If you left the corporate world to go into teaching what was the biggest shock?

[coodawoodashooda]

Just wondering. Usually we have threads from fed up teachers. Im a teacher, not looking for a fight. Just interested.

@RoyKent

Every year I'm shocked how much effort I put in to Yr11 compared to how little effort they put in.

Yes. This. With bells on. All the work I did over the year with so many year 10 and 11 groups, and so many of them did so very little.

I'm not a teacher any more btw. For numerous reasons but this is one.

oh also when I left, lots of people said, oh you'll miss the holidays. Honestly? no. Because I no longer dread going to work to be sworn at, spat at, pushed, scowled at and generally undervalued. And I no longer spend vast tracts of my evenings and weekends and holiday prepping and marking.

I think some non teachers think you just rock up in the classroom with a textbook and away you go. Not so much.

Threads like these just reinforce the idea that teaching is not in any way a rewarding career.

Does anyone else worry about where the next generation of teachers will come from? What’s the motivation aged 18 to choose to do a teaching degree?
Where’s the incentives to switch to teaching as a career change (even if you could bring with you a rich portfolio of life/work experience, which would really benefit the children who are learning with you)?
Why would anyone working under some of these conditions listed on the thread actually give a shit about children and particularly individuals needs, at the expense of their own mental health these days?

Or am I missing the selling points and that actually, plenty of people (enough) still apply every year, keen to pursue teaching as a career?

It really isnt anymore for a lot of people. Or it is until the stress gets to them. The retention rates are shocking. Honestly its a huge problem and post covid set to become bigger.

If we value education as a country we really do need to up our game for teachers. I was amazed at the difference with Irish teaching conditions on a different thread!

And people carry on in these conditions for a number of reasons - they do like the actual teaching/ they dont realise how different it can be /can't afford or not sure how to retrain - the trap of teaching!

Does anyone else worry about where the next generation of teachers will come from? What’s the motivation aged 18 to choose to do a teaching degree

This is a huge worry. Especially with so many people expecting to work from home. Can’t do that in teaching. Plus the pay is shit, like really shit.

I was shocked by how active teaching is. I walk a minimum of 12,000 steps a day when at school. I stand at a lectern when teaching (not as fancy as it sounds) and virtually never sit down. The kids ask me if I ever sit in my chair.
Still it keeps me fit.

If we value education as a country we really do need to up our game for teachers

Trouble is a decent chunk of the country seem to think teachers are work shy layabouts, not a profession to be respected.

Actually screw the respect, I’d just be happy with decent pay.

@WhenSheWasBad

If we value education as a country we really do need to up our game for teachers

Trouble is a decent chunk of the country seem to think teachers are work shy layabouts, not a profession to be respected.

Actually screw the respect, I’d just be happy with decent pay.

Me too

@Xenia

My sons had a teacher at their fee paying school who had been a lawyer in London and preferred teaching. I think he was quite happy. I wasn't too pleased he seemed to be putting people off doing law however!

Lucy Kellaway who founded that teaching group for late starters writes about it in the FT sometimes. She seems to love it despite the massive pay cut.

Ah yes, she said working full time in teaching was virtually impossible and had to go down to part time.

I love being a teacher but I really wish people knew this - teaching is the only job where you have to work in your own time outside of work in order to be able to do the actual work (the teaching) that you are paid to do. Additional work generated by the ‘actual work’ (assessments, action planning for subject leadership, reports etc) also has to be done in your own time. It’s a great job but in the twenty years since I qualified, I do think it’s lost it’s way.

‘Its way ’ - not ‘it’s way’ before anybody pulls the teacher up on her SPAG!! It’s late….

I’m currently a lawyer but studying to become a teacher, albeit in Australia, where I believe that there is a lot less pressure on teachers than in the UK. It seems more relaxed here yet still pretty face paced, so I can’t even begin to imagine the pressures English teachers are under.

But after reading this, I have to admit, I’m afraid.

@chippingin2

The noise! And how deeply unreasonable people are (kids, parents, management). And echo relentlessness.

The behaviour for me is the part the makes the job impossible. I left one school due to the behaviour combined with the fact management were doing absolutely nothing to help and very young children were being put at great risk every day. I had children have chairs thrown at them, tubs of pins launched across the room and my shins were black and blue from being a human shield trying to stop children getting it. The final straw was when I saw the depute head at the window in my door witnessing all of this unfolding (as it did every day), the fire alarm was also going off as my fire exit was open and the child who did this every day was in the playground thinking it was a great big game. I would phone for help repeatedly and no one ever came. I desperately waved and signalled for help from the depute and he just pretended not to notice and left. They suggested I barricaded the fire exit with a table when I asked for help 🤔 I’m not a crier (literally cry in front of no one ever) and I burst into tears on what turned out to be my last week. The head teacher acted confused like this was the first she’d heard of any of this chaos as I cried and told her every detail of what a s* show her school was. I went for an interview a few days later and it’s still up there in the top 5 moments of my life when I walked into her office smiling and said I got the job 😊

That was 4 years ago now and the school I moved to started off as a lovely change and was completely different behaviour-wise. It has also gone down that slippery slope recently and children are just allowed to rule the roost now. Children are taken out of class and given hot chocolate for not behaving! I’ve lost all passion for it now and think this time my move will be out of the classroom rather than trying another school now, there’s only so much of yourself you can give to a job 🤦🏼‍♀️

I'd never had a work assessment/appraisal from someone who not only had no clue about my specialism but cheerfully admitted it to me before giving feedback. Feedback that would dictate whether I moved payscales or not.

