To leave the teaching profession?

[OnSilverStars]

I have been a teacher for 10 years. I don't really like it anymore. I like the teaching and many other parts, but I hate working every evening and weekend and being in school until
5 or 6 most evenings as well as meetings until 8 or so once every few weeks. (Senior management member). I also hate the pressure (which many jobs have I know) and the constant observations and threat of ofsted. (Non teachers will be rolling their eyes, I know!)

I have small children. The eldest will be starting school soon

I have found an opportunity for work I feel I would enjoy, however the only thing holding me back is not having the school holidays, especially when having young children

Has anyone left teaching and the holidays? Did you regret it?

Thanks

I feel your pain. Could you try an independent school? I moved 5 years ago and never looked back. Fantastic work life balance, better pay and 18 weeks a year to spend with my DS.

No meetings after school unless you are middle management and even then very rarely. You can leave as soon as you finish teaching to pick up children etc, so if you don't teach after 2 you can go then. Observations are few and far between and never graded, always supportive. I worked at an academy before which nearly broke me.

That is something to consider. I should also mention my family live abroad and I currently spend all summer with them which I'd be heartbroken to give up 🤦🏻‍♀️

Second the suggestion of trying a private school and stepping down from SMT too. Could you afford to teach part time?

Could you change to part time and give up the additional responsibilities? This is how I'm planning to do it long term. I honestly don't think it's sustainable full time for long, you burn out so quickly.

I left after 13 years and don’t regret it at all. My new job doesn’t give me the holidays but I honestly don’t feel like I ‘need’ them in the same way as I did when I was teaching. I also have far more flexibility during term time to be there for the kids and can take days off / work from home if they are unwell etc.
However, my husband also teaches which means that we still don’t have to worry about childcare in the holidays. Had I been married to someone who didn’t have the school holidays off, I would have been far more reluctant to give that up.

I left teaching as I chose to pursue my subject rather than teach it.

It depends on where you go and how you choose to work. If the other opportunity is more fulfilling in the long term you will be able to easier absorb the compromises. But I think most teachers are blinded to the real world and don’t realise that working until 5-6pm is completely normal and most people do it all year round. Being a teacher was certainly no harder for me than my new role and the same applies to others I have known to do the same.

The hardest bit is not having a holiday every six weeks frankly. I took for granted how much easier that made it to get through the year.

If you can, part time is a great option as means you can still have more time with the kids in the holidays and have to rely less on camps, which, by the way if you haven’t already ... add up to a small fortune when you don’t have the luxury of being able to be at home with kids all the time.

So it’s trade offs. For me it’s worth it but it’s certainly not greener on the other side!

I was a teacher for a similar amount of time and also had young children. It's not a family friendly job. I left a couple of years ago and I am so much happier now. My children are also much happier as I'm around for them more and a better parent now I'm not so stressed all the time. I do miss the long holidays sometimes but now that I'm out I don't think I'll ever go back! Go for it!

I have done this. Went back into industry. Because I'm not constantly planning, marking or exhausted, I don't miss the school holidays at all. I can have a day off when I'd like one, not when the school sets them. I don't have to spend a weekend day and all my evenings working any more, so I actually get that time. I'm also paid a lot more than when I taught and so far, nobody at work has been anywhere near as rude to me as in teaching.
I did work in an indie for a while so I would recommend that if you still enjoy the actual 'chalkface' but if you're done, get yourself out and enjoy!

I took a summer out then did supply work for several years. This enabled me to enjoy teaching through all the key stages in a wide variety of settings.Over the years I have been offered permanent roles, but declined as I like to holiday in term time now. Now I work part time in an unrelated field but do online supply. I’ve never regretted it.

Is teaching not ‘the real world’?
Many people work until 5/6 or later, but mot all then have hours of work to take home with them. They do their wok in their office hours. It is impossible for a teacher of say, English in a secondary school, to mark all the work in school time. It can take many hours for a set of essays. Then there is the next day to plan for.

I left teaching in schools and feel much better for it BUT I went via sahm route and don't now have a viable job route. (In my current role I earn peanuts part time. )

If you can go into another career or retrain I would absolutely go for it.

I have family who think less of me for leaving. I loved teaching itself and was good but similarly I can no longer take coming home and then having to work all evening and a weekend day. I need clear time off now and that is a huge difference.

I do wish I'd retrained prekids!

I gave up all my responsibilities and became a big standard teacher again. Honestly, it’s the way forward!

Big standard? That was meant to be bog standard!

Radical, but could you move abroad and teach (even perhaps where your family are). I loved teaching overseas and would 100% happily taught abroad forever. (As it was DH’s job bought us home and I got out at the first opportunity).

I don't think it's necessarily just school holidays for childcare, I'd find it really hard to go back to working 46 weeks per year now. (I did have a "proper job" for 23 years before retraining ) . In industry when your annual leave was only 6 weeks away, you started getting excited about it. In school the next holiday is always 6 weeks or less away.

Of course if you're not enjoying it you should leave, but don't underestimate how hard it is to work 3 months at a time before your next break, even if the pay off is less evening working.

But I think most teachers are blinded to the real world and don’t realise that working until 5-6pm is completely normal and most people do it all year round.

I don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t realise this

OP I definitely get what you are saying and I think looking at alternative jobs would be a good idea, as well as looking at private schools as others have suggested.

Just remember that not all private schools are the same. My DH at a private school certainly has meetings after school for example and at lunch time too (lunch time is an hour and 20 mins though so also has lunch clubs then). Also has observations once a term and they are certainly graded too. But having pretty much the budget to do anything he wants, freedom to pick up our child if school phones she is ill for example, as they aren’t difficult about it, which I don’t have and he gets paid more despite teaching for fewer years that me, because he has never had a pay freeze, is all definitely a bonus!

@Pottedpalm yes they do, me for a start. And plenty of teachers neither work til 5 or 6 nor take work home with them. I taught for 12 years, I dislike the narrative that everyone is overworked and underpaid as it’s simply not true.

Just to say also, expectations at private schools are very much longer days in return for longer holidays except at younger ages, so there’s a trade off there too.

When I had young children I relinquished my slt roles and just taught. It was brilliant.
Highly recommend.
You can always apply for slt positions again once you're ready.
My husband did the same so we had a poorer but very relaxed and idyllic few years with the little ones.

Why not just become a classroom teacher and give up your responsibilities. It makes it easier to leave at 4 if required.

I came into teaching 4 years ago. I trained in touch state schools but quickly understood the demands were unrealistic. So I moved to an independent school that has different demands. Parent satisfaction is important but my school trusts me to perform good lessons and follow a relaxed marking policy. I find this job very family friendly and the holidays are great.

Meant tough state schools!

I gave up teaching and went into the office as exams officer. Best thing I ever did. I love being in school, but teaching was ruining my life. I get the holidays, I leave at 1 (I was overqualified so negotiated a good contract!), I can mix with teachers and students but also hide away in my office at my computer if I want to.

The only downside is that they pay me in buttons (lowly office staff in local government roles are not hugely well paid). However I pick my kids up every day, I have no childcare costs in holidays, I don't have to do a single 'unpaid' hour.

It might not work forever but while the children are little it is ideal and my work/life balance is excellent at the moment.

I would also say change school rather than leave. Is your school expecting you to work every evening and weekends? Or are you expecting too much of yourself? Can you manage your workload better or is it the school you are in? Not all schools expect ridiculous workload and hours of meetings.