I'm quitting teaching, I've decided, AIBU?

[thequickbrowndog]

That's it, I'm done, I'm leaving! I've spent the whole summer dreading going back. I adore the kids (secondary boys school) but I can't be bullied anymore. I can't stand my work colleagues, I've had to make a formal complaint about bullying. My boss clearly favours other staff over me. Everything always just seems unfair but I just have to get on with it. I work part time but am stressed about it full time because of all the passive aggressive emails while I'm off.
I don't have a job to go to yet, but I'm just done. I can't go back. AIBU?

Hmmm.
Perhaps it was also your attitude?

FYI, telling someone that something you perceive they have done "does not reflect well on you at all" also comes across as patronising. (At the risk of sounding patronising myself: you might want to reflect on whether saying this sort of thing to colleagues might have contributed to poor relationships.)
Have a nice day.

Please can we leave the spats out.

I feel like I wouldn't know where to start in a new career. All I know is teaching, and my subject - which isn't one that can side step me into a different career easily.

I now work for a larger corporate insurance company - there are in house trainers - good job lots of promotional aspects as you learn each department.

I do training within a team as I have patients and can show them where things go wrong and put them in the right path -

The team managers have a similar role to class teachers - organised, run meetings, run training sessions, deal with personal issues, check results (daily weekly) update management etc they have to sort the work and allocate, use people’s strengths when busy, and build confidence and training when the work slows down - organise holidays and sickness etc

Seems not.

I did this. Went off sick until my official notice period was up and did not feel guilty at all. In fact, this was the least the school owed me compared to what I sacrificed for them over the years.

Anyway, my intention was to leave teaching altogether but I chickened out and went back in on long term supply. If you are even a half decent teacher (which I'm sure you are), literally any school will take you on and won't care about your sick record. Honestly. I went back to the same local authority and I know my new HT spoke to the old one over the phone. I was still a good prospect as I was a qualified and experienced teacher with a pulse (and that's all you need now).

I did actually make the big move and left teaching a couple of years later (after another period of sick leave but this time with a more socially acceptable reason). Had to take a massive pay cut as I just didn't have the confidence or self-belief to 'sell' myself at interview for better roles.

I can say it was the best thing I ever did and was promoted with a huge pay increase after 6 months. Did not miss the school holidays one bit. Never get the Sunday scaries. Oh and haven't yet needed even one sick day as I'm not stressed 24 hours a day anymore.

It was a gamble but I am so glad I took it and I wish I had done this 5 years ago.

Go sick. Do not feel guilty. Get what you can out of the school that has mentally and physically worn you down. If anyone can't understand why you'd take this option, well all I can say is they should think themselves lucky that they cannot even imagine a scenario where this would be acceptable.

Congratulations teaching sucks! I left 5 years ago after experiencing the same management who can't teach trying to tell me how to, emails at all times of day or night and all through the summer, I worked out the amount of time I spent teaching, marking and planning was just way to much and I had no life I was permanently tired and felt ill. I WFH for a while and loved it. They gave me my confidence back and made me feel valued, when I retired( I've retired very early) they said if I ever want to come back just call they will find me a job. Take the time off with MH put the emails to DND and look for something that excites you there is a whole world out there, that is open because of your teaching qualifications x

@miaoweeee what did you move into?

I feel like whatever I do will be a huge pay cut. And I'm so scared of moving into soemthing I can't work up again from.

My daughter quit after 10 years as a teacher and she can honestly say it's the best thing she's done. She loved actually teaching the kids but it was all the other things. Schools are run like a business and it's all about targets .She still works in education but for the local authority education department. Still stressful but not as bad as teaching.

I was once in your shoes.

Walked away from secondary teaching after a decade. Retrained as a swimming teacher -the idea being I would still be teaching but without the paperwork...

A decade later and my swim school is starting it's 6th year!

Do some private tuition! Fewer hours more pay and you have your own business!

