To think that no one ever regrets leaving the teaching profession in England?

[Restlessness]

I have been noticing a lot of posts ex teachers mentioning how much happier they are now that they have left the profession, and it has got me wondering—does anyone ever miss it? Or regret their decision? Or maybe even decide against leaving in the end and choose to stay?
For context, before entering teaching, I worked in a mix of charity and not-for-profit roles. While those jobs paid less, they didn’t feel nearly as stressful in comparison. Of course, I’m not saying that’s the case for all jobs—there are certainly challenges in WFH roles or other careers—but teaching has its own unique pressures.
My circumstances have also changed since I first started teaching. I now have a toddler in my life and only just returned to work from mat leave. I’ve gone part-time, but I find it really difficult not to work on my days off. It doesn’t help that I’ve essentially been given a full timetable, with an unqualified cover supervisor taking my classes on the two days I’m off. This means the majority of the marking falls on me, along with all the parents’ evenings and the responsibility of overseeing their learning. Knowing that the cover supervisor isn’t equipped to handle the more challenging lessons, they’re left to supervise easier tasks like library sessions or assessments on my days off. As a result, I’m left trying to cram everything else into the days I’m in.
I know that leaving teaching might mean a pay cut, but I think I could manage it—I’m fairly sensible with money anyway, and I’m already on a part-time salary. My DS is still a baby/toddler, so having term-time holidays doesn’t make a huge difference right now, or maybe I’m just too new to parenthood to feel the full benefit of it yet.
So, is there anyone out there who left teaching and wished they hadn’t?
YANBU = Anyone who actually left is glad they did
YABU = Of course, some people regret it.

No, because they can rejoin and start teaching again. So then won't be ex teachers or see themselves as having left the profession. Your sample is inherently biased.

You've been utterly screwed over by the critical shortage of teachers in England and it is totally unacceptable that you are the only qualified teacher that class has yet you only work 3 days a week.

It is entirely unsurprising that you are stressed and having to work on your days off and the school are totally taking advantage of you.

I never regret leaving. Ever

I do regret that teaching didn't work for me, or I couldn't get it to work for me. I miss not having a career. I know had I stayed I would be earning well by now. I miss that income! Now my kids are teens, I am feeling the itch to get back into teaching. However, I really don't think ft mainstream will work for me. You have just illustrated perfectly why. Too much is required of teachers. They sap your soul. I don't have that energy in me.

I just left at Christmas. I was expecting to miss lots of things about it, but honestly I don't. My new role has stresses as well, especially as it's not easy being the newbie at a job where you've gone from being highly experienced to being a complete novice.

It's funny because stress and workload etc. weren't major push factors for me when deciding to leave, but everything about my new job just seems so much more relaxed. And it's a finance department of a large US multinational, so it's not exactly a cushy gig, but you don't constantly feel like you're juggling 1001 things at once and still being made to feel not good enough.

I really don't know what's going to happen in schools over the coming years, more and more teachers are leaving and they're not being replaced.

I have never ever for one second regretted leaving teaching after almost 20 years in the classroom. Worst decision of my life was to decide to enter the profession in the first place and it closed a lot of doors for me both in my professional and personal life. I am so happy not to be teaching.

Teaching and support roles in schools have become so onerous in the last 15 years or so by and large that they aren't compatible with modern family life. Yes, I know there are some people who manage it well but they're an exception and its becoming fewer and fewer.
I worked as a support role in a school until recently and it was when I had two children that it started to become unsustainable. I loved my time working in education and felt I really gave to society but I have a non education job now where I can give to society while being kind to myself with flexible and from home working also.

I’m so happy I left, it made me unwell

I do primary supply teaching and I can't believe how bad things are compared to eight years ago when I started.

Don't regret it.
And I wasn't brazenly exploited like you either- the workload was still ludicrous.

You could find a genuinely part time teaching post- what you're having to do is awful. Doubt the parents are too chuffed either- 40% of their child's time in school being merely 'supervised', not taught!??

