pressure and challenges, go in with your eyes open and know where to turn for support' is much more reasonable than actively trying to put people off who may well have entirely different interests, motivation and skill sets to you?

I have a v stressful job. I think it’s a combination of my personality (anxious) and the stresses of the job itself. Some people manage ok, but I find it very hard.

I’d be inclined to give your friend benefit of the doubt because she is not the only one who finds it stressful and lots of people leave the profession because of this. Though OP perhaps your line of work is similar in this respect?

Fine, you think the job’s a viable way to earn a living and anyone who disagrees with you must be bitter or cynical or a moaner. It’s pretty funny, though, that most of your survival strategies suggest doing something other than teaching mainstream state secondary. Anyway, for the avoidance of doubt, teaching in state secondary schools is precisely what I’m advocating people avoid. (I can’t comment on anything else because I have no experience of it.) And that recommendation doesn’t mean I’m bitter or cynical about teaching. Just realistic.

The moaner insists on marking more than the school policy.

That's just weird as fuck.

I think the actual hours is not the problem with teaching. Lots of people work very long hours. The issue is the nature of the work and the level of all consuming stress.

I think teachers need to let the world understand how stressful the job actually is, regardless of the number of hours they put in.

My best friend is a teacher and does have slightly more free time than I do. However I could never cope with the stress of her job.
My job (office job where I work about 12 hours a day including logging on in the evenings and one day at the weekend) has a lot of responsibility and pressure at times, but nothing compared to what my friend has to put up with.

In my line of work, you sit in front of a panel of seniors and are judged as to whether you have made sufficient progress (in stuff onlyntangentially related to day to day work). It’s not a case of taking longer to be promoted, it’s being labelled as making inadequate progress and feeling like a failure each time. Oh yeah - and some of the stuff you are expected to do you are not given time for in the working day. I find that stressful.

I couldn’t be a teacher. And there job is stressful. But a lot of jobs are and they also can involve children! I’m a junior doctor. On my on call days and nights I work 13 hours looking after about 80 sick children. One wrong move and someone will die. Often several of them want me at once (understatement). There is normally at least one cardiac arrest a shift (we have some very sick kids). The rest are still kids - they interrupt, run off, fight etc and we have to learn how to manage them and get to know them in a very short period of time. And then there are the parents, who understandably hold me responsible for their children’s care and then there are the ones that can be abusive - and obviously we don’t throw them out as their child’s sick. And then there’s the teens with mental health issues that need talking down and the police etc....And there’s the safeguarding work.....let alone Managing drugs etc....And then you go home and do the paperwork! (Junior doctors don’t get paid time to do paperwork yet but we will soon on new contract) the mental load is huge, I care about all my patients and I worry about them after shift. So no teaching isn’t the most stressful job but neither is mine probably....I don’t want to be a solider on active deployment for instance....I don’t have to worry about myself dying as well

I think being a junior doctor with life-and-death responsibility for 80 kids probably wins in the stress stakes. Although, as many others have pointed out, it isn’t really a competition. That said, total respect to you ... it’s just a pity that most people don’t feel the same respect for teachers’ work.