Good for you making that decision, wish I could finish, I’m dreading going back. I’m home/family liaison so deal with parents and poor attendance etc. I don’t want to sort out anyone’s lack of parenting anymore! I’m done but can’t quit yet.

It's so frustrating everyone seems to drop down into quite low wage jobs.

Its so hard. Just when friends and family are jumping "up" or settling into flexitime higher level jobs we're ending up looking at entry level jobs.

Hi!

Teacher here! There are some freaks in teaching. That’s the conclusion I have drawn after 28 years. Here’s what I would do

1. Use you time before the start of term to sort out your paperwork/ CV so that you can hit the ground running with job applications in September. If you’re core you know you’ll have choices at least.
2. Once you’re back in September see HR and ask them to hit you with ALL the support available - counselling, one to one, how to lodge formal complaints.
3. Make an appointment to see your union rep to look at your options so that you can be certain you’re going by the book.
4. If you’ve decided that it’s time to leave your current school put your energy into your planning, marking and teaching. Nothing else matters. Attend meetings when required but write down everything which is said to you and relay it back to them so that the bully clocks what you’re doing.
5. Do not engage in workplace chat. Leave as early as you can.
6. Spend your time off doing stuff for yourself to boost your self esteem and improve your job prospects.

Enjoy the process of disengaging from a toxic environment. Consider how this came about so that you don’t find yourself there again. X

@FriendlyRobin creating educational content online. There are places out there who actively want ex-teachers.

Thanks miaweee that's something I'll look at.

I've wondered about trying to leap Into L and D but it's a different career path.

I left classroom teaching and didn't look back. The relief I felt was incredible!

I spent some time as an administrator and was then approached with an invitation to become a tutor. It doesn't pay as much and the hours are sometimes odd but it was the best move I ever made - lovely students, nice parents and a great feeling of job satisfaction. There is life beyond the classroom!

I got out of teaching and was never happier. I didn’t start teaching till I was 36 having been a mature student,
My theory - Most teachers have no experience in any other field apart from teaching.
They go to school till they’re 18, they go to Uni, then they start teaching.
So they’ve never had any real “ life “ experience work-wise. Consequently a lot of them still have a school mentality, quite narrow minded and parochial.
I couldn’t believe how terrified most of them were of the Headteacher - particularly in Primary School.
Just my thoughts, but so glad I got out of it in my early 50’s.

@FriendlyRobin I don't want to be too outing but I think my natural next move within the company would be into an L and D role that would match UPS.

Don't get me wrong, I've been lucky to find myself in this position in an organisation with great potential for career progression. But maybe it's not luck, maybe by teaching experience has actually made me a valuable employee. Getting my foot in the door was definitely the hardest thing to do, but now I'm here, it's great.

Oh Wow!! I've looked at some much lower paid L and d roles and not felt qualified! I haven't got the cipd certificate or relevant experience.

Well done. It's so hard to see how to do it.

Id like to think I'd similarly be a good and skillwdemployee but I can't see how to get into an organisation or which one! I'd be happy aiming at 35 these days!

Go work in special. It's much nicer, even ta's and teachers are treated equally :-)

I left about 5 years ago, managed to get redundancy, had enjoyed the job for about 17 years in FE college....a new vile evil toxic manager was brought in...she was clueless and a nasty bully plus a crap teacher....am happy I got a deal to leave and she left a few months before me....over promoted to a university job now.....If i ever saw her cross the road, am sure my foot would slip on the accelerator....still despise the woman, so many good staff left because of her behaviour. i now do gardening and part time tutoring.

@thequickbrowndog I’m an ex secondary school teacher. Don’t regret quitting for one minute! Took a while to stop having nightmares about the job after I left. Go for it!

Go for it, I promise you will not regret it for a moment. I left and am never setting foot in a classroom again.
I applied for admin jobs in HE and charities, there’s lots of positions out there. Good luck x