Page 8 | To think Primary School Teacher could be a great job?

greyskiesandcarpet · 2024-06-20T07:05:13+00:00

I hear so many negative things about teaching nowadays, but I wonder how bad primary teaching is, in comparison to any other demanding corporate job? This isn't me washing over the fact that some of the job must be really tough, but I want to hear some positive stories. I know a couple of people that couldn't deal with the stress of corporate life, but have excelled in teaching.

Roundthemoon · 13/10/2024 22:10

Frozensnow · 13/10/2024 21:09

Please don’t call me love. Making a suggestion isn’t telling you what to do. You carry on clicking on posts for teachers about teaching and getting annoyed about it if you like. I really don’t care. I’m going to stop responding to you now because you really aren’t adding anything useful to the thread as you’re not a teacher and so can’t answer the OPs question. You’re just posting annoyed replies to the teachers who have commented which is no good to anyone. So I will stop answering you- it is pointless

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Great! That's fantastic! Off you go

Roundthemoon · 13/10/2024 22:13

Frozensnow · 13/10/2024 21:09

Please don’t call me love. Making a suggestion isn’t telling you what to do. You carry on clicking on posts for teachers about teaching and getting annoyed about it if you like. I really don’t care. I’m going to stop responding to you now because you really aren’t adding anything useful to the thread as you’re not a teacher and so can’t answer the OPs question. You’re just posting annoyed replies to the teachers who have commented which is no good to anyone. So I will stop answering you- it is pointless

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Also, how do you know that I've never been a teacher?

Some current teachers on here - always think that they are the only ones to have ever been teachers.

It's funny!

I've taught many teenagers.

I did all the lesson prep, all the marking , all of the work at weekends. We all know that is part of the job

It's fine. It's not worse than other jobs.

It annoyed me when the OP came on here looking for positive stories, and she got replied to by loads of negative people again

FrippEnos · 13/10/2024 22:38

Roundthemoon · 13/10/2024 22:13

Also, how do you know that I've never been a teacher?

Some current teachers on here - always think that they are the only ones to have ever been teachers.

It's funny!

I've taught many teenagers.

I did all the lesson prep, all the marking , all of the work at weekends. We all know that is part of the job

It's fine. It's not worse than other jobs.

It annoyed me when the OP came on here looking for positive stories, and she got replied to by loads of negative people again

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And yet you are the one that has continually derailed the thread. .

Dontlletmedownbruce · 13/10/2024 22:48

I have two friends who are training to be teachers later in life. One worked in financial services then was SAHM and is in her first year teaching at 48. She is busy but absolutely loves it and talks so enthusiastically it's lovely (if a bit monotonous for me!).

The second is 29 and in final stages of training and is really focused and happy too. She has worked in childcare so she is looking forward to not just her job but paid holidays, maternity leave, paid sick leave, a pension, shorter working days and a significant pay rise.

Stradlater · 14/10/2024 22:31

Roundthemoon · 13/10/2024 20:19

I'll feel how I want to. I think that teachers complain way too much on mumsnet. It's annoying. As other people have pointed out on this thread.

What I can't understand is teachers who seem to think we don't know the stressful parts of teaching, and seem the need to share the stressful parts of the job over and over again.

We know that you have to work outside the school day, have to prepare lessons, have to mark homework.

Everyone knows!

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You don’t actually know, despite what you might read on here from teachers.
You haven’t got a blessed clue.

Just as I don’t have a clue about what it’s like to be a nurse etc although I have read many posts from nurses.
You can’t know because you’re not living it.

SpanThatWorld · 14/10/2024 22:38

ThaQuilomum · 12/10/2024 17:36

I am a teacher in Ireland and it is mostly still amazing. The big fear here is we will go the way of the English school system. Some of our teachers trained in the UK and did a year or two and burned out big time and came home. A few of my friends did this and are happy out teaching here now. A few key differences:

For primary we have a 5 hour and 40 minute day. You are not required to be in school outside of this time unless you have supervision duty. So you can arrive at 9am and leave at 2.40pm every single day. In practice most teachers would arrive about 8.30 / 8.40 and leave around 3.30 / 4 depending on what they need to plan or prepare. We have 32 hours a year to do in addition to this. In some schools this looks like a one hour meeting once a week but not every week or it might be to do some additional training.

There is a national curriculum. There are good quality textbooks to support this. Teachers use these textbooks and workbooks to support their teaching. They do not make endless power points or worksheets. That's not to say we are slaves to the textbook/ workbook either. But teachers use a text book to teach English, Irish, maths and some use one for history, geography, science and sphe also.

We have a 182 school day year. Outside of those 182 days we are on holidays.

There is a payscale for all teachers in all recognised schools based on how many years service you have. You are paid by the department of education not by the school.

We can do a 20 hour course in some area we are interested in during the summer online or in person and this entitles us to 3 personal days to take for any reason at any stage of the year. We can take 5 days a year if a family member is sick. We have decent sick leave. We also can take parental leave in week blocks and most principals are fine about this been taken.

We have a lot of autonomy in our classrooms once fully qualified. I have never seen a principal or member of management team come in to observe a teacher in my 20 years teaching.

On the negative, parents are getting more aggressive and behaviour can be challenging but nothing compared to what I am hearing from the UK. The paper work for sen is crazy and it is nigh on impossible to access support for pupils with sen.

All in all a very family friendly job that I love.

And this is why there are very few teacher shortages in Ireland.
My friend who went home after training in the UK said it took a while to find a post but she won't leave now.