Which job would you go for?

[MustardAndKetchup]

I’ve been a teacher for 7 years and am currently working in an independent school. I like my job more than I used to, but I’ve had this inkling for a while that teaching really isn’t for me. I’m exhausted all the time during term time, and feel like every day is survival. I also already feel jaded by the cycle of the academic year, the pointless staff meetings, the sense that everyone just sits around reinventing the wheel constantly…etc. In terms of salary, I have some management responsibilities, and am on 52k.

I applied for and have been offered a job with a charity, two year fixed term, for 45k. It’s basically my dream job, and what I’ve always imagined myself doing.

Concerns: pay drop. Is it silly to switch to a job where there is a pay cut and no obvious scope for pay progression, unlike in teaching?

Fixed term nature - is it a bad idea to move from a permanent contract to something that’s only guaranteed for two years?

Would you stay in the teaching job, with the security but sense that it’s not really ‘you’, or take the pay cut and short term contract and go for the charity job?

I’d really appreciate any wisdom from people who career changed to the third sector. I’m 31 so I feel like, if I’m thinking of settling down in a few years, maybe I’ll appreciate the security of teaching? Or should I go for this whilst I have no dependents and think about coming back to teaching later? (Probably not on the same salary though)

Teaching or charity job - WWYD?

@Smurf123 I teach in an independent school, so the pay scale is a little higher - but the real difference is that I have a few TLR equivalents because of additional management responsibilities.

@LittleSnakes it’s an advisory role, so not with management responsibilities per se.

I would just move. I took a lower paid job in teaching in FE sector from a higher paid nursing nhs management job but now I've worked my way up in the HE sector and that pay drop is ancient history now.

Hmm I did a similar move from the NHS to a dementia charity. It was not as I expected at all. The charity focused on PR and raising funds but was very unwilling to release any to let me crack on with running support groups and providing emotional and practical help to people. It was just meeting after meeting.
I felt that my wings were well and truly clipped and felt that if the NHS had their resources, they would use them so much better.
In the end I quit and returned to my old role.
I am very careful about giving money to charity now, so much is wasted.

I think it would really depend on the charity. Some are very exciting places to work where you make a real impact. Others are more red tape and scared of change. But you won’t really know until you try.

The pension loss is significant ... but at 31, it's not worth staying in a job you're unhappy with for 30+ years to have a better pension. But you do need to fund an alternative pension and build this into your financial calculations.

Research the charity job as carefully as possible; as posters have said, not all charities are good employers. Make sure you are running towards the charity job, not away from the teaching job. It could be that leaving teaching is the correct decision, but this charity job isn't "the one" and you should continue looking.