Okay, about teachers...

[KitKat1985]

Okay I'm being brave here. I know a few people who happen to be teachers. Whenever they talk about their jobs, there's a real 'no other profession has to work as hard as us' vibe to their speech. I am fully aware and in agreement that it's a stressful job with long hours and ridiculous amount of pressure if you don't count the long holidays but it's hardly the only profession that has these issues. I myself am a nurse, and 14 hour shifts on an under-staffed ward with no breaks and several severely ill / abusive patient to look after are hardly a picnic either. But whenever I discuss work with teacher friends there's a definite 'if you want to talk about stress you should try being a teacher' element to the conversation, and it's starting to really get on my nerves. Lots of jobs are stressful, teaching isn't the only one! And it's only teachers I know that seem to have this general attitude about their profession. AIBU? Is it really more stressful than any other profession out there?

If people hate teachers so much because they have long holidays, they should retrain and become one. The country is crying out for them so go for it.

They don’t retrain and become teachers themselves because they know they couldn’t hack it; sniping from a hidden corner is easier.

Ah, my mistake! I didn’t look as far as Inner London, it’s about as far from my realm of teaching as it’s possible to me!

The long holidays whine is just easy ammunition. Oh - and every one of the detractors will still harbour a huge resentment against a teacher they hated in school.

The long holidays whine is ridiculous in its entity, simply for the fact that we aren’t PAID for the bloody things.

Unless they’re all so jealous that teachers are effectively unpaid for 13 weeks of the year? Perhaps they also wish to spend long period of time being unpaid in a professional role.

@CuckooCuckooClock

Shes top of her pay grade too. And in south london if that adds context to why it's a lot.

But yea... I feel my work is more risk intense (with regards to the cases I manage - if I mess up the consequences can be massive), its more stressful. I feel its more demanding with regard to the court work we do. I've been spat on, had stuff hurdled at me from a window, had my car damaged by angry parents. And shes receiving lovely end of year gifts from the parents she works with. If she suspects a child is being abused, she just refers on. I am the one to actually deal with the abuse. And she earns much more than me to boot. Its just a bitter truth to swallow.

I dont want to change my job or be a teacher. Ive no interest in teaching. And I dont wish for her to be paid less. I just wish we social workers were bloody paid a bit more.

I never understood the whine about holidays either. You have children? Take unpaid parental
Leave. Thats just the same. Ive a civil servant friend who takes all the unpaid parental leave she has available so she is with her child during school holidays. I used to work in Greggs the Bakers and a woman there took unpaid leave in all the school holidays.

It is available, so take it if you want it.

Stop fucking whining other people have to take it unpaid and don’t ever have an opportunity to earn overtime EVEN WHEN DOING OVER TIME.

All the teachers I've ever known and know - they have this "professional illness" of their subject being "the most important". When i was in school, it was like "if you don't make MY subject a priority, no university will ever take you". Teachers i know now, are like "how pitiful the lifes of those children must be, if they are so uninterested in music or chemistry". Not to mention P.E....

I'm a nurse who has also worked as a teacher. I worked on acute medical assessment as a nurse. I can honestly say teaching was more stressful- sorry. I've gone back to nursing!

Huge numbers of jobs, private and public sector are as/ more stressful than teaching. Some are paid more, some not, but I don't think any other job/ profession has the holidays teachers get, which mitigates the stress to at least some degree.

I don't think it matters though, a stressful job is a stressful job and some people feel stress more than others in the same job.

That’s interesting count I often wonder how many people request unpaid leave from their jobs when they talk about teachers holidays.

I think another consideration that was certainly a factor when I worked in teaching is that you are virtually unsackable once you’ve survived 2 years which isn’t the case in many other professions. You certainly had a sense of security that any other profession would be envious of these days. That’s not to say I want teachers security reduced I want everyone else’s increased but that’s down to unions

Your anger appears to mean you’re missing the point.

People aren’t saying teaching can’t be stressful, they’re saying it’s not THE most stressful job.

Methinks you do protest too much...

vehivle I do think social workers should be paid more and have smaller caseloads. I certainly don’t feel in anyway jealous of their conditions but if you think teachers don’t get spat on and have their cars scratched and have things thrown at them then you know nothing about the behaviour crisis in schools.
Recently I had a serious sexual assault disclosure during a lesson. I had to listen and make notes on the horrific experiences of this poor young girl and at the same time had to teach 31 of her classmates about electromagnets (with the usual behaviour issues) Then I had to dismiss that class and teach for another 4 hours that day. No supervision, no respite, just a quick weep on my own in the loo at lunch and back to the classroom. Both jobs can be difficult. It’s not a competition.

How long ago were you in teaching @Inliverpool1? My experience over the last six years is that teaching no longer provides good job security.

I have seen many colleagues who have taught for multiple decades, always considered outstanding, etc, put on capability measures and then forced out. Because they were too expensive.

I worked in teaching is that you are virtually unsackable once you’ve survived 2 years which isn’t the case in many other professions

You can be out on capability in 6 weeks. Doesn't matter how long you've been teaching.

Teachers are not unsackable, have you heard of Micheal Gove? this threads a joke.

Sachastark. Where are the unions in those cases then?

@Peanutbutterforever Most teachers work over their holidays, just like they work 60/70+ hours a week and weekends, realistically, no one has full 5/6 weeks of not doing anything over summer, as there is always something to do (not even mentioning running trips, often happening during half-term and weekends). I have friends in lots of other fields, hardly any is expected to work every evening and weekend, most (including myself now that I left teaching a couple of years ago) leave work at work. Teachers don't have that luxury.

On the sides of the teachers, I expect, @Dorsetdays. But unions can’t stop schools from putting teachers on capability in order to oust them, especially if they’re academies.

The schools I have worked in had no in-house union representatives, because anyone who put themselves forward for it found themselves out as well.

The unions advice is if you are put on capability then jump before you’re pushed.

Academies (and all schools) are still employers who all have to comply with employment legislation. I struggle to believe that every teacher put on capability is being victimised.

Then I’m afraid you are quite naive of the problems in education currently being faced by this country.

@Sotiredofthislife that wasn’t my experience.

Sacha. Not naive at all, I work in employment legislation and schools are no more exempt from it than any other employer.

If it were true, there would be a raft of tribunal claims being unanimously won by teachers who have been unfairly dismissed.

Perhaps it’s more true that expected standards have improved, there’s more emphasis on strong performance and those who are falling short are actually being dealt with.

Ok so there are loads of teachers on
How many of you have been sacked from a teaching job