Aibu to move on from teaching?

[Quarterofanonion1]

Hi, thanks in advance for reading. I've been a teacher for 17 years but feel I have reached my limit with it and it's making me feel unwell and takes up so much of my headspace! My DH is fully supportive of me leaving and we have worked out I need to make about £1000 a month for us to manage. I just have this horrible niggling feeling that I'm going to really struggle to find a job but the notice periods for teaching are so long that I'd have to leave before securing something. I'm a very insecure and self-doubting person so my inner voice is saying 'you'll find nothing, no one will employ you in a different field as you're so inexperienced, supply teaching won't pay enough, you will leave the family short of money etc.' What do you think the job market would be like for someone like me looking for a 1k per month job and is there much work about? I seem to do well as a teacher so my references should be good and I'm open to a range of job types e.g. supply, admin, education services and, at a push, hospitality. I live on the East Coast but can access Norwich easily enough. Thanks so much.

I feel exactly the same as you, OP. I’ve felt like it since about 2012, I think-that’s when things started to get really awful. I’ve been teaching for 25 years and am about the oldest (most expensive!) teacher in my school apart from SLT-I feel that my card is marked! I’m only mid 40s though so still have a long time to go.

My problem is that the Exit the classroom FB group talks about leaving and doing tutoring/supply whilst you plan what to do, but I really don’t want to do either of those!

What kind of teaching do you do and why do you want to leave?

I taught high school for ten years and left about 8 years ago. It was hellish, crazy work load, awful behaviour, swore I would never do it again.

I’ve actually just started teaching again but it’s post 16 now, and the difference is amazing! I’m part time, doing 0.5, so earn okay, but the workload is so much more manageable and the kids are just all so lovely! There aren’t any of the behaviour issues I spent years having to manage. Obviously you might want a clean break completely but wanted to throw it out there as an option to consider if you still liked some aspects of teaching.
I wish you all the best tho! I completely empathise with wanting to leave and so glad I did when I did

Couple friends became TAs. One in a primary and another sen support in secondary.

So what do you want to do?

I worked out all the things I enjoyed, was interested in learning more about, and was good at, and worked out my negotiables and non negotiables for a new job, and then went from there. I applied for all sorts until I got my current job. Work with charities, in arts organisations, for academy chains and local education authorities, universities and so on. I was willing to trying things that were really different to teaching but in the end I've got a job that's very closely aligned to my specialist subject and teaching experience. Now I'm doing something outside of teaching, I'm also learning more about what other opportunities there are out there and I'm building skills and experience to broaden my CV and enable me to try more new things career-wise in future.

I would say don't focus on what you don't want, focus on what you do want. And if you really really do want to leave teaching, and you can't afford to be out of work for a bit, you may have to do some supply to tide you over -but it will just be a temporary measure to help you get where you want to be eventually. You have to think of the long game. If teaching is making you really unhappy, how much longer do you want to be that unhappy for? And while you're in the middle of it all, you often don't have the strength or confidence to make a plan for a different future, hence the advice on the group to quit, do anything you can to earn money while you get your head back together, and then figure out a more permanent plan. Supply/tutoring - as far as I am concerned - is very much an interim measure in between leaving and getting properly on your feet.

Wow, such lovely and encouraging comments so far, thanks so much! 😊

Read the book ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway’ OP, help to give you the courage to make the move

Do you teach primary or secondary?

Since Covid, lots of schools are desperate for supply teachers and you get paid about £120 a day, more for longer placements. 3 days a week doing supply would bring in over £1000 a month.

You could also work as a HLTA which would be about £15k a year.

Have you tried changing school? A friend of mine nearly quit teaching secondary science, but then switched school and started enjoying it again. She did another 7 years and has now switched to a private school.

Look up Squiggly Careers, they have a great book and free podcasts. Their methods can help you explore career progression especially when you are looking to pivot.

I have no doubt you'll be able to find something earning £1k plus, even more. Please don't undersell yourself you have tons of transferable skills.

