Job with 50k salary... Feeling weird...

[Frostysunshine]

Okay so this is a strange one, I've nobody in RL to ask for advice, so I'll give you a brief back story... I'm having a bit of, what can only be described as, a quarter-life-crisis at the moment. I'm 25, I graduated from uni two years ago and have been working as a teacher since then. I enjoy my job, but I always have this niggling feeling that I will get bored of it eventually, and bored of the poor pay if I don't want to become a head teacher. But at the same time, I battle with the fact that relative to my parent and partner, it's decent and stable money (28k) and that I wouldn't be guaranteed this money if I left and did a non-teacher job. So basically I worry that if I leave i wouldn't know what to do or what I'd enjoy doing, and I would definitely have to take a pay-cut and may never out-earn what I do teaching anyway.

So to my feeling weird part... I was staying with a friend on the run-up to Christmas, who was telling us about someone who we went to uni with. We all went to a pretty low-rate uni, this person studied business there. After graduation, they were working in restaurants and bars, alongside a part time office job and applied for a job on a whim. They got the job and have ended up on 50k within a matter of months.
I can't put my finger on why it's impacted me so much, but I can't let it go. Not so much about them, but more-so about what the hell I'm doing with my life. My partner earns less than me, he's trying his best to persue promotion and we are scraping to buy a house together. I feel like I'm failing him and myself because I can't gun for a payrise/promotion in my job. I just can't let go of the fact that I could be earning 50k VS the reality check that I keep trying to give myself that it probably doesn't work that way for most people. I'm feeling like I'm failing to provide at the moment, and I'm worried that if I stick at this job I'm going to reach 30/40 and wonder what I could have done/been earning at this point. My degree is in education and psychology (regret), and so I feel like I'm pretty pigeon-holed.

I need some realistic advice because I can't let this go and I have nobody to ask who might offer helpful suggestions.

I wouldn’t compare at this stage. As some pps have said, it can be about interviewing well and almost blagging into jobs in some fields. I work in banking and my line manager who is very senior qualified as a brick layer before by chance applying for an entry level job in our department and now he is head of that department a few years later. If you enjoy the corporate thing and are good at talking yourself up and have an interest in the work, I’m sure you could aim for a similar salary and role - but be aware it can feel a bit like a gilded cage. I earn more than your friend but I don’t particularly love my job and my sister who is a teacher seems to have so much more job satisfaction, focus and self esteem despite earning about half what I do. I can honestly say I envy that and I am actually looking at getting out of my role quite soon as it isn’t fulfilling me. Money isn’t everything. It really is true.

OP you are young and so you can leave and start again easily - if thats what you want. Lots of people do in their 20s. But ultimately I think its more important to find something interesting and rewarding that you want to get up for on a monday morning than focusing solely on salary. You better get used to the fact that there will always be people who earn way more than you - that will be with you for the rest of your life.

At your age I was only motivated by mission and was working in the voluntary sector which is also poorly paid compared to business or the professions. But I did it because I believed in it. I also had quite a bit of drive so moved up rapidly into management and leadership roles. Now as I'm nearing the last 10 years of my career I earn a big salary (over six figures and have a good pension pot compared with my freelance friends) though of course not as much as people in business, the professions etc. The driver for me is still making a difference and having a challenge not the pay packet, that has come with it as I've been prepared to take on more and more responsibility, sort our problems and spot gaps for new initiatives etc. The extra money has come with extra responsibility and that has meant soaking up pressure - not always easy when you are trying to bring up two children, going through marriage breakdown etc. So it really depends whats important to you, what kind of people you want to work with, what the key driver is for you.

There are plenty of employers who would respect the skills and training of a teacher. So keep your eyes open at the job ads and also think about what training or development might interest you. If you know people in other areas of work that you think might be of interest to you why not ask them for a chat or a cuppa and ask them to explain what their work involves. Be pro-active, do some research.

Psychology is a great degree to give you options! I didn't go to uni from college, I went into nursery nursing and nannying and then took six years off to raise my family. At the age of 35 I started a degree with the OU. My plan is to go into teaching, but I deliberately chose psychology not only because it interested me, but because it felt broader than Early Childhood Studies or Education. I currently work as a SEN TA and I absolutely love it. It's minimum wage, but I would rather do a job I love for less than earn huge amounts and be miserable.

Could you train as an ELSA in your school? Then look at becoming an Ed Psych? It requires you to do a doctorate in psychology, which you can go straight into if you got a 2:1 or higher. You're 25! You don't need to be earning £50k yet. If you really want to compare, look at the rest of your peer group. I would imagine that they're in much the same position as you.

Also, I'm 37, and I'm only just figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. You have so much time.

When I first read the thread, my first thought was really?
Don't believe everything everyone tells you. Might be a boast or a half truth...
And if it is the truth, who ever this 25 year old works for will be wanting their pound of flesh off him.

