Have you made any life altering decisions lately?

[Ofashynessthatiscriminallyvulgar]

I've just withdrawn from a full-time teaching job I had accepted. It was a maternity cover, and I mulled over it for several days. I may regret it, but too late.
Have you made any big decisions lately?

I had been studying for my chartered accountancy exams
Career change last year to birth photographer & doula !

Not quite as recent as some of these but last year I gave up partnership at a law firm to strike out on my own. The finances can be a bit scary at times but I am loving being my own boss and not having to answer to anyone.

Another job quitter. And I have an interview tomorrow - but even if I'm offered it, whether I accept very much depends on what I get from them at the interview.

Quit my job you stay at home with my kids. This is after 16 years focusing on my career and teaching a senior management role. I've never but worked and I'm terrified!

Sorry I should have proofread
To stay not you stay
Reaching not teaching
Not worked not but worked

Disgraceful post sorry everyone

Moving a relative from care home 4hrs away where they have always lived , to local to us.
very difficult but visiting was near impossible and now we are obv committed to freq visits but they don’t have to be long.

almost no one there to visit / take out and would get worse as time progressed and peers got older

I can really relate to this! I don't think people understand how much 'extra' a teacher needs to do in their own time (marking, displays, reports, after school clubs, CPD, assessment and data...) and lots just assume a 3:30pm finish and that's it.

The only way I found I manged after going back full time with my first was to drop to part time hours (3 days, which, in reality is the same hours as a full time job. I just don't get paid the overtime).

I've had a massive decision made for me, been put on notice for possible redundancy.

Just applied to change my daughters school, she starts year 7 in September. Doubt, she will be able to start new school until half term. Know it's the right decision in the long term but scared it will lead to a bumpy few months ahead. Kicking myself for not choosing this school originally so when she wouldn't have missed the transition days. Still easy to say with hindsight.

Yes, I've given up my part time teaching role for a full time role at a better school. Feeling a bit panicky about going back full time. Also trying to buy / sell a house. Clearly having some sort of mid life crisis.

Sold my house (with a low mortgage rate) and am moving to Europe where I will pay more tax. I am now bogged down in visa hell and my stress levels are through the roof. Thanks brexit. Hopefully it will all feel worth it in 6 months time but god it’s difficult.

not helped by owning several BTLs I am subsidising massively due to mortgage interest rate rises (can’t sell them - cladding issues). I am permanently broke.

My sister is a special needs teacher and paid absolutely abysmally. Makes me want to cry knowing how little she is paid for the work she does. She has been offered a job abroad on twice her salary and is contemplating taking it. I don't think she's made the decision yet. But I do have massive sympathy with teachers and nurses who are so woefully underpaid.

Husband had a heamorraghic stroke 6 weeks ago and is a acute stroke unit for the next 4-6 months.
I'm going to cut my hours in half and apply for UC as I've reached burnout with the travelling and long work shifts. I can only visit twice a week for two hours as I don't drive and the unit is 2 hours away on public transport.
Never though I'd have to rely on benefits but its hit home that life's too short.

Made the decision to retire when I reach 66 in January next year. I had every intention of staying on a few years, maybe doing reduced hours, but continuing health problems have made me reconsider. I've always worked to live rather than lived to work, but it's still quite a scary prospect after all these years.

Quit a career I’ve been doing for years!

Start at Uni in Sept part time to get back up to speed on a career I started 30 years ago but left due to circumstances and have taken a very low paid related job to just cover the bills until I qualify. I’ll be earning just under 50% of my previous career and I’ll be absolutely broke but hopefully happier.

Looked at our finances and DH will retire sooner than we thought and has discovered that if he wants to he could just go right now after his birthday in a couple of months at 55.

We're selling the family home now both DC have left uni and moving to a town I love where several friends live. I can't wait. I can feel I have checked out of this village and am so looking forward to retiring to somewhere more lively.

Not recently as such but in October last year I handed in my notice at my school where I was attendance/pastoral officer, I had nothing to go to. I left a week later, and temped for a bit, then started my current post in March. I love it! It’s challenging, it’s varied, but it is 100% stress free once 5pm rolls round and I never so much as think about it outside of work. Working from
home has given me some balance back into my life. It was a scary decision at the time but one of the best I’ve ever made,

good luck to you all 🍀

Last year I quit teaching and withdrew my children from school to home Ed. Controversial, but it’s been so much fun, we’ve done some lovely things, met some wonderful people and they’ve learned a lot. For 16 years I couldn’t even take a holiday in term time. Next month our family of five will set off travelling around Europe for five months.

I’ve learned that you don’t need to do what’s expected of you, you can choose your own path.

Much smaller scale but we are getting a cleaner for a few hours a month in September. This will free me up to concentrate on my health and doing the things I love. It's something I've wanted to have help with for years but now able to do (also had some weird guilt about not been able to do it all)

Well done everyone on your new exciting adventures 💚

I don’t know if this is the kind of thing you could get into but I recently attended a training session at work about managing mental health at work and the guy was fantastic. He worked for MIND and I can honestly say I got some great advice about how to manage situations and genuinely made me think about so much more than I anticipated. Anyway, might not be something in your field or something you’re interested in but I found it really valuable - would be a shame not to put your expertise to good use and it’s possibly less high pressure than what you’re currently experiencing.

I wish we treated teachers better in this country. My dc have had a great state education here with some wonderful teachers and it’s such a shame so many are leaving, although I understand why.

Anyway, we made a snap decision last year to sell our family home. I still feel sad about it (and often dream we are still living there) but super excited to be moving to Europe and so are the kids. We are going on holiday to the new location at the end of this month to sort out a mountain of stuff!

Oh, and my change is that I’ve given up eating crap and drinking alcohol temporarily 😂
I sort of ebb and flow between living my best life and then seeing photographs of myself where my face is bloated and then cutting back 😂😂

Another job-changer here.

I had worked for the same company for 10 years and ended up in a managerial position last year which I HATED.

My mum passed away 2 months ago and it gave me the push I needed to hand my notice in with no other job to go to. Risky but I've got a non-managerial role now that is less hours and much nearer to home.

It's £10k less per year but worth every single penny.

Well done to everyone :)