To consider retraining as a primary teacher?

[CrumpledCrumpet]

I’m early 40s, have two primary age DC, decent job/career with 50k salary but fed up of my current role. I love being around my DCs primary school and I see the teachers and I think “I want to do what you do”.

I always volunteer to help in the classroom when the opportunity comes up, I love being around the children. I love the school environment. When I was younger I volunteered in schools too - only talking an hour or so here and there though.

I like working under pressure/stress and I work better in situations with lots of feedback / stimulus. I like ‘performing’, delivering presentations etc in my current role. I’m generally patient and calm but enthusiastic.

But…

Everyone seems to be quitting the profession, so I clearly must have a rose-tinted view.

Although I like performing/presenting etc I am a classic introvert and think I might find being ‘always on’ exhausting.

I will obviously get paid less than I do now.

I can’t even get my own kids to listen to me half the time

Is it insane to even consider?

Don’t do it!

I left primary teaching 2 years ago aged 50 after working for 26.
The job has completely changed beyond recognition.
By the end of my 26 years I didn’t feel like I could get to know the children as there was never a spare moment.
Everything was about targets, constant assessments and tests, every child represented a percentage.
My judgement as a professional was rarely trusted and I felt I was drowning in paper work!
Even reading a book to the class (Year 1s) got pushed out by an overcrowded curriculum.

I now teach from home and I love it!
I miss the staff and the children but not the current system.

I left quite a well-paid career to re-train as a teacher at 31. Im still teaching now and utterly dedicated to it but it has taken me a good few years to feel that way.
Like me, I’m sure you’re no stranger to long days and high pressure, but the kicker for me is the constant feeling of not measuring up. It’s taken me 5 years to realise that this feeling won’t ever go away though, because it’s little people’s lives that we influence every day so, just as with being a parent, there’s always a hefty serving of guilt to get through.
It’s also very poorly paid, comparatively-speaking, especially in comparison to the time and effort you put in.
BUT it’s just bloody amazing whether you’re in a leafy green school where you can do the bells and whistles teaching or a tough school where you spend half of your time mitigating unthinkable behaviours. You learn so much from young people every day; they’re a joy.
Do volunteer as much as you can and, if and when you start teaching, share your practice and experiences with your colleagues as much as you can and that will boost your confidence.

I trained as a primary teacher in ireland then met dh and moved to England. The difference between ireland and England was vast! So much more stressful. I left quickly. Tbh I had only completed a teaching degree as I wanted to be an educational psychologist. I did then do a doctorate and am now an EP.
I have completed a BEd, Masters and doctorate and my BEd was the most stressful. I, like you love children, loved being in the classroom and adored the school community feel, but the workload was huge! I felt I never ever had enough time to help the kids individually. It was solid destroying for me. Whilst school holidays are nice to be off it's like countdown to the next holiday and zero flexibility in term time. I currently work term time as an EP and actually get to enjoy my holidays.

I'm a newly qualified primary teacher in my early 40s and loving the new challenge. Having come from a pressured role in the city, my experience is that many of the issues people have with teaching are just as prevalent in other professions.

Compared to my old career in finance, I find teaching infinitely more rewarding. It's hard work, can be stressful and has ridiculous amounts of annoying paperwork. But no more so than many finance roles. The major downside is the drop in pay. I earn about a third of my previous salary at the moment.

I'd recommend contacting a few schools and seeing if you can do some work experience before you commit to training - not least because it's an expensive commitment unless you do certain secondary subjects which attract bursaries (eg maths, chemistry, physics).

I did a SCITT (in-school training) rather than a PGCE, which gives you much more exposure to school life in your training year and is (in my opinion) the best option for career changers.

Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions and I'd be happy to help.

Teaching in England can be a serious grind, and the micromanagement is horrendous. The comments on observations can be little short of vile.

I was lucky - it was never TOO bad for me - but I too had changed careers to teach, and I had never seen a professional culture so obsessed with making its workers feel bad about themselves and their job performance - even when all indicators suggested they were doing a good job. It still amazes me, years later, that anyone thinks this is how to run a place of learning.

I have definitely seen good teachers, both new and experienced, be soul-destroyed by pointless and heartless intervention and ridiculous targets. It is commonplace.

I love my job and have long since learned to do it well within the confines of relatively normal working hours: mainly 8 to 5. Sometimes (once a week or less) there is planning to do at home, but I enjoy this. My fellow teachers are a fabulous group of people to work with.

If you do retrain, I'd say choose your school carefully and be prepared to change schools if you hate it. The policies and attitude of your particular SMT will make or break your enjoyment of the job.

NQT year is a nightmare, the next year slightly worse, and then it should get better year by year, significantly so.

I would recommend teaching, but the horror stories you hear are true. The culture can be toxic. Have an absolute and unshakeable belief in your own worth as a teacher from early on, because people will be lining up to tell you what you're doing wrong. You need the confidence to brush that off and succeed.

Don't do it. Most teacher I know, including myself, want out.

So who does the micromanaging of the teachers and why are they allowed to get away with being negative unsupportive and vile at times

Best job in the world. Tough, long long hours, stress, hard work, not particularly well paid, lots of hoop jumping but I wouldn't do anything else.

I personally never had a problem with workload. The syllabus is defined, it evolves only very slowly, most of the prep work is carried over and re-used.

We aren't allowed to do this in England. I can't really say why, I don't know, but its just not allowed.

