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.

@everychildmatters

They are public-sector workers. I think it's stretching the elasticity of the word 'profession'.

Even estate agents need a qualification these days. Are they 'professionals' too?

@cooljerk I'm pleased you're happy with your children being taught by people with no formal qualifications.

I think professional came in when teaching became a degree only job in the 70’s, when not that many had degrees.

I agree that teachers in the 90’s were academic. Seeing what was coming through as trainee teachers just before l left was scary.

Particularly grammar and punctuation.

Most schools rely on cover supervisors, yes. You're right. This is exactly what the whole thread is about.

Would you get an unqualified, non-specialist in to cover an architect or lawyer's caseload? No? Well then these must be professional roles then.

Yes, I get that.

Best name ever!!

I'm sat here chuckling 🤭 😂

I left last Christmas. Did a year out. Thought I missed it. Lasted a week in a new teaching role and returned to my old job out of teaching

I don’t think there are many people that regret making a choice when the status quo doesn’t work for them any more, whether that is changing your job, leaving a partner or moving to a new house.

so I think you ABU just to think this is exclusive to teachers.

Much as you don’t hear happily married people moaning on Mumsnet, you don’t see teachers that love their job posting about it.

So I would say your view is skewed by what you see.

Absolute nonsense. Of course they are professionals.

@sourdoughnovice

Whether or not the grandiose and self-important phrase, 'The Teaching Profession' 😂, is a misnomer, isn't a question that has a definitive answer.

'Absolute nonsense' is only your opinion got up as fact.

Only teachers refer to 'the teaching profession'? People outside the sector (oops, sorry, 'The Profession') are apt to say 'teaching'. Why is this? Perhaps 'the teaching profession' dost protest too much.

Try harder.

Is that all you've got?

Education is a sector. Not all people who work in the education sector are teachers.

It's certainly all you deserve.

Only today I was reading through a document that referred three times to the nursing profession as well as medical professionals and healthcare professionals on further occasions. It also said 'childcare professionals'.

I imagine you think that doctors are professionals and nurses aren't.

Teaching is the thing we do. The teaching profession is the workforce, the career, the body of people and the thing we sign up to and train for.I don't say 'I am a teaching professional' when people aske me what I do , but I do refer to 'the profession'.

But then I am a 90s teacher so it seems I am 'an academic'.

I left 10 years ago when the workload was horrendous but less than now - never omce regretted it, even during the holidays.

@AllProperTeaIsTheft

Fair point, thank you. I was a mainstream teacher for 15 years with a TLR and an impossible marking load. It was the marking that drove me out in the end.

Never once did I speak about 'the teaching profession'. I don't understand where this phrase comes from. I think it's unthinking / unconscious, tbh.

In real professions, people would balk at the expectation they do so much additional work, for free!

Professions are jobs which require training and a professional qualification. There are certain jobs which are regarded as professions and teaching is one of them. Categorisation of a job as a profession is not based on working hours, working conditions or how much people like the job! It's not only teachers who refer to it as a profession.

I remember being taught in the 90's in a state secondary and if those teachers were more academic it certainly didn't equate to better teaching. I very much doubt any of those teachers were having to think about differentiation, EAL pupils, live modeling and effective Afl and all the rest of the endless expectations of what should be in every lesson.
I remember being told to turn to page X in a text book and answer the questions and homework could be design a poster - you wouldn't last 5 minutes if you tried that style of teaching now.
However, I do agree that it's worrying how very young teachers are promoted to senior roles that require a little life experience and a bit more maturity. When you have a 23 year old Head of Year that is probably working all the hours they can because they are still getting used to teaching let alone a whole new role ...it's actually unfair on those young teachers and they don't even realise it.

@cooljerk Very surprised to hear you'd.be happy with your child being "taught", possibly ft, by an unqualified teacher. You'd probably be in the minority here though.
If that was happening in my child's school I'd put her elsewhere.
But yes, keep on devaluing the profession and see what happens. It's bad enough as it is currently. I won't be all that bothered as my kids will have left education before it gets much worse and they will have had mostly qualified teachers.

Our unions are actually 'professional associations'. When I started teaching the very moderate one was called PAT - the Professional Association of Teachers.

Teaching has been called a profession for longer than people have been referred to as 'public sector workers'.

I would rather clean festival portaloos with bare hands than return to teaching (FE - 10 years)

And I adored that job before it got fucked

Wow its insane you don't have a job share but a cover supervjsor instead. I think you fully need to stop plugging the gap here. You are picking up the workload so this model will continue. It's not fair they do the challenging lessons but it's management fault not your responsibility.

My old company employed a few ex teachers as we were in the education industry. They all went back to teaching.

@AllProperTeaIsTheft but it is mainly teachers who use that three-word phrase, 'the teaching profession'

Care assistant and estate agents - all the sectors you can think of - are now expected to hold certification relating to their vocation. Teachers ('the teaching profession') don't have a monopoly on this.