To want to be a teacher?

[ilovelyelyes]

Close family and friends seem to think I am because of the pressures and "low" pay etc.

Is it really that bad? If you are a teacher, do you like your job?

I'm a SAHM in the day time to two toddlers and work evenings in a low paid, soul destroying job.

I want to quit my evening job and do an open university degree, followed by my PGCE.

Do schools ever allow work experience or shadowing in this instance? I have a DBS certificate.

I'd appreciate any info on this one!

I am not a Teacher but I work in a Secondary school. I'm not proud of this but willing to admit that before working in Education I was one of those people who thought "what have you got to complain about?? Lots of jobs are stressful and you get all those lovely long holidays!" when Teachers on here talked about how stressful it is. Like most people I had no clue about the day to day realities of the job. I can't speak for Primary which may be different but Secondary Teachers are certainly under a great deal of pressure, even in schools with a supportive SLT and where behaviour is managed well it's a stressful and demanding job. The Teachers I know seem to take work home with them most evenings, every weekend and come into school regularly in the holidays so it does impact on family life. I regularly have Teachers coming to my office to vent their frustrations about the system and it's not unusual for there to be tears. Honestly, I wouldn't do their job for all the money in the world and I admire them hugely.

But having said all that, it is a vocation and if it's something you're passionate about then it's worth pursuing. I have no doubt there are elements of the job that are highly rewarding and there's no doubt that a good teacher can have a huge impact on a childs life. Just make sure you get some experience in a school before committing to anything, talk to as many experienced teachers as you can so you're going into it with your eyes open.

I taught for nearly 2 decades and then left, when my own children were young. I didn’t find teaching at all compatible with having my own family. I missed every first day at school, sports day, special assembly, nativity, concert, open afternoon etc while I taught. And when your own kids are poorly, you’re torn. When my kids got chicken pox during revision season, that’s when it all became undone for me and I had to get out.

The workload is immense. I’d work 7.45-5.30, spend some time with my own kids at bedtime, then work again 7.30pm-midnight most nights. Weekends I’d be working at least one of the days. It’s relentless. And slashing school budgets have meant that it’s personnel working harder and longer to patch up the gaps. And I did work during holidays too. Obviously results days during summer meant at least a full day to support the kids, but also planning curriculum changes, inputting exam results, setting, timetabling, revision days, cleaning the classroom and prepping it for the next year, all took time during the holidays. I worked about 2 days in school each holiday week and probably another 2 from home, usually over the evenings so I could have some time with my kids.

I always thought the pay was pretty decent. I’ve had some years early on where I’ve had to top up my income with tutoring.

Holidays are great, but there were becoming more issues with staff school holidays not falling at the same time as their kids school holidays as LAs and acedemies started to set their own calendar. That obviously can take away all the advantages of working term time.

Morale in teaching is pretty low. There is a recruitment and retention crisis and teachers are leaving in droves. It’s a very difficult, challenging, all consuming job. I absolutely loved it before I had kids, when I could dedicate all my time to my job.

It’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Not that the management, parents or students thank you (some do, at the end of the year), but just to see your hard work sometimes pay off. To see the impact you’ve had in changing someone’s life. I can’t imagine there are many jobs where you can get that sense of achievement. I never had a moment, in 20 years, where I was bored in my job (apart from some inset days), and that’s worth something, I guess? I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the most dedicated and funny people around, watched thousands of children become lovely adults.

Before I had kids I loved being a teacher. I was lucky to be in a nice school with a supportive department and few behaviour problems. I know there are many school where this is not the case.

After having my daughter I went back to work and it wasnt the same. Despite getting the holidays off, its not really family friendly job because you have to work evening and weekends.

A friend of mine is a primary teacher and has a 3 year old. She leaves at 7, before her DD wakes up. She gets home at 6pm and sees her DD for about 90 mins before bed. She has her dinner and has to do another hour or so of work before going to bed. She also works every saturday morning.

Over 40% of teachers leave the job in the first five years. There's a reason.

I enjoyed teaching EYFS for nearly 30 years then my school became an Academy and everything changed. Hardly anyone I knew is still there and newcomers don't stay long. It can be very rewarding but a lot depends on the school management.

Oh, and even when it's good it does involve working in the evenings and at weekends.

Been teaching for 22 years. In the last 5 years it has changed so much and I'm considering leaving asap. I still enjoy being in the classroom but the data analysis, target setting, constantly looking over your shoulder and being made to feel not good enough is soul destroying.

20 years in here and wouldn’t recommend teaching to my worst enemy.

Look at some of the many posts on the staff room board-they say it all really.

Part time primary teacher with 2 primary aged children. I went PT when I found out I was pregnant with my first and I will never go back full time. Been teaching 15 years. Love the job and have managed to keep a work home life balance but only due to me being PT and working in a 2 form entry school so the workload is shared more. However I regularly think about what other career paths I could go down. I cannot see doing this until I retire, it's too much. Without being part time I think I would have left a few years ago.

22 years in here. I do enjoy it. Can't think of anything else I'd rather do.
And having got to the top of the payscale, it's hard to find any other job that is paid as well as I am around here.
The responsibility is hard. Being 'on' the whole time even if you aren't feeling great is hard. Dealing with difficult parents, new dodgy initiatives and everything else people seem to think teachers should also juggle is very hard. The job is nothing like it was when I started.
The long holidays did feel family-friendly, but struggling to make nativities and sports days etc did not.
But I still wouldn't do anything else.

Part time primary teacher with 2 primary aged children. I went PT when I found out I was pregnant with my first and I will never go back full time

Snap. Do you worry about your pension? I do