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.

@MichaelAndEagle

It’s why they like fresh young things in teaching. They don’t question narratives or come with too many opinions. Very mouldable, problem with a whole school of fresh young teachers is they haven’t got the life experience for dealing with all the ills of society under one roof.

You do need older, experienced teachers in states but they’re fast becoming a thing of the past.

@Fairislefandango

In effect office worker earns £638 per week for 47 weeks of the year and teacher earns £769 per week for 39 weeks a year.

I'm not talking about comparative rates if pay or arguing about whether an office worker gets paid more or less than a teacher, or who gets taxed how much etc. I'm merely pointing out the inaccuracy of the commonly-held and oft-spouted idea that teachers are paid for their holidays.

Sorry - half asleep. Agreed not paid for the holidays!

I do think the maths is interesting on a side note.

[quote Eyedropeyeflop]@MichaelAndEagle

It’s why they like fresh young things in teaching. They don’t question narratives or come with too many opinions. Very mouldable, problem with a whole school of fresh young teachers is they haven’t got the life experience for dealing with all the ills of society under one roof.

You do need older, experienced teachers in states but they’re fast becoming a thing of the past.[/quote]
I can see that.
And because teachers spend a lot of time speaking to other teachers I think its a bit of a shock to realise that in other jobs you don't always have to toe the line.
It took a lot of conversations and sessions with a coach for her to even accept she could push back.
At my work place you can access mentors and coaching etc focused on your own personal development. I just don't think teachers get that sort of support.

Re holidays, when my friend (referenced in my previous post) even contemplated leaving teaching, the one thing that pulled her back was the holidays.
The idea of 5 weeks holidays a year and all that entails (childcare etc) just wasn't worth it to her.
So they are a huge perk and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise.
My opinion was its not worth hating your job for! Luckily she found other ways of making it work and achieved a better work life situation in the end.

"So they are a huge perk and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise."
Who has suggested otherwise?

You could rock up in the corporate world with a hang over, teaching with a hangover is not recommended!
I left the corporate world as felt I didn't make a difference, into teaching and it appears I was not allowed a single moment off - am talking friends funeral, my child's sports day/ parents evening, medical appointments as it would make a huge difference to their learning but equally you had to give up your time to take them on school trips attend summer fairs, go in and help in the holidays...
I loved teaching though - I still do I just now don't teach in school.

I found the corporate world was more also about celebrating your strengths, looking how you could advance, promotion, what had gone well that year - what you could learn from but in a really positive way, teaching was always book scrutiny, observations and always felt negative. Don't get me started on the coloured pens and the acronyms! I thought using the right colour Pantone for all our corporate literature was a nightmare - this took it to a whole new level....
Not being able to go to the toilet - ever or able to have a cup of tea.
That you are a qualified professional but you are not treated as such.

@RaleighDurham

"So they are a huge perk and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise." Who has suggested otherwise?

Fair enough. Maybe no one has suggested that.

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

This is the sort of thing that does teachers no favours and demonstrates the kind of education bubble that many inhabit

I didn't take that to mean that those outside of teaching don't have to spend a long time preparing presentations, some maybe in their own time. However if preparing presentations is part of your job, you are able to factor it in to the things you do in your working day. The actual "teaching" job that most people think they know about takes up 8.45-3.15ish each day so any of the preparation stuff needs doing outside of that time.

Of course the holidays are a huge perk. I've never heard a teacher suggest otherwise. Yes, lots of teachers spend a significant amount of time in the holidays working, and yes we do (understandably) like to point that out defensively when people are lambasting us for being lazy, workshy wasters who only work until 3 and spend half the year lounging around. But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate how great it is to get weeks and weeks of holiday. Without that perk, the teacher shortage would be even more unmanageable than it already is.

when people are lambasting us for being lazy, workshy wasters who only work until 3 and spend half the year lounging around

Does anyone really think that though?
In fact, who has suggested that?

"being lazy, workshy wasters who only work until 3"

The actual "teaching" job that most people think they know about takes up 8.45-3.15ish each day so any of the preparation stuff needs doing outside of that time.

Absolutely. Being a supply teacher has its advantages. I still get the holidays, but none of the planning and marking, no pressure of results, no scrutiny. I walk in at 8:45 and out at 3:15 and that's it. Unfortunately, the pay is not great (though I don't work through an agency, so it's better than it could be!), no sick pay, unpredictable hours, no pay during lockdowns or holidays, I don't get to teach the subject I love and trained to teach, the behaviour is often more difficult to deal with, and I don't really feel part of the teaching staff.

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

Eh....no it's not!

I don't get the teacher's don't get paid for holiday argument.

Support staff are in the main on pro-rated salaries. They absolutely do not get paid for holidays and quite rightly so.

How can teacher's claim not to be paid for holidays when their pay is not pro-rated?
I genuinely don't understand if anybody could explain.

@NiceTwin

Precisely.

Christ, now teaching is harder than going to war

I doubt that. Merely that my friend found it harder than being in the Navy, including going to war. People cope with different pressures differently.

Umm yes, the war comparison seems a bit extreme...

How can a description of someone's experience be extreme? Most of your time in the Navy is quite dull and routine, it's just a different type of pressure. I survived teaching but wouldn't have had a cat in hell's chanced doign his job.

How many times you get ill.

How little control you have over your own time within a school.

How physically active the job is.

How little flexibility there is.

How lonely it can be, yet you are surrounded by so many people and so much noise.

How much extra time is always just expected for free.

How much children say horrible things about how the staff look. Not even to be nasty it is just that I guess children come out with these things whereas adults might just have the odd fleeting thought in their head and never say a word.

How much you are on show all the time.

The behaviour of some primary aged children would probably shock some that think it is only seen in secondary schools.

How many children are identified as having SEN within any given school.

How many safeguarding issues there are.

How much things change on a day to day basis. No one can ever keep up.

One person wants something done one way, the other person always the other.

Whilst the pay in some ways isn't a shock once you have been there a while and see everything you are doing for that money it can feel very low although I am sure this is the same in many jobs.

All jobs have their bad bits and shock factors. This is just about schools specifically from what I have observed.

@nicetwin because our pay is pro-rata - mine is anyway. But it's spread equally across the year. But we don't get paid for days that we are on holiday.

If a teacher job is advertised at 35k a year as an example. Would you get 35k a year (gross) into your bank account?
Or would it be pro rata down to however many weeks a year it is?

Ye gods. Because teachers do not get paid for the same number if yearly working days as every other full time employee.

I did explain it, with numbers and everything, upthread.

Teachers are, effectively, part time employees with no control over their time off and their pay pro rated, just to confuse everyone!

I wonder how many times this has had to be explained on MN?
Do people really still not understand that you can have your salary spread out evenly over 12 months, to cover periods where you're not physically in work?

The advertised pay is for the 190/195 working days, as per the standard contract.

It's really not rocket science.

@MichaelAndEagle. No, if you're "on" £35K, that is the salary you have, sis next to tax etc.

Teacher's salaries are not pro-rated unless they are part time posts.
I have never seen an advert stating the salary is pro-rated.

Surely, if they are getting paid £25k+ for 195 days work, they are rather handsomely paid.

@NiceTwin exactly! They say it like it's a terrible thing but in reality they get paid 25k for 195 days work and are the free to earn in another job in the summer...which many do!!