Teaching- any other jobs that make you cry regularly?

[Whosaidthattt]

I quit teaching last year, after years in a negative, toxic environment, which I thought was my fault.
Most days, I cried on the way to work, at lunchtime in a cupboard or driving home. I now see that this was the culture rather than me. It took changing a 20 year career to see this.
Is there any other job out there that has staff regularly crying before/during/after work? It's so wrong!

i'm in banking compliance. It's stressful, male dominated, high demand, of course I cry regularly. It's responsible, indirectly if we make a wrong call, there are many jobs on the line. It pays quite well though and is interesting so I'm happy to continue.

I totally understand your pov and it’s awful how some people take it out on doctors/hospital receptionists. HOWEVER many receptionists seem to automatically start from a place of cold, uncaring hostility. Chances are if a person is visiting or contacting a surgery, they are feeling unwell and/or worried about their health or that of a loved one. A little compassion would go a long way. I always talk to receptionists politely but don’t always receive the same courtesy back from them.

I thought you guys were so overworked that your families, etc. suffered because of your lack of time, but you seem to be able to find the time to be on MN, read posts and even comment? However I did not know the profession made you cry - strange how it is near impossible to get into med these days - those silly entrants must not realise how horrible and underpaid the profession is.

This store manager - I wonder what sort of people he replaced all those he bullied out of their jobs with?

AE nurse. Horrific.

NHS has a very toxic environment. Let's just say not all nurses are angels...

I have cried over my career but always thought it was because I was not good enough somehow. The happiest person I know, in terms of loving his work is my family member who is a self employed tree surgeon. Has so much work he can name his price, work when he wants to, is healthy AF with no need for the gym, and providing opportunities for his sons and young apprentices.

Oh and unreasonable deadlines. Can't forget those.

Can anyone who has career changed to teaching from a corporate or professional services background comment on whether the hours in teaching are better or worse??

Solicitor. You get grief from everybody. Everybody. Nobody is happy.

I was a teacher for twenty years. When I first started, I used to leave work with a spring in my step. By the end, I’d be in tears the whole way home after holding it together all day.

Worse than that, every minute that I wasn’t at work, the stress and worry would eat away at me. The only thing that stopped the chatter in my head was alcohol.

I’m so glad I left. There’s lots about the job that I miss, but being treated like shit on a daily basis wears you down.

I'm a secondary teacher now. Rarely cry. But I have a fantastic support network. My daughter works in child protection. It's a shit show.

In my early career I worked in medical negligence specialising in obs and gynae. That was horrific.

I realised recently that my insatiable appetite for US medical dramas (Nightshift, Resident, etc.) is probably so I can externalise my emotions, i.e. have a good cry without disappearing down a rabbit hole.

Pretty much any healthcare role particularly A+E. We've nicknamed the clean utility the 'crying cupboard'. I'd day at least 1 member of staff is having a cry / mental breakdown per shift. Big shout out to our poor receptionists who seem to take the brunt of abuse from cross family members. Also solidarity to all the GPs posting, sorry to see things are equally as crap and unsustainable in primary care.

Yes, sadly I have seen GP and Hospital reception staff being far ruder to patients than I have ever seen a patient being rude to them. I've come across lovely staff but equally I have been shouted at for no reason.

An example being when I approached the orthopaedic out patient desk on crutches and was yelled at because apparently all the staff had been looking for me for half an hour because I'd disappeared after checking in and the Dr wanted my XRays. I hadn't checked in. My appointment was at 1.30pm and I had arrived at 1.15pm. Because I asked who they thought they were speaking to and to desist from raising their voices at me, they became even ruder and no doubt I was, in their minds a tiresome patient.

