The end of my teaching career?

[Mayflower400]

I think I’m done! I have no idea what to do instead though. I’m almost 40, shit loads of debt and renting. I have two children and would miss the holidays with them.
I love the actually teaching and even the leadership role but I’m so so sick of being micromanaged by a CEO who doesn’t have a clue and is removing every creative and active opportunity. Even typing this has me in floods of tears, it’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. AIBU to think the end is looming?

If you like the job and you get the holidays, why not stick it out? I hate my job but stay because I like the hours and it's close to my house so no commute. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. No one I know really likes their job, it's just something to do to get money for me.

This is what I’m fighting with.

I absolutely love my job but it’s the extra hours that I do in the evening and on a Sunday that I struggle with.

The actual school day I absolutely love but it’s the workload that makes me feel physically ill sometimes.
It’s a Saturday evening and I’m working knowing that I’ll be too stressed to sleep tonight knowing I’ve got work on Monday and I’ve not planned for it.

I work in SEN which is pro-rata and so my actual monthly wage is rubbish too.

I’m wondering whether to go back to mainstream teaching or to get a job that doesn’t have the holidays but means I don’t have to bring work home with me and therefore I’ll have much more free time (and money) in the long run.

If my DC was older I wouldn’t think twice about not having the holidays but as a single parent I need to weigh up the implications of losing the holidays.

FE is absolutely horrendous at the moment. Colleges are crying out for good teachers but they leave faster than we can recruit them. And colleges are making redundancies and cost efficiencies like mad, meaning bigger classes, recruiting students who are totally unsuitable and then expecting teachers to spend their non-teaching hours dragging them through qualifications. Everything (like support services and admin) is being cut to bare minimum, so more and more is being put on the teaching staff.

I believe that HE is slightly better, but not by much.

OP, if you enjoy the actual teaching, I'd look at private.

@Cocobutt I'm in very similar situation and SEN. the anxiety is getting too much though.

You can teach early years to childcare students. You also supervise them on placements in nurseries, primary education and special needs settings.

When I retired I went from Early Years teaching to invigilating exams - they're bigger but honestly not that different. Someone I know left Early Years to work with teenagers in a different setting. It can work.

Not every MAT is the same, if it were me, I'd give it a try in one more school, and see if you found it any different/more enjoyable again.

And then, if that didn't work out, I'd look at my options in terms of leaving.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend FE right now, the pay is generally lower and the conditions often aren't as good.

But have you ever thought about teaching something like Child Development at GCSE?

Otherwise, there may be jobs with your local council etc which would involve liaising with early years/nurseries etc?

As others have said, all schools are not the same. My suggestion. is to do some supply teaching for a while, that way you get to see life in lots of different schools. then you can begin to see which ones might suit you. Otherwise, you might consider tutoring for a private company?

What are you doing now, if you don’t mind me asking?

I left teaching about 15 years ago so before it got really bad. I went to work in the NHS and have done really well - it's amazing how many skills you have from teaching that are useful in other jobs.

Good luck

Why not move to a private school?

My childminder earns good money I know as I do her books with her as I've got an AAT and help her do her self assessment
Wfh
Look after your own kids
Pick and choose which holidays you work
Obviously your self employed so the biggest loss is your pension

There's loads of alternatives to traditional teaching. Join the progressive education group on FB. Lots of progressive groups of home Ed peeps coming together to teach kids outside of the system. Always looking for tutors.

I left education at Christmas so just had a he first half term that I still worked. Did I miss it? Not at all. I didn't miss it cause I wasn't on my knees completely exhausted and 'just getting through' to half term. I think knowing you have the break coming makes you 'need' it and I'm not nearly as exhausted. I moved to a youth work role so flexible and still working with young people.

Could you reduce hours a little ?...its one option, I was in FE for many years and ended up doing just 3 days a week and it was bliss, i really enjoyed my job. We did have 2 very nasty, almost evil, female managers come in so when i was offered a good redundancy deal i grabbed it. i now do gardening work, money is a lot less but zero stress...i might do some supply in the future.

I left last July after 22 years. I work internationally in local government now. I get 30 days annual leave plus public holidays and I don't mind at all because I'm not on my knees with exhaustion.

Look for jobs in schools which are not academies. I’ve been where you are. Good luck..

Haven’t read the whole thread but could you teach in a private school? Or private tutoring?

Could you become a private tutor (better money if you teach a core/ in demand subject). Very flexible- can be lucrative though that can take sometime to build up. I do that with a little supply teaching and it’s been a breath of fresh air

Agree with PPs re FE at the moment.

However, what about apprenticeship assessing for early years?

Someone I know who taught early years in FE has also just left to be an ofsted inspector - she said the money was really good and she feels with her background she will do a really fair and honest job of it.

If you love early years nurseries are crying out for staff, the pay isn't great but they can be flexible as they are so keen for staff.

Another thing could be forest school teaching or e.g city farm club, early years focused.

No Academies in Wales.

Try private or another school 🙂 I'm an early years teacher and i love it still. I work in a faith school and the diocese does a lot to counteract all the negatives in education, they have high expectations of wellbeing and spiritual and emotional development (only half the school are Christian so its not just about Christianity). The diocese are planning on making their own academy so if we are forced to join one we can join theirs and not be run by ceos. Also, how about a nursery school?

@Wavingnotdrown1ng - my dept has resisted gentle pressure to standardise things a bit. Largely because SLT are all scientists and assume this would be better! Our results are amongst the best in the school though so they can see it’s working and let us get on with it. We can teach anything we like at KS3 - within reason and don’t have to do the same texts at GCSE. Also do IGCSE so haven’t been stuck with the same texts since GCSE reform. All these things make it worth while. Full on and knackering but interesting and engaging. I think teachers need to be enthusiastic about what they’re teaching to students.