Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think DH shouldn’t quit teaching?

143 replies

mindyk · 12/01/2023 11:43

Slightly misleading title.

My DH is an outstanding Maths (and Economics/Politics) teacher. He is specialised in Maths so can easily teach Further Maths A Level standard (basically all pre-Uni level stuff) he also runs a successful tutoring company.

DH is a bit of a martyr. We have lots of outstanding / grammar schools in the area which he refuses to go to, saying the kids at bad schools need him. As a result, the abuse, lack of care from the kids and general issues with the profession means he wants to leave.

DH says he will take a pay cut but I know him inside out, the only way he would take a pay cut is because he can supplement with tutoring, this means any job that requires you to work past 5pm or doesn’t allow a WFH finish at 5pm on the dot is not possible.

Any career ideas for him? This is his requirements:

  • WFH at least half the week
  • Minimum £40k salary (he’s currently on around £55k)
  • Must be able to run the tutoring which he must start by 5pm-ish each evening.

his current school finishes before 3pm, he doesn’t bring work home 95% of the time, marking is easy as most kids can barely answer more than 1 page of a paper and he never works holidays. He tutors most evenings from 430pm to as late as 9pm Mon-Thurs. I personally think he should try a better school, maybe take on less responsibility and teach as a back up.

He cannot do tutoring full time due to security and we plan to move in a year or two, once we’ve bought the bigger house etc. he can go self-employed full time.

OP posts:
BigGreen · 12/01/2023 13:02

How about data science? There are online courses so he could retrain while still teaching or tutoring (not both though).

theresnolimits · 12/01/2023 13:02

My partner was a head of maths who left teaching at the age of 36. He moved into IT training and then IT sales It took him about 5 years to match his teaching salary - you're still a beginner in the new job. He works much longer hours than in teaching - early starts, travelling , works every evening and most weekends, and has 6 weeks holiday a year. Similar stress levels with hitting targets, doing deals, tussles with management, changing roles etc Probably missed the camaraderie the most as you're very much on your own, WFH a lot or on the road.

But he now earns more than the headteacher of a large secondary school (100k plus) and the job is no where near as repetitive as delivering the same lessons year on year. People say teaching must be so interesting but you know exactly where you'll be on a Thursday afternoon at 1.30 for a whole year and the same issues present year on year (I teach too).

I think he's happy to have had two careers. Who knows whether a third will come along?

BigMadAdrian · 12/01/2023 13:03

I would look into tutoring full time. My dd is home schooled and sees a maths tutor twice a week during daytime hours - she is very busy, so there is definitely a demand. We pay £37 an hour for maths, but her science tutor is £45 per hour - he is also very busy.

Scared201 · 12/01/2023 13:04

Private finance sectors could be option but he would have to work his way up. Thinking more FMCG companies.

Forthelast · 12/01/2023 13:06

How on earth does he finish before 3? Why is he not putting his back into bringing standards up? There is a lot of work right there that he's not doing.

BigMadAdrian · 12/01/2023 13:09

As an aside, our neighbour has just moved from a tough, inner city school to an outstanding school in a much leafier area and she said that the behaviour of the dc in the new school is no better - she says they are more difficult to manage, but in a different sort of way.

Forthelast · 12/01/2023 13:10

Maths absolutely does change and has changed greatly over the last few years and the pupils change as they need different tailoring to their needs.

I think he's more interested in making money from rich kids and is backsliding in his job by doing the bare minimum.

If a child can't do enough for him to mark, that requires a longer response on his part, not less. He can't stuff that paper away without making another stab at achieving the learning objectives. He sounds like he couldn't give a toss.

bigvig · 12/01/2023 13:12

IsThePopeCatholic · 12/01/2023 12:53

Exactly what I was thinking! Maths might not change, but tailoring lessons to individuals’ needs is important. He probably chooses to teach in a ‘bad’ school because he knows he wouldn’t get away with what he does in a ‘good’ school. I’ve never known any teacher who works as few hours as your dh.

Show quote history

Exactly this! If he is churning out the same lessons without any additional planning for his different groups no wonder they are playing up. Discipline and good behaviour in a classroom takes energy and planning. It's impossible that your DH is doing a good job considering his focus is on his tutoring in the evening. I also don't get why he won't work in a private school but would consider full time online tutoring. His politics seem muddled here.

CaptainMyCaptain · 12/01/2023 13:13

He won't work in a Private school but tutors children whose parents, by definition, are paying. That doesn't quite add up.