When I was 25 I was still in uni. That's a great starting salary you are on.
It will be a risk to move on. Decide what interests you first. Then look to further your studies. You will always have teaching to fall back on- tutoring-subbing-summer school- exam marking.
And lastly, it's not nice to compare yourself to others in this way. Jealousy can be unhealthy. By all means strive for the best though

I love being in the classroom, and I am lucky to work closely with experienced teachers that enjoy their jobs. But in a way that's part of the dilemma, I'm primary, so progression for me (at least where I am now) would mean leaving the classroom at least part-time anyway. HoD isn't really a thing, you're a class teacher or senior leadership. Plus, I'm hearing lots of local horror stories about teachers up the payscale being pushed out because of budget cuts, and how it's going to be harder to move up the payscale and through UPS because of these crappy busgets, and that worries me MASSIVELY.

This thread has given me chance to think and reflect on what I want, it's not so much the figure that I need to focus on but rather lifestyle and work-life balance. What do I need to earn to live how I want to. I know that I don't need 50k to live comfortably, especially as DP earns more, I just hope that I don't stagnate at 30k in teaching with the current political/funding issues in education.

Sorry cross posted, I'm reading back through posts now.

Come back in a year, 18 months time OP and tell us how your £50k friend is getting on.

They're in the honeymoon stage, they clinched the interview now they have to deliver. That's the tough part. It's one thing blagging an interview, and whole other thing actually doing the job and surviving in increasingly 'performance managed' environments, where you're constantly put under a microscope and ruled by targets and objectives. The stress can be oppressive.

That's why they pay people £50K. No such thing as a free lunch!

Do you have the opportunity to be a subject leader or head of year group? How about being a SENCO?

I wouldn't know what graduate schemes to even apply for

Did you not learn any ressearch skills when you did a degree?

Thinks about what you want to do be doing, what kind of career where you would be earning that kind of salary - if that's what you want.
A role that pays £50k is likely to require some creativity and thinking skills.

I'll have to take a pay-cut and take a risk

With the greatest respect, I appreciate that leaving teaching would require you to take a risk. However, staying in that industry is also a risk.

At the moment, however, having to take a pay cut in order to leave teaching is just an assumption on your part.

What strikes me from your post is how negatively you're statements are framed.
Taking risks is always scary, it's up to you whether you treat that as something exciting or focus on the fear.

I encourage you to start thinking about what could be possible and well as being realistic. If you want to be successful at interview for any job, you will need a convincing story about why you would be better than anyone else to get the job. What could you say about yourself to convince any employer

It will not be easy, but it will become easier with practice. All the best xx

If you change nothing then eventually you will stagnate in your job regardless of pay. If is easy to stay in the same school/ role and then nothing will change.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. For progression there is specialising, maths or English lead, science, or SEN (you could train to be a SENCo), move to a multi class intake school and look for head of ks, look at the private sector - are there any interesting opportunities there. Could you get involved with mentoring PGCE or NQT students?

If you don’t want to move up the leadership scale why would it be different outside of education? You can just as easily get stuck in a rut there. Any career in any sector is what you make it.

My advice is you pay to find a good career coach and find your passion.

something makes you tick, you just need to find it.

It's not all about money.

If you chase money you will not be happy.

Being happy is more than earning £50K.

How about enrolling in some short courses over the summer, boost your skills and see if you have an aptitude for something else.

But don't discount teaching as a career and do spend some time planning your future and how to climb the ladder.

I thought teaching was a vocation,you felt compelled to do ,to pass knowledge on to the next generation,kind of thing .
You must of felt something for the job ,to end up as one .
I’d love to be a teacher ,but not with my life \ rediculous degree .
Good luck anyway x

You said in your original post that you earned less than your partner, but in your last post, you said he earns more?
Not that it really matters, but if you both stay together and have a house/kids etc etc, then you have a joint income, and your lifestyle depends on two potential earnings, not just one.
My point, I think, is that teaching, if you enjoy it, is a good career to have as a parent, meaning you have time to be with your children in the early evenings, weekends and holidays,without the need for huge childcare costs ( have you any idea how much that is????)
So look at both your potential careers/earnings to get a more realistic whole picture of your potential future

Hi OP,
I think your feelings about your acquaintance's pay is nothing more than plain old green eyed monster - and it would actually help you to recognise it as such. The job this person is doing is of no more relevance to you and your career than if they had won a "50k a year for life" scratch card. A lot of people are commenting that this job will be hard and stressful and they may not like it but if they were paid for relaxing on a sun lounger while an assistant peeled them a grape - it's of no relevance to you.

You may be making the mistake of thinking the salary you receive indicates your worth as a person or how hard working or clever you are. This would be wrong - plenty of hard working and clever people are on minimum wage. Before this the person was working in a coffee shop and I doubt you spent too long cursing the gods at the unfairness of their talents being undervalued.