They then started on a young black man with a leg brace and spikes who I saw them misdirect up and down corridors. When he "lost it" they called security. It gave me great pleasure to intervene and be crystal clear there was provocation involved and make the point that I was in far less pain, white, middle aged and middle class and able to advocate for myself and had still been shouted at. I insisted the manager/matron was called. Blah, blah, busy clinics, excuses, etc. Quite honestly, I'm surprised nobody gave them a punch on the nose. Although I don't condone it, they deserved it.

Have been a solicitor for 30 years and have never cried in work
If I was regularly crying in work I would see my GP/seek counselling/ look for a new job/career
Life is too short to be miserable at work

A & E or GP receptionist is one job i would not do

For a bit of balance, I've been teaching over 25 years and can't remember how many times I've cried over my job, because it's been hardly any.

I love my job with a passion and skip into work most days. One school was not a pleasant workplace, so I handed my notice in after 5 weeks and had a new job for January.

I think if I did a straw poll of my 50+ current colleagues, most feel like I do.

These threads make me sad, as they paint all us teachers in the same crying light.

Having read this how on earth could you advise kids on a future career.

I used to have a horrible boss in one job but otherwise I've been really lucky. At one time I did the admin for the vice squad in my local force. It was trying at times but such a supportive team to work in. Occasionally something made me feel physically sick and I'd spend my lunch hour getting some fresh air rather than eating.

Huh! Do you really need clarification on that one? Are you living under a rock!?

Manager at a Wetherspoons. Sometimes cried stress, sometimes cried because physically assaulted by punters, occasionally cried because I burned myself in the kitchen. I haven’t do it for years now, and I’m glad I did it because it truly was baptism by fire (also met DP there).

Yep. Why I left the profession.

The thing is dd is a secondary teacher. She's 26 so early career teaching and a difficult demographic.

She leaves the house at 7am to get in for 7.30am. She gets PPA and breaks. She's finished at 4pm. Monday nights she has two tutoring sessions, Wednesdays she does an after school club. She spends no more than a couple of hours a couple of evenings doing prep/marking, and drafting emails to parents which I've helped her with. I have been astounded at the thank you's and gifts she has received.

One thing she does do which is above and beyond is to spend a week prepping for the curriculum at the end of holidays, getting her lesson plans and resources tee'd up.

I left teaching to work in a prison.

I’ve not cried one day since being there.
I would not go back.

Teaching in prison can be low paid and quite stressful (not because of the prisoners) but every teacher (ex primary, secondary and college) I’ve spoken to said they would not go back to teaching outside of a prison and would rather leave the profession completely.

It sounds soul destroying for many of you, do you ever think about alternative careers?

I get that it takes years to train and passion to get where you want to be.

Daughter wants to be a SEN teacher - I have my worries. Other alternatives LD nursing.

Are you still in law?
my DD has talked about a law degree- i don’t think her personality would cope with the environment you describe.

I always think that people who don’t have jobs that cause this amount of stress lived charmed lives 😭 I know I’ve got it the wrong way round. We should all be like that. Like when you hear about someone who has regular meal times, chance to exercise and the headspace to do things like gardening. My mind is blown frequently by other peoples seemingly more simple lives. I say seemingly, as of course you can never know what life is like for others.

I see it every single day in my own job and other people who come to see me. Lots of people are stressed to the point of tears and beyond.

Sorry, I hadn;t read the whole thread when I asked why corporate law was so regularly mentioned. So it seems to be the hours, the pressure from bosses and clients. Is that the same for defence, legal aid , private firms etc or is it just corporate? Just out of interest as I say my son has just been inducted and is working with a corporate firm and has been part time for years and hasn't struck any problems. Maybe its the move from paralegal to solicitor: pay goes up and expectations go up,
I will be so sorry for him if 5 1/2 years of work is all for waste.( He did a double degree with finance) but law was what he wanted. All the unhappy corporate lawyers have you thought of moving to company secretary, private practice, in-house advice for , well any company really. It just depresses me that all these smart people are sitting about crying and you have one of the most valued degrees in the world.
I hope it works out for all and I really hope it works out for my son!!!!