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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think I want out of teaching?

17 replies

VWCJW · 15/04/2022 00:00

I love teaching. It’s the best job ever. I used to bore people silly with stories and lived and breathed it as a career. 17 years later, after a couple of different headteachers, watching numerous friends and colleagues going off with stress, constant changes in policies, working to ridiculous OFSTED frameworks, a bullying headteacher etc etc, I’ve had enough. I honestly think I cannot do it anymore. What’s done it for me this year, not just the bullying headteacher, but the lack of support for children with SEND and emotional or behavioural issues, and instead a culture of blaming teachers, rather than doing what’s best for a child. Should I leave my school or leave teaching altogether?

OP posts:
TracyMosby · 15/04/2022 00:03
  1. Realistically where you live, what are your options? In poorer areas of the country, people find leaving the public sector difficult as local wages are very poor.
  2. What possessed you to post in AIBU?
glinner4prez · 15/04/2022 00:05

I'd love to leave teaching but need to stay for the salary and holidays. Can you afford to leave it?

cafedesreves · 15/04/2022 00:10

Try the independent sector maybe?

Hunderland · 15/04/2022 00:22

Op there's a MN section called The Staffroom where you'll get lots of responses from teachers who've been through similar.

Meandmini3 · 15/04/2022 00:23

I’m leaving! Life is too short.

Sarah13xx · 15/04/2022 00:24

This is me too, exact same situation although I’m only 6 years in. I’ve been off this year on mat leave and I don’t want to go back. It’s not the normal ‘don’t want to go back after mat leave’ thing either, it’s I DON’T want to return full stop. I feel like as well as the fact I wanted a baby, one major factor in deciding to get pregnant was as a frantic panic to find a temporary route out of there. Every month I wasn’t pregnant I was so unbelievably gutted, as most people are but looking back its almost like I was so gutted because I was just so desperate to have a road out. Obviously now I have a baby I couldn’t care less about work and just love him so much but it just shows how awful my work actually was for me to feel like that. Now thinking about going back I’m planning to return 2 days as I’ve set up a small business while I’ve been off. I’m almost thinking can I even cope with 2 days though?

I left my last school because I was basically black and blue head to toe from dealing with behavioural incidents and acting as a human shield for very young children. I asked for support from management day in day out and they went out of their way to just completely avoid coming near my classroom in case they had to help. At that time I couldn’t see an alternative career so my only option was to move school. It was a good decision at first and although the head teacher of my new school was hopeless, at least the behaviour was much better. A few years on and the behaviour is virtually the exact same now as it was in my old school, the head teacher is still just as hopeless and doesn’t know what she’s doing, doesn’t really care about the children or anyone who works there. I feel like this time my only option is to leave teaching completely!

Are you on the exit the classroom and thrive Facebook group? I only set up my business due to that group 😌

Original poster
VWCJW · 15/04/2022 00:24

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
VWCJW · 15/04/2022 00:27

I am on that group. And you could be describing my class and my headteacher (black and blue but no support).

OP posts:
ZoeSopH · 01/05/2022 22:46

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Suprima · 01/05/2022 22:53

I’m out as soon as I hand in my notice halfway through maternity

going to spend a few years using all of my EYFS expertise on my own little girl, whilst finishing off my masters part time- then off to find a career in the the third sector, or even edtech as there is a higher chance of me being able to find something completely remote.

I am absolutely done with a culture of data fiddling (that just ends up mugging everyone off), mock ofsteds and no respect for my own professional time and agency. Oh and parents yelling at me because their child has lost their unlabelled jumper.

Whoatealltheminieggs · 01/05/2022 22:54

I’m much happier having left. I did it for 15 years and towards the end I was getting ill from the stress. Teaching has a weird hold over people. It’s very hard to make the move.

Rikitikitardis · 01/05/2022 23:25

Try a different school first. In the meantime, start researching what else you could do. Browse job opportunities within and outside of education, speak to ex teachers, look at courses and retraining options, save.
If the new school is no better after 2 years, pick your best alternative and get out!
(This is what I did!)

Wishihadanalgorithm · 01/05/2022 23:32

You could try another school or you could just leave. If you have the chance; I’d leave and temp (not in schools) to buy you time to figure out your new route.

EllaB22 · 01/05/2022 23:35

Try a new school

OutlookStalking · 02/05/2022 00:22

If I had my time again I would have retrained and got out earlier...

robocracker · 02/05/2022 00:39

Join the facebook group "thinking of leaving teaching?" You're not the only one!

Original poster
VWCJW · 04/05/2022 10:33

Thanks all. Love the ‘data fiddling’ comment above. That’s exactly what it is. All the hours we spend on it, and it’s all made up anyway!

OP posts:
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