To consider quitting teaching before summer

[Anothernameschange]

Interested to hear from other teachers / ex teachers etc.

Sometimes it gets to the point when July seems a long way off and I'd love to leave this school/ position behind as soon as possible.

Is it crazy to think I don't even want to stick out to till then and leave earlier? Means I'll miss out of 6 weeks of summer pay.

The plan is to get out teaching and this awful job share - gone down to part time but still have 5 classes shared with an unqualified cover supervisor - so I'm responsible for classes, she just takes lessons she finds and hands out resources.
Right now feels tempting to even take a big pay cut if it means I get my weekends / evenings back.

Teaching is a lot like being on an abusive relationship. You don't realise the true extent ti which you are being abused until you leave.

This is the best description of the profession I've ever seen.

Honestly get out and put yourself first. The pay isn't worth it and yes it may only be another term but that term might as well be an eternity if you're at breaking point. 💐

Could you leave and do supply teaching?

I left teaching a few years back in July but put 31st August as my last day so I was paid over the Summer.

Well the school made the decision to have those pupils taught by a cover supervisor from September (same person for all the classes so it would appear that it was just their new English teacher) instead of actually advertising for a qualified teacher to cover mat leave / return to work part time....

Reminds me of the clapping for the NHS!

If you think the Cover Supervisor (who will be on support staff salary and dictated to what they are covering despite the NEU stating short term = 5 days/at most paid a non-qualified scale aka fuck all ) is "sailing through" or "has shortcomings" (What? For not being a specialist in a subject for a job they didn't apply for?) you are blaming the wrong person. Damned straight they're just finding lessons/handing out a worksheet - Cover Supervision is not meant to be a job share, not meant to be long term and too many of us are being exploited/taken advantage of by senior management, who are playing around with what they deem to be "absence" especially when it's actually a known vacancy.

I left at Easter and didn't start my new job properly until September.

Fortunate to be in a 2 income household but I tutored/supplied a little. I did some volunteering and spent time recovering.

The post about it being an abusive relationship is so accurate.

I'm going early . I single income household but I'm.so tired. Like teaching but just don't want yo work so hard. Too much of my time is spent disciplining pupils instead of teaching them. The senior management are in denial over behaviour

Not blaming anyone but the Op should not be the one to suffer by quitting her income

As everyone has told you OP, you've missed the deadline so it comes down to:
Negotiating a good reference and leaving earlier against not being written off sick/allowing them to advertise
Sticking it out but making it clear September things must change
Involving Union as it is not tenable for you work-wise in terms of workload you are doing against part-time hours
Involving HOD to change your classes or set more appropriate work for the CS (who shouldn't be having to find anything tbf)
Quitting without notice and hoping you won't be blackballed or sued ( but you'd need to have either got a job, be using a different referee or leaving the profession entirely)
Going to the GP and calling in sick (but you still need a Plan B or exit strategy)

I considered this but then hung on until the summer. Getting paid all the way up to September was probably worth it. The summer term seems to fly by. Having said that, the job made me poorly and I'm only just recovering. Hang on if you can but look after yourself. Good luck!

No she shouldn't but your post implied the CS was at fault - they're not. The leadership (i.e. the headteacher/deputy i/c of curriculum/timetable/Bursar or business manager) are at fault for putting both the OP and the CS in an impossible position.

YANBU wanting to get out asap. However if your school follows the burgundy book (like most do) then you are too late to leave at Easter - resignation date was 28th Feb.

No it didn't imply that at all and know perfectly well it's about management and improper use of TAs etc.

You will be the one to miss out for her shortcomings meanwhile she will sail through
So what on Earth was this comment meant to mean then?

A few people have mentioned that parents are the problem. What about some parents makes the job so hard?

The lack of respect and entitlement.

I've been shouted at and told a child's behaviour was my fault, I've been told it's my fault a child was behind in their work despite the parents taking them out on holiday for 2 weeks.

A colleague has had complaints from parents because they can't believe their darling child could possibly be lying about not doing their homework. My colleague is 'bulliying' their child by expecting it to be completed.

Parents regularly undermine everything we try to do. Which is fine: if you don't agree with the form of education a school offers it's cool. BUT you have chosen to send your child there every day, so you've bought in. If you don't like it, remove your child and - excuse my language but I'm really tired of it - fuck off.

I regularly spend Sundays contemplating quitting, OP. I've not even done a whole year yet.

Means basically she will lose a job nd wage and pick up any ensuing hardship whilst the other person keeps theirs. Quite simple really.

Nice try.
Shortcomings is a failing to meet a certain standard on their part when you know full well teaching is not their job.
Sailing through to September implies they'll succeed/move through quickly when you have no idea what their job conditions are.
The truth is they'll be on £1500 a month after tax; it is low-income work chosen mainly by those with caring responsibilities.
Do better.

This. What about your union ? If your mental health is suffering and your physical health is affected then go to you GP and take some time off. This wll get you closer to July and might highlight your challenges to management. You deserve better, this is just a job you shouldn't have to feel like this.

Totally wrong end of the stick you got here.

@Julimia and @WhyDidPunxutawneyPhilHaveToSeeHisShadow I can see where you are both coming from.

Ultimately it is a failing of management when it comes to recruitment and understanding how people work. As I was due to come back from mat leave in the autumn term (they didn't think to check with me before I left to confirm this but that's another thread) the management thought they could hire a qualified teacher with some subject knowledge but without giving her any firm contract or indication of how long the role will last for...surprise surprise she didn't stay till the end of the week. Queue vacancy which they didn't want to go to hassle to advertise for so they nabbed the cover supervisor...that could have been forgiven if they hadn't decided to make it a long term thing when I returned.

Again that could have been another vacancy for a part time qualified English teacher...but I'm sure it was cheaper to use the cover supervisor.

Given that I have missed the deadline to leave before summer I think I'll accept that.
What I am curious to know is if anyone has ever felt it's warranted to leave before then? Eg hand in notice before Feb 28 and miss out on summer pay? If you get a different job does it work out as ok financially? I know it's not relevant to me anymore but if I'm ever in this situation again I dont want to see out the rest of the year if by January I feel I have had enough.

Don't deprive yourself of the summer holiday pay and don't leave without the correct half-term's notice, because teaching is a really useful stand-by job while you relaunch yourself. You can always pick up a short-term contract, maternity leave, or supply.
For the time being, do as little as possible and stop preparing lessons for the TA - just give her the subject she should cover, and let her do the detailed prepping. Cut out any irrelevant or future-oriented tasks demanded by your current employers - you won't be there anyway.

What you do need to do now is work on your non-teaching abilities - make sure you are up-to-date with all IT skills and any relevant developments in your chosen field(s). Do online courses where you can. Get your CV sorted, and think out answers to interview questions in advance. Check your wardrobe for suitable clothing too.
A lot of teaching skills are transferable, so work out what yours are and emphasise them: for example, the ability to manage people and supervise group efforts, to prepare material and deliver it confidently to a varied audience, to think on your feet. Approach it like a project and be positive!

What I am curious to know is if anyone has ever felt it's warranted to leave before then? Eg hand in notice before Feb 28 and miss out on summer pay? If you get a different job does it work out as ok financially?

I know plenty of people who did this. They just 'went at Easter', they didn't mention the summer pay. Some had jobs lined up for after Easter, and some didn't.

How it works out financially will obviously depend on every individual household, who else is earning, how big the mortgage is, whether there's another job to go to etc etc