For context, I worked with Reception aged children with profound and multiple disabilities. I was observed by the secondary trained deputy of the school (the school went from nursery to sixth form) who was notorious for never coming down to the lower school because she didn't like 'the mess' and her experience and knowledge was based on 15 year olds with moderate learning delay. She had no clue and because she had no clue and didn't understand it and didn't want to ask she failed me. Fortunately the therapists working alongside me went to bat for me but that was the final straw. I didn't go back after maternity.

Low ability pupils do care about exams and futures. But because they are sure that they will fail, that there is nothing out there for them, they present with a couldn't care less attitude. That can be overcome if you can give them hope. It's hard going but worth it.

It genuinely feels like teaching is the only public sector profession left everyone is putting in the work. Only if every public sector area was as efficient, public funds could achieve so much more. The crap teachers put up with from lazy, no hoper, waster parents and their carbon copy children is enough to put most people off.

I’ve done both, and I don’t think the differences are ever ones that will be resolved.

Not every teaching job is the same.

Not every private sector job is equal.

For every private sector employee who is working 10-12 hour days under constant stress and pressure to deliver with very little holiday, there is a teacher of an unruly class(es) of 30+ kids with difficult home lives and difficult or disinterested or aggressive parents who takes their work and worry home with them and probably could have an easier life somewhere else.

For every teacher who has a lovely class in a lovely area and generally sticks neatly to their prescribed hours or less and enjoys long holidays (and yes many DO exist widely no matter your experience), there is a private sector worker pushing some paper around without much to worry about and working a strict 9-5 with an hours lunch.

So it’s not about teaching v corporate, it’s about everything jn between. I know many teachers who would be utterly eaten alive and wouldn’t last five minutes in the corporate world. I also know many people from the corporate world who simply wouldn’t have the resilience and patience needed to get through a year in a tough teaching role.

There are good and hard working people in both sectors. There are also useless and lazy ones in both too. The sooner we all acknowledge that the better imho.

@SonicBroom

I’ve done both, and I don’t think the differences are ever ones that will be resolved.

Not every teaching job is the same.

Not every private sector job is equal.

For every private sector employee who is working 10-12 hour days under constant stress and pressure to deliver with very little holiday, there is a teacher of an unruly class(es) of 30+ kids with difficult home lives and difficult or disinterested or aggressive parents who takes their work and worry home with them and probably could have an easier life somewhere else.

For every teacher who has a lovely class in a lovely area and generally sticks neatly to their prescribed hours or less and enjoys long holidays (and yes many DO exist widely no matter your experience), there is a private sector worker pushing some paper around without much to worry about and working a strict 9-5 with an hours lunch.

So it’s not about teaching v corporate, it’s about everything jn between. I know many teachers who would be utterly eaten alive and wouldn’t last five minutes in the corporate world. I also know many people from the corporate world who simply wouldn’t have the resilience and patience needed to get through a year in a tough teaching role.

There are good and hard working people in both sectors. There are also useless and lazy ones in both too. The sooner we all acknowledge that the better imho.

The people working shorter hours in a more pleasant environment are not "lazy" or "useless" though, but working in a way that is much healthier for them and society is a whole.

@Rosehugger I didn’t say they were.

The way you set out the post, particularly with the concluding paragraph, seemed to imply that the first examples were good and hard working and the second examples were useless and lazy. I'm glad to hear you didn't mean it that way.

Oh I’m so thrilled to have your approval @rosehugger .

I'm not a teacher and don't even have a degree but have been chucked into the role of unqualified teacher at the special school I work at. The paperwork is relentless as are the emails. The parents are lovely but want you to work miracles. Staffing is awful at the moment as people are leaving in droves (hence why I'm now trying to teach). Mainly because the pay is awful for the work involved (we do a lot of personal care and behaviour management as well) especially for the tas which is why they can't keep good ones. I loved my job as a TA but now I'm out of my depth. I'm doing it for the kids though until they find someone to teach.

You don't have either my approval or disapproval, just to know. But your further response does make me think that I was right the first time.

@monkeysox

You're always"on". In corporate you have deadlines but not five per day to differing audiences with different needs. For school Work before work so have work to do at work that creates more work for you to mark. Relentless

So you've never worked as any kind of professional consultant....having multiple clients constantly thinking they are your top priority, demanding your attention to their needs is extremely stressful. I've never been a teacher but am very baffled that people are seemingly confident in talking about the 'corporate'world as if its one huge monolith. Corporate or 'office' jobs vary massively depending on the role and organisation...

@SonicBroom

I’ve done both, and I don’t think the differences are ever ones that will be resolved.

Not every teaching job is the same.

Not every private sector job is equal.

For every private sector employee who is working 10-12 hour days under constant stress and pressure to deliver with very little holiday, there is a teacher of an unruly class(es) of 30+ kids with difficult home lives and difficult or disinterested or aggressive parents who takes their work and worry home with them and probably could have an easier life somewhere else.

For every teacher who has a lovely class in a lovely area and generally sticks neatly to their prescribed hours or less and enjoys long holidays (and yes many DO exist widely no matter your experience), there is a private sector worker pushing some paper around without much to worry about and working a strict 9-5 with an hours lunch.

So it’s not about teaching v corporate, it’s about everything jn between. I know many teachers who would be utterly eaten alive and wouldn’t last five minutes in the corporate world. I also know many people from the corporate world who simply wouldn’t have the resilience and patience needed to get through a year in a tough teaching role.

There are good and hard working people in both sectors. There are also useless and lazy ones in both too. The sooner we all acknowledge that the better imho.

The most sensible comment on this thread