Also I agree with pp saying he needs to work harder at tailoring his teaching to the learners. A good maths teacher doesn't necessarily need to have a First Class degree in it but they need to understand what is going on in the minds of students who 'don't get it' and address their misconceptions.

saraclara · 12/01/2023 13:13

his current school finishes before 3pm, he doesn’t bring work home 95% of the time, marking is easy as most kids can barely answer more than 1 page of a paper and he never works holidays

He has the jammiest teaching job that I've ever come across then.
I honestly don't know how he can be outstanding if he does no work in the evings or holidays. How can he even keep up with the changes in curriculum in politics and economics if he's just delivering the same lessons year on year? And how does he fit in his SLT responsibilities without working outside the school day?

None of this adds up, frankly. And if he's getting £55k for doing so little, why on earth does he want to leave?

LoveCillian · 12/01/2023 13:14

it really does not sound like he is doing a good job for the pupils
Surely people the test of a good teacher is how they teach the not so clever kids

MistyRock · 12/01/2023 13:17

saraclara · 12/01/2023 13:13

his current school finishes before 3pm, he doesn’t bring work home 95% of the time, marking is easy as most kids can barely answer more than 1 page of a paper and he never works holidays

He has the jammiest teaching job that I've ever come across then.
I honestly don't know how he can be outstanding if he does no work in the evings or holidays. How can he even keep up with the changes in curriculum in politics and economics if he's just delivering the same lessons year on year? And how does he fit in his SLT responsibilities without working outside the school day?

None of this adds up, frankly. And if he's getting £55k for doing so little, why on earth does he want to leave?

I completely agree with this.

Springtoautumn · 12/01/2023 13:23

For a Maths teacher, there’s one hell of a lot of this story that doesn’t add up!

Winter2020 · 12/01/2023 13:23

With the government announcing they want all students to study maths until 18 he could hang on a bit and see what comes of that. There might be opportunities to develop new maths programmes at colleges for example.

euff · 12/01/2023 13:24

I know you said tutoring full time not currently an option but could it be a future one? Our 11+ tutor was a teacher and went into tutoring solely for the 11 plus. He does the teaching and his wife does the admin. They have a large number of students and classes are groups of 8 or more paying £30 each for one hour. They upped it from £25 to £30 for our cohort saying it's because they now have to pay vat so must be earning over 85k between the two. They are older than your DH probably late 40's early 50's.

Petronus · 12/01/2023 13:25

I’ve worked in a grammar and a ‘rough’ school at the same time in the past and the grammar would wring him dry, honestly so demanding of staff. I think given his current work load he would hate it. Thinking about the ex teachers I know they have gone into Ed tech, retrained entirely and I also know one who works on qualifications for the financial services industry, which might suit your dh. Hitting that salary straight off a bit of a problem though, could he not earn less whilst he got going?

lpaiskny · 12/01/2023 13:26

This doesn't add up

ilovesooty · 12/01/2023 13:29

growinggreyer · 12/01/2023 12:48

He is not an outstanding teacher if he thinks that he can churn out the same lessons every year because 'maths doesn't change'. He is lazy and he knows he won't be able to get away with that in a better school. Stop listening to his flannel. If he quits this job you will not be buying the house you have your eye on.

I must admit that I wondered about a teacher who sees no need to differentiate or adapt.

Nimbostratus100 · 12/01/2023 13:31

6.30 isnt particularly early for a teacher without a child to take to wrap around child care, I dont think changing schools is the answer, as he is doing a very small number of hours compared to most teachers, and he might get away with it where he is, but might not get away with it somewhere else.

If he wants to leave teaching, you cant really force him to stay.

How about something in transport - its the biggest industry recruiting my ex- colleagues, air lines, and train driving, etc Very big pay rises in some cases.

ByeByeLouisByeByeKlaus · 12/01/2023 13:31

He doesn’t sound outstanding!

SpicedPumpkinLatte · 12/01/2023 13:32

Exam board, civil service, analyst at a think tank. All pay well over £40k

Maytodecember · 12/01/2023 13:35

Ofsted inspector?
College lecturing?

Adviceneeded200 · 12/01/2023 13:37

I.cant see how outstanding teaching correlates with students not being able to answer enough questions to mark.

Maybe they know so much they only put a pen to.paper on exam day to get a grade 9? Yeah, right.

Fushiadreams · 12/01/2023 13:37

I don’t understand, has your husband asked you to ask mumsnet for careers advice for him?

NothingBut · 12/01/2023 13:38

I’m surprised he leaves school so early in the afternoon and doesn’t bring work home if he’s a senior teacher.

I would say it’s definitely worth considering another school but some schools expect a lot more after-school commitments especially at senior level.

He does sound very jaded though for 34.

I gave up tutoring when I became a senior teacher as I just couldn’t fit it in and also didn’t have the necessary headspace in the evenings to do it any more.

Are you sure he’s as ‘outstanding’ as you think he is?