AIBU to leave teaching for civil service in search of better work/life balance?

[Scatterbrainbox]

Just that really.
I'm an experienced primary school teacher with SLT responsibilities. I earn just shy of 40k and work a ridiculous number of hours. In school 7.30am to 6pm, 1-2 hours when I get home and most of Sunday. I expect to work about 2 full weeks of the summer hoIs. I am also the SENDCo for my school.
I have taught for 10 years, before this I worked in financial services sales.
I am applying for jobs in the civil service at HEO and SEO grades. I am not shy of hard work and I am ambitious, but I feel like I never see my own children. I don't mind working under pressure when at work. Or even bringing a bit home. But not to the extent I am.
Am I being realistic thinking that my work/life balance will improve dramatically with the roles I am applying for?
I don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire... I am doing well at work and will realistically go for a deputy head role in a year or so if I stay in teaching.
I'm only 40 and will need to work into my 60s...I can't face the thought of these working hours for all that time!!
My older children are teens, partner works from home a lot and the roles I am applying for have some scope for working from home.. so childcare in the hols isn't an issue.
I'd really like to hear people's experiences...
Thanks

Search for the fb group "exit the classroom and thrive". You'll find your people.

I've applied for a few CS roles so far and haven't had much luck yet.

I think I'm going to keep going for civil service roles- I'm not at all naive about the fact that there will be other challenges. But essentially I want a job with good progression prospects and a better (not perfect...I'm not naive!!) work life balance, which seems to be the case.
I will be sad to leave teaching but the excessive workload is sadly an entrenched part of the culture.
Your insights have been so helpful, thanks!

Wrong school. No one should work on Sundays unless exam season.

I work in education (support staff) & I do think it's very dependent on school & headteacher culture. I've never worked in schools like I see on here so maybe a move?

I have friends in the CS who like it but then all my teacher friends like their jobs. I know 2 sendcos & they do not teach.

HEO and SEO roles should have a reasonable work/life balance. There’s roles at that grade with weird working hours like private office roles, but they’re in the minority and you’d know that from the advert.

Agree a couple of years for HEO-SEO promotion. SEO to G7 above that means work-life balance can start to get trickier though.

I'm in London which I appreciate has an affect but earn close to that as a secondary school teacher working 4 days a week, no extra responsibility. My 4 days can be full on but minimal work on weekends and school hols. Maybe look for a role/school which is less intense?

Have you thought about supply teaching? I have friends who find it much easier on paperwork and better paid

Are you okay with a paycut for a HEO role? Its closer to the £30k mark for new starters in my dept though I know some pay better.I think the CS was ahead of the private sector for home/flexi working even pre Covid and will retain greater flexibility after. There is a bit of an ‘always on’ culture in some roles/depts though and anything working with or directly to ministers can mean short notice requests involving long hours. I find the layers of management a pain but really the CS is so vast it is not a general issue.

I'm and be aware that not all CS jobs and departments are as cushty as others. It can be utterly relentless and exhausting for extended periods of time and your department can absolutely rinse you for all you are worth. Progression also isn't is easy in some departments as not everyone wants to move on

There is no way I would make £40k supply teaching. I don't want to give up on having a career... I will either stick with teaching or look for an alternative career if that makes sense.
The HEO roles are 32k. Truthfully I would be hoping to move to SEO relatively quickly if that was the role I had to take.

I saw your post as a fellow teacher and thought ooooh, have had a look on the civil service jobs website and literally don’t understand a word of the job roles

Following with interest as I was told on the Staffroom section that I would have to start at the bottom if I left teaching and not to expect similar pay... I'm only on M4!!

I work at an arms-length body so think I'm roughly between HEO-SEO. Have worked in other cs areas before this and think it's really good. There's another thread about flexi time in the cs running atm which you might be interested in. Basically you will get a lot more work life balance because every minute you work over your normal hours gets counted as flexi, and you can take between 1-4 days flexi per month (varies a lot by department). If you do as much unpaid overtime as the teachers I know that could be an 'extra' 24 days per year. Lots of people in my current job and the one prior to that sell off some of their annual leave per year because they accrue so much flexi they don't need to take it all. I probably have nearly as much leave as my friend who's a teacher but with the advantage I can take it whenever I want, and just take half days/start late/finish early etc.

Other people don't have flexi 'days off' as such but work an hour extra monday-thurs and finish by 12 on Fridays. Most places are hugely flexible and even more so since covid. Even the senior grades might have to work long hours sometimes but are encouraged to use up their leave and switch off completely when they do book leave, rather than always having their phone on to check their emails just in case (but can be expected to be contacted in proper emergencies!).