No regrets. Yes it’s hard building another career but it’s harder staying in a job where they will work you to death and then put you on performance once you cost too much money without a second thought. It is shit for the nation’s kids but you cannot idealise your way out of such a broken shit show as education is today. You might as well be full time and doing the library visits yourself tbh op and use the extra money to make home life easier so when you are at home you can have fun with your dc.

I miss the kids.

Don't regret leaving.

This!
I loved teaching for approximately 25 years but the last 5 years were torture. It was always full on but it was also fun and there was a degree of autonomy.

I am saddened that the profession I loved and always identified myself with made me so unhappy and ill.

How long ago did you leave? Do you mind me asking how old you were when you left? I've been teaching just long enough to get to UPS 1 so the pay feels good and I've avoided going into SLT roles...though that doesn't mean I'm not experiencing stresses of my own.
I do worry about trying to start again in different career now that I'm approaching 40.

I left my teaching job in August 2022. I wouldn't say I regretted it. It was the right thing to do at the time, I walked away knowing I needed a break or a change, but not sure if it was permanent. I agonised over the decision for ages before leaving, I was really worried that if I regretted it, I would struggle to find another job again, I had met lots of teachers who had left or were doing supply and now wanted permanent jobs but couldn't get one. After about 2 years, I started to miss it a bit, not the stress and all the extras that come with it but the actual teaching part. Some time around November, I temporarily lost my mind and applied for three teaching roles, got two interviews and just started a new teaching job at the start of January. I still don't know if it was the right decision entirely, but the niggling doubt was there and I needed to give it another try. The break really helped, like hitting a reset button I suppose. I also feel happier now knowing that if I do choose to walk away again, it doesn't have to be permanent and I no longer have the fear of not getting another teaching job if I wanted one in the future.
That's very long and waffly sorry. I suppose the short version is....your situation sounds very stressful, if you want to explore other options then go for it, you can always go back to teaching!

Also, I'm sure I'm not the only one that has stayed in the profession because I keep telling myself, this is just a tough year and it will get easier next year...but it doesn't! Then the year starts and you tell yourself just get to Xmas, then just get to Feb half term and so on...
And you always feel you've done the toughest terms by March so you tell yourself you can't miss out on summer pay so you stick it out and the years roll by :(

Left 8 years ago, after nearly 30 years. Do I regret it? No never. Initially missed some of my colleagues but now listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I work!

Exactly this!

I know a lot of people who quit teaching. I've never known any go back or regret it. I'm still teaching, but dh quit a couple of years ago. He misses some aspects of it, but he would never go back. His experiences in his last few years almost broke him, and he's a tough cookie.

Anyone ever left a teaching post before summer?

Everyone outside of teaching would say to me surely you can hack just 6 more months of this job but my God July seems a long way off!

I left, went to work for the LA, really liked my LA job but am now back as a HT. I missed the buzz of school too much. I am in special though, and would never go back to mainstream.

I miss it in August.

I used to be a teacher. I am now an academic so I do still teach but in HE. School teaching is more rewarding in some ways than my current role. The relationships you develop with the kids are deeper in a way than the ones you ever could with uni students seeing them two hours a week. Teaching school kids is more exciting and has more moments of collegiality with fellow teachers, and more lightbulb moments. It's often more rewarding. So yes, I do miss it. But at the same time, I also wouldn't go back to it. I don't miss the patronising SLT (who were often -- not always!- a bit thick or overpromoted whereas the best teachers stayed in the classroom). I don't miss the long hours my current job is easier. I haven't had to go back to work part time after having a baby as I can flex my hours, whereas in teaching I'd need to be part time or I couldn't mentally cope. And it's much much less stressful.

So-- it's really swings and roundabouts. I think the highs were higher in teaching, but the lows were often lower, while my current job is calmer though less exciting.

Sorry for the format error below

Btw it also may be worth checking out other schools. I worked in four different schools and the culture was totally different in each of them.