I think you should acknowledge your jealousy at your friends salary but remember why you went into teaching. You enjoy the classroom and it offers a solid career and pay structure. If you want a family you are likely to be able to go part time and have all the school holidays off (no cries of objection from teachers please - I am married to one and his holidays in sync with the kids barr the odd teacher day are fantastic not just for saving childcare but the kids homelife). You also have phenomenal job security. In the private sector at least in the first two years an employer can drop you like a hot coal if you don't perform or they need to make savings.

People saying take risks and shoot for the stars is all well and good but (I'm sorry if I sound like a bitch I don't mean to) I don't think fasttrack graduate schemes are going to be overly impressed with you looking to move out of teaching with a mediocre degree from a mediocre university (I also have one of those so not judging). I also don't think your school will be impressed to see your ambitions lie elsewhere and you will harm your professional reputation and advancement within teaching.

I think you should concentrate on impressing your school and management with your abilities and be prepared to apply beyond your own school and role to advance within education. If you want to leave education at least make sure you know what you want to do and why.

I knew there'd be lots of 'comparison is the thief of joy' posts, but you're 25 ffs. There's no sense in which you need to be encouraged to just accept your limits and your lot. The world will always need teachers, so you can definitely afford to take a side journey into a different field, safe in the knowledge that you have a fallback option if it all goes tits up. I think your main problem is that you have no idea what you want to do instead, so I would start googling and see what you can find out about. Something must have inspired your degree choice so why not think about corporate psychology to start with and see where researching that gets you.

I spent my 20s in a low paid field and really regret that I didn't spend that decade when I had so much energy and no responsibilities doing something higher octane and getting some money behind me. But I was at least in a field that I really enjoyed, whereas you already sound bored with teaching. Don't set the bar so low for yourself. You have decades more in which to think about work-life balance - and god knows, there are enough teachers on MN who are thoroughly burned out, so staying put is no guarantee of that anyway.

It's perfectly normal to have a bit of a wobble at the beginning of the year about life and career choices. I actually think the £50k is a bit of a red herring because by reading your posts I don't think you're in the right space in terms of confidence & work experience to chase jobs with a salary of £50k. You'll probably be ready in another 2-3years.

I do think you need a mentor or are life/career coaches still a thing? I invested in one about 10 years ago and it was money well spent. Networking events are a good way to find mentors.

You've been given lots of very good advice on this thread so I'm just going to add what I think is pertinent.

I love being in the classroom

Transferable skills you have: time management, working in isolation, being able to proactively think on your feet, self-motivated, able to deliver to deadlines and achieve/plan goals & targets.

I'm hearing lots of local horror stories about teachers up the payscale being pushed out because of budget cuts, and how it's going to be harder to move up the payscale and through UPS because of these crappy busgets, and that worries me MASSIVELY.

A lot of this is just noise there will always be a role for primary school teachers and the senior leadership roles. Being aware of the political environment is very important, but the skill is to identify what opportunities may arise from the changes as they occur.

I just hope that I don't stagnate at 30k in teaching with the current political/funding issues in education

To avoid this you will very like need to do one (or all) of the following: be willing to change geographical locations either relocating or undertake a long commute, do further study (masters etc), take the hit now and retrain in a different career path, push yourself out of your comfort zone and start applying for roles outside of teaching with £30k+ salary and sell yourself on the basis of your transferable skills.

You are 25 so you've got 40 years of being at work ahead of you (47 if our Tory government increases the retirement age to 72!).

Good luck.

@Frostysunshine I might be completely missing the point, but I earn over 50k as a teacher. I didn’t earn that much until I was in my 30s and had to work my way up through the pay scales, but now with 3 children and 18 weeks holiday a year it’s a good position to be in. Good luck with whatever you decide - at 25 you have so many options available

And although I’m mostly in a pastoral/ leadership role, I am still in the classroom some of the time which, like you, is what I love

You need to worry less about the money and more about what will make you happy for the rest of your working career.

Agree with pp who say that an individual who has a salary like that at 25 either has connections or has that alpha personality (pushy, confident, talk the talk, face fits etc). There will always be one or two in everyone’s peer group that seem high flying compared to everyone else.

What a ridiculous statement.

If you want to stay in education but earn a bigger salary then you need to specialise.

SENCO
Educational Psychologist
Department/School head
Regulatory like Ofsted

I get this op! One of my peers from uni is now at ceo type level and earning 250k annually. We earn well as a family but can’t just do everything we would like to.

However! The only things that matter are:

1 Do you have enough to do what you want to do in life?

2 Do you enjoy your job

You have job security and a job that’s lets you be with any kids you might have in the holiday. One of my bfs has just retrained to teach and she’s loving those aspects. Also liked the fact the job is worthwhile.

It only matters if you hanker after a bigger house/want to own horses or do something that actually needs more money and if you think you would like another job more.