Following with interest. I’m a deputy head, full time teaching class responsibility, which is normal round here. Very few non teaching leadership roles except head teacher round here. It’s way too much, know I’m heading for burnout but it’s hard to know if a change would be any better.

I'm Secondary so aware it's very different. Would you co side stepping down a d relinquishing your TLR/moving school?

I have worked in 5 schools and ow do a 8-4 day with the odd bit of planning/prep where I see fit. I'm on just shy of 48k.

@Scatterbrainbox

Dishwasheraurus... do you mind if I ask what department that is? I am looking at DWP, DBS and DfE. I guess that is what I am worried about... jumping out of the frying pan etc...

I don't have any knowledge of DBS or DfE but I would avoid DWP like the plague. I have an ex BF who's mum has worked there for 35 years and is in a senior management position. She's really struggled over the past 10 years with budget cuts and trying to manage an increase in work with a decrease in staff. As a senior manager she's the one who deals with the backlash from while pretending that what staff are being asked to do is perfectly achievable. The pension and benefits scheme are brilliant but if she weren't so close to retirement she'd have left by now.

Depends on what the role is and for which part, for HEO grades work life balance is pretty good (I've worked in 3 departments) . I'm a higher grade and generally work 10 hour days, but I work in a career where you'd expect that. Civil servants work very hard, no matter what the right wing press would like people to believe, but the civil service is a great employer and very flexible

Its a real shame to lose you from schools after you've been through so much. Though I totally respect your reasons.

Would go with someone suggesting you speak to your school or change schools.

I’ve gone from teaching to Civil Service. Best choice I have made. Best work life balance, worth the salary cut for me.

You would also need to weigh up and consider the costs of pensions contributions and childcare during the holidays if you have children.

I agree with other posters that you might want to consider a different school.

It’s difficult to match pay and school holidays in teaching when you get used to that and then on top of if you do actually enjoy your job!

I’m a non class based SENDco in a one form entry primary with a higher than average level of complex needs/EHCPs. There is no way I could manage a class responsibility too (although I do teach for 2 days a week, cover, NQT mentor etc).
I’ve been where you are and it nearly finished me off. I actually resent working at home in the evenings now. It’s almost become expected and the norm. Why should we when we’ve done a 9-10 hour day in school? If it doesn’t get done then, it waits until tomorrow. Sod that!
Good luck with your decision. If I was in your position, I’d go for it. It’s only going to get worse in schools.

I did just that. Went from teaching on ups1 to HEO. Within 3 years I'm now SEO earning roughly what I would if was on ups3.

Work life balance is fantastic in civil service. I've gained back my evenings and weekends. Working from home means I don't need childcare right now, during summer I'll take a mix of full days and half days off using annual leave and Flexi, and I'll work some full days too, so will have plenty of time off.

I pay less out of my take home pay towards an equivalent pension so gain in that way for all the years working prior to retirement.

I have no regrets at all and consider my move to be nothing but positive.

DH is a grade 6 in the CS and factoring in flexitime, he has a much better work life balance than me. A friend left teaching 5 years ago and has worked her way up to grade 7 within that time. They’re both strongly encouraging me to make the jump.

YANBU at all but I would say look at other alternatives, not just CS.

I quit my HOD job because the wonderful time I spent actually in the classroom just couldn't compensate for the hideous number of additional hours I had to spend doing pointless and mind numbing reporting.

I now earn more money working for a legal not for profit and as well as a fabulous work life balance (35 hours a week and if you have to do more for any reason, you have to take it back as TOIL or you get a proper bollocking) I still have a job I love and feel like I make a difference every day. I get 7 weeks paid holiday and am not expected to turn on my laptop or phone whilst off, evenings or weekends.

I loved teaching until the time I spent teaching was overshadowed by all the other relentless shit that now goes with it.

SEO in DWP. The civil service (well, DWP!) is not the tea drinking easy ride many often believe and many roles can be demanding and stressful, especially if you have a large team to manage. It's increasingly hard to address poor performance and some staff really game the system because they know little will happen - very rarely is someone sacked but hard if you're one left trying to manage them.

My area of work is interesting but we're understaffed and come under a lot of pressure from senior leaders everyday to meet an ever changing agenda so a lot of the time its firefighting and we do what is necessary to get the job done, just not the great job we could do if we had the resources.

If something needs implementing urgently there is also an expectation to work late evenings and/or weekends. I'm currently at least 40 hours in credit with flexi, I've given up recording it as I'll never get to claim it. We're just about to enter peak leave season but as my children are teens it becomes harder to book time off due to the entitled attitudes of colleagues with younger children.

Positives - you can make a difference to peoples lives, even if its behind the scenes.