to be second guessing re training as a teacher … help!

[Starcarbar]

I worked as a solicitor for around 9 years. It 34 and we want to ttc in next few years. I’ve always wanted to go into something other than law and my plan was to do teacher training from next year ahead of ttc. I keep having doubts. I don’t know if it’s the media but I often hear about how the workload spirals etc. I typically work 8-6 or 7 in law and can usually avoid working a weekend. Does anyone know if it would be worse than that in teaching? I love the idea of making a difference and working with kids and in certain I want to leave the legal profession. Am I making a mistake? I feel like it’s now or never to jump ship!

I definitely wouldn't do it when you're ttc. It's hard enough already without adding a newborn into the mix.

I agree it's all about the right school. I have young kids and going to teach after sometimes 3 hours sleep is absolutely brutal. My baby has caught a new illness from nursery every week, so juggling everything has been hard. I loved my old head of department, but my current one is a micromanager and gives no autonomy. We all have to teach the same thing, exactly how she says. In some ways it's nice as there's little planning for me, as I get told off if I tweak things to be more engaging, but I am bored of what and how I have to teach. The students are wonderful though. I'm lucky that behaviour is good.

Schools do need great teachers. I'd like my kids to be taught by trained teachers! We shouldn't be rushing to put everyone off. Yes, there are awful schools (I've been in them too). My school does allow time off for nativity, sports day etc, but not all do. I don't work weekends and some days I leave at 4.30, others I stay until 6.30 to get bits finished. I am pretty good with boundaries and say no sometimes when I'm asked to do something extra. I work 3 days now, I wouldn't want to be doing full time teaching with young kids. My older child has to go to breakfast club and after school club, whereas a lot of my friends have more flexible jobs and can juggle drop off and pick up, spending time and saving money.

Go do some shadowing, then decide. Good luck.

I've done long hours in other jobs, but the long hours I do in teaching are different. It's one thing getting your head down and ploughing through jobs at your desk with a coffee, taking a few bites out of your sandwich at midday and logging off as the cleaners start to leave. But teaching is full on in a really different way: it's engaged, responsive, dynamic, high stakes, requiring continuous creative problem-solving and socially and emotionally taxing. And that's all the time.

I've taught in different schools, in different types of roles, and dropped to first 3, then up again to 4 days, after having DC. It's still too much, and my kids have missed out on my attention and time.

I am now looking for a way to exit the profession, but I know that I will really miss the sense of doing something which I feel is worthwhile.

I wouldn't retrain as a teacher and I say this as a teacher. The hours are long, there's no flexibility - my kids live at wraparound care, holidays are great of course but I do spend a lot them working, I work in the evenings at twice a week max and always work a few hours on Sundays. I appreciate this is a choice and believe it or not I'm better at time management 😂
That said it is really rewarding and I enjoy the actual teaching. Everything else is shit.
I did a PGCE back in my 20s pre kids and it was bloody hard.
Sorry to piss on your parade and good luck with whatever choice you make x