Don't know what part of the uk you are in, but if it's Scotland, don't forget that after your probationary year, your chances of getting a full time job are slim. You'll likely be supply unless you're very lucky, so you won't have a steady income most likely, again unless you're lucky. Dunno what it's like in the rest of the uk.

@JustLikea

So who does the micromanaging of the teachers and why are they allowed to get away with being negative unsupportive and vile at times

In my previous school it was the Head and deputy.

I used to throw up every morning before starting work. I fantasised about someone crashing into my car on the way to school - I didn't want to die but wanted something to help me escape for a while!

Don't do it! I think part of your interest comes from the age your children are, when they are in secondary school and so on your interests will move on to other things.

Don't know what part of the uk you are in, but if it's Scotland, don't forget that after your probationary year, your chances of getting a full time job are slim

I know, it's totally ridiculous! Qualified teachers sitting on the dole, because there aren't enough jobs.

@Pinkflipflop85

Shocking really.

I guess they're just worried about themselves then and how they look

I bet if anyone complains they just say you're not up to scratch and elbow you out

I've been accepted onto a PGCE next year for secondary school.

I'll have to give some serious further thought

Don't do it.
You'll barely have time to wash and feed yourself.
It's the last job.
It's only suitable for single people with no life whatsoever - with no friends, family or partners or other obligations outside of work.

[quote JustLikea]@Pinkflipflop85

Shocking really.

I guess they're just worried about themselves then and how they look

I bet if anyone complains they just say you're not up to scratch and elbow you out

I've been accepted onto a PGCE next year for secondary school.

I'll have to give some serious further thought [/quote]
Yep.
The people who tried to speak up for themselves ended up on capability plans and were managed out.

@BlondeDogLady

Don't know what part of the uk you are in, but if it's Scotland, don't forget that after your probationary year, your chances of getting a full time job are slim

I know, it's totally ridiculous! Qualified teachers sitting on the dole, because there aren't enough jobs.

I know right? And they keep training more and more every year, saying they are desperate for teachers. Wonderful snp leadership..

It's wonderfully fulfilling and can be really good fun and rewarding. It's also grindingly tiring and you have to be flexible, broad-shouldered, imaginative, patient, very professional in the face of huge frustrations and organised.
It's not terribly well paid - it will take you years to get to your current salary - and there is less time than you imagine there will be in terms of holidays etc BUT the holidays can be family-friendly and do help. You should seriously consider it!

• JustLikea

So who does the micromanaging of the teachers and why are they allowed to get away with being negative unsupportive and vile at times*

Senior leadership team.

Senior Leadership Team

.........who, in turn, are been micromanaged by the ludicrous inspections known as OFSTED.
OFSTED make up their mind what they are looking for in any particular term and expect every school to jump through their hoops. There is enormous pressure on HTs to get a 'good OFSTED' despite the fact that anyone with any knowledge of education and learning knows it is a completely flawed system.

@Kite22

Senior Leadership Team

.........who, in turn, are been micromanaged by the ludicrous inspections known as OFSTED.
OFSTED make up their mind what they are looking for in any particular term and expect every school to jump through their hoops. There is enormous pressure on HTs to get a 'good OFSTED' despite the fact that anyone with any knowledge of education and learning knows it is a completely flawed system.

Not always. Some leadership teams make stuff up and pretend it is because of Ofsted.

It's a hard job and those bits you see are a small part of the job so you need to take your rose tinted glasses right off.
Maybe ask if you can shadow a teacher for a week warts all although you probably won't find one that'll let you sit on their couch whilst they plan in the evening or go with them to buy resources from Tesco at 7am.
That said, it's been a good career to me in many ways, interesting, varied, fun and no clock watching.
Plus the holidays are a bonus!!
So if you think you can deal with the stressy parts and it's still what you want to do then go for it, we need more teachers!

Thanks for all the comments- it’s been really helpful to get a better idea of the negatives - I knew lots of planning and marking was to be expected and that it’s not a 9-5 job, but this has helped me understand more about where the stress/pressure comes from.

Maybe our school is one of the good ones in terms of SLT etc as there seems to be a generally positive attitude around the place.

I think I will see if I can get a more structured volunteering role at a school and then see how I feel. As others have suggested, I would be financially better off sticking with my current job and doing a day of free volunteering than I would quitting and going into teaching. If I still feel I have the bug after that I’ll think more seriously about taking the plunge.

@CrumpledCrumpet

Thanks for all the comments- it’s been really helpful to get a better idea of the negatives - I knew lots of planning and marking was to be expected and that it’s not a 9-5 job, but this has helped me understand more about where the stress/pressure comes from.

Maybe our school is one of the good ones in terms of SLT etc as there seems to be a generally positive attitude around the place.

I think I will see if I can get a more structured volunteering role at a school and then see how I feel. As others have suggested, I would be financially better off sticking with my current job and doing a day of free volunteering than I would quitting and going into teaching. If I still feel I have the bug after that I’ll think more seriously about taking the plunge.

I do think finding a good school is key to having a relatively successful teaching career. The right school none are perfect will support you and work with you when you're struggling and will generally care about staff well-being. The wrong School’s can be scary, toxic places and it's not always obvious until you're in the thick of it.

* I would be financially better off sticking with my current job and doing a day of free volunteering than I would quitting and going into teaching. If I still feel I have the bug after that I’ll think more seriously about taking the plunge.*

Great idea.

Although for me, this would be the perfect set up: all the joys of teaching with a decent income and none of the stress. Plus weekends free and flexible annual leave! I would never take a plunge into leaving this behind.