I know an ex teacher who now works with under 16s with substance abuse problems. A completely different age range from what she was used to but loves it.

I've just accepted a role in my local council for the SEND support team, after my 6 months probation il be independent in my work, managing my own diary and work from home. I am so excited, I'm currently in early years and the physical toll it's started to take on me even at 35 is just too much. Good luck.

@Quarterofanonion1 What subject/age group do you teach?

If early tears nurseries are crying out for staff- long hours but often you can do 3/4 long days for full time money and have an extra day off. They love teachers of early years. You would count as a fully qualified member of staff and get a bit more money.

I did 20 years in FE.
I know work for a large organisation where I lead on recruitment and CSR (corporate social responsibility) and support apprentices, interns and graduates- I spend my days chatting to them, coaching them and making sure they are getting on ok! And I drink lots of coffee!
my friends who have left now work as a councillor at a Uni and another works for National Trust.
We’re all very glad we left 😊
you have loads of transferable skills, the main ones are organisational, dependable, problem solving, supporting, time management and so many others.
i thought it would take ages to find a job with having 4 months notice but it was fine!
start looking now and you could be free before the end of the summer term

I was a teacher for 17 years (UK and abroad). After having a child, I could not work an average of 60 hours a week anymore, for less than £10 an hour.
I did some supply teaching for a while, however, I needed a reliable income.
I followed my passion, and trained as a Personal Trainer/Pilates Instructor. Financially, I earn way more,with minimal stress.
Naturally, I was anxious about leaving a reliable job (teaching), but I always thought to myself, that if if it didn’t work out, I could always return to teaching.

*oops should say now work ..

Not quite the same but I work with a senior personal assistant in central government who used to be a school secretary. She lives just outside a larger northern city but WFH on the whole and hasn’t regretted her move for a minute.

Online tuition (or face to face). There are good agencies you could join.
An academic publishing house - a teaching colleague got a job with one and has never looked back.
is there a charity nearby that has an education link - maybe reading or planning programmes?
Good luck - sounds as if you’re in the right frame of mind and will have loads to offer!

Leave and do supply- you'll make 1000 a month easily. While you're doing that you can apply for other jobs. There are loads out there at the moment for ex teachers.

Thanks so much everyone such brilliant ideas and I feel so encouraged by you all. I teach primary and have experience in all year groups from early years to Y6.

I've recently gone into another job from teaching and can't believe how chilled it is and how much time I've got - I can go to the loo and get a brew whenever I like! Amazing!

I left teaching last summer (after 23 years)- it has been the best decision I have ever made! I also had the same doubts but spent about 6 months preparing my exit. I joined the FB site mentioned above and also 'Adventures after teaching'. I thought carefully about what I loved in my roles - AHT & Sendco (Primary) and realised that I love to organise and improve the workplace. I looked at roles in Organisational Development and Business Improvement. I now work for a large company in the Business Improvement team and earn more than I did as SLT. I have work life balance and am able to take my little one to school and even watched the nativity!
Feel the fear and do it anyway! Spend a couple of months looking at how adverts are written and list key words etc. There is lots of help in the FB groups to turn a teaching CV into a more corporate one. Lots of places to look for roles - charity jobs site, Civil Service jobs, LinkedIn etc.
message me if I can help- I am passionate about supporting other teachers to regain their lives!

Forest school teaching is a thing in primary school atm and preschool years of nursery.

Then after 17 years you'll have considerable experience in the academic and social development of primary aged children. How about moving into support?
When I burned out from whole-class teaching, I did a post-grad qualification in SpLD and taught 1-1 or small groups in the learning support departments of a few different schools.

As you know how the school system works, you could also offer mediation/advocacy between schools and families with children who are not getting their needs met.

There's also demand for 1-1 and group lessons in the Home Ed community. You could ask on home ed FB groups in your area to gauge interest.

Be careful, LA roles being ‘restructured’ ( cut) due to deficit budgets and lack, of funding from central government. Not secure at all.

One area where there are LA jobs is inclusion/SEND - as there are so many kids with high needs. Would this suit you?