Becoming a primary school teacher

[ToysRus56]

Hiya, I'm considering becoming an early years/ primary school teacher. I have two children 6 and 8, so I'm conscious life is busy as it is. But I'm stuck in a corporate job I hate. Everyone seems to warn me off it.... What are people's views? Both good and bad welcome...

Do you like to go to your children’s school events?
Are you able to spend evenings and weekends working?
Do you have after school care for your children?
Do you have any experience of being in a primary classroom?

Volunteer or see if you can get a job as a TA and see how you get on.

Pros: none
Cons: Don't do it the kids are feral.

I agree with the previous poster. Do some research first.

I was originally a secondary English teacher but moved into museum education. After I had my children I wanted to work locally so re-trained for primary (I loved the idea of being able to teach all kinds of lovely, interesting subjects to my class). But the reality of the situation was that the curriculum was so crowded that I found myself rushing through lessons (ruled by the clock) and it was frustrating and miserable sometimes. So little time for creativity, and so much stupid testing and practising for tests when I was there. It was partly the result of the regime at that particular school, but even so - it wasn't the creative, stimulating, child-led environment I'd imagined.

I was good in the sense that I did what was required - I got all 'Excellents' in our Ofsted. But I knew it wasn't really education...it was rather depressing, and I left after 5 years.

Volunteer or see if you can get a job as a TA and see how you get on.

Excellent advice.

Also look at how many vacancies there are, my daughter and her friends, recent graduates can find no posts.

Thanks everyone - I'm going to get some TA experience. Just interested to hear people's perspectives. There seem to very few people that love it...

People warned me off it too and I wish that I had listened. Awful, awful job. Workload is completely ridiculous so it's very stressful and you have no time for your own children. In school at 7:30 so they have to go to breakfast club. Leave about 5, pick them up from after school club, shove some dinner down them, rush them into bed, work till late. Repeat every fucking day. Plus at least half a day on Sunday.

I did some volunteering beforehand. It seemed great. Hanging out with kids, teaching them, guiding them, giving something back. But you don't really know what it's like until you are the teacher. Avoid at all costs.

If you need a break, better (and cheaper) just to take a year off.

what year do you teach @Ablondiebutagoody?

I trained in Y5 plus half a term in Y1. Taught in Y6. I quit after a year.

I was a primary school teacher for 20 years. I left about 7 years ago when it became an academy. Toxic environment, no room for creativity, one size fits all approach - ridiculous.
I don't think it's the lovely job it was. And I did love it - til I didn't.
But, all schools are different - I'd do some volunteering definitely, but even this might not show you what it's really like nowadays.
Best of luck.

Stick to your corporate job

the grass is definitely not greener

anyone enjoy it?!

Agree. It used to be a lovely job but not now. All the creativity is being crushed out of it

Why do you think you would enjoy it? Why are you interested?

you’re getting negative responses (but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong) because your post implies that it would be nicer than the corporate world- but honestly it’s the same shite and KPIs but you have to back boards with colourful paper and be accountable for 30 little people’s education AND safeguarding.

the kids are lovely but the curriculum is so broad and unmanageable and only accessed fully by about 60% of the average cohort, so there is no time to play Miss Honey.

‘Ofsted’ is often rolled out as a reason why the job is miserable, but tbh I worked in pretty ‘sane’ schools, but they have to have class sizes of 30 and go through the same processes directed by the local authority and the same
curriculum coverage- so what can they do?

i was actually very lucky in my teaching career (my face ‘fit’, I was well respected and had a lot of agency) but unfortunately the foundations (massive class sizes, sprawling curriculum, little support for children with trauma and neurodiversity) are so shaky that you couldn’t take solace in the nice bits.

My corporate job is much less ‘rewarding’ but I am less stressed, don’t have negative parent/tyrannical SLT interactions to play over in my anxiety brain, I get paid more and I can go to the toilet when I like. And on reflection, a lot of my job wasn’t rewarding because I could see that the curriculum wasn’t working and a lot of children were being failed. That’s why I left. Not because of ofsted or a scary headteacher.

the only people who I know wholeheartedly enjoys it is someone who works very rurally who has 12 pupils and can really do things at her class’ pace with great autonomy.

I taught Reception for almost a decade. I loved it! That year group was a great match for me. Best bits- not constantly changing year group, I could refine things year on year. Keeping the same incredible TA. We worked seamlessly together. The children. Learning through play. Following their interests. Thinking up creative things to do. Being outdoors a lot. Talking and singing a lot. Worst bits- behaviour of certain children and parents. Being micromanaged about nonsense which is absolutely not for the benefit of the children. Taking on significant extra responsibilities and not being paid for them, annoying on principle.

I always dreamed of being a SAHM, so was always going to resign when pregnant with DS. For me, teaching is now incompatible with my love of doing the school run, attending all school events, being available for my own children when they are ill and after school. So I won’t be returning, but I have very fond memories of my time as a teacher.

Honestly, volunteering won't give you any idea of the actual workload.
I am in school every day for 7:30 and leave around 5:30 as I want to see my kids. Kids get worse every year, parents hold you to an impossible standard. The amount of admin is endless and painfully a lot of it is pointless. It is a maddening and endless stream of box ticking.

When I first started, I calculated that that actual amount of hours I worked on my salary was equivalent to minimum wage. As a parent, it is not family friendly in anyway apart from the fact that you have the holidays. You can't do any drops offs, pick ups, see any performances of your own kids.

I would got back and tell my younger self not to do it and caution everyone who considers it to be very aware that the workload, pressure and stress will be very high.

Thank you everyone - its very useful to have this. I love children, I'm creative, I find children's education very interesting. But I also love flexibility and being around for my kids. Are there any other careers that might work?

I love my job.
Primary teacher 8 years.
Range of stages covered.
But I am VERY vocal and VERY stubborn.

I do my direct time and make sure it is all accounted for. I don't do ANY admin task I simple refuse and say "o that's an admin task so I will pass to Admin team." If it doesn't get done, again not my issue my response to SLT is I passed it on to Admin. They bitched and moaned of course at first probably still do. I stood my ground , referenced government docs etc they soon gave up moaning at me at least.

I don't copy/chop again either my TA or office do it.

I plan during my PPA that I take off site to avoid being disturbed it is not directed time so by law you can do this.

Always escalate any behaviour where learning is being stopped and no classroom management has worked- not acceptable stops me from being able to do my job so SLT have to solve.

Teachers are being abused in many schools , but you have a voice and you have rights as much as the children in your class have the right to a decent education. You have to be able to stand up for yourself or you will have no chance as SLT will walk all over you.

Very sad but true.

But I love teaching and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

O and also if you asked to do anything extra IE a report/form for escalating reasons/ other professionals, make sure you ask for time out to do it, if it is not in your directed time calender.

No, no a thousand times no.

Whatever stress you currently have in your job, multiply it by 10. You will never please anybody, you will have SLT on your back, continual ridiculous complaints from parents and pupils......... and I worked in a school where we didn't receive direct emails.

No amount of holidays can make up for the shit that is teaching nowadays.

It's never dull but you have to be "on" all the time. You are working with kids from 8.40-3.15 then you have to do all lesson preparation, marking, paperwork (endless) outside of that time. If you've got a headache or you're having an off day then you still have to get on with it. You can't have a morning sitting making a PowerPoint on your computer or answering emails.

Check out the job situation
Where we are (Scotland central belt) there are virtually jobs

I was good in the sense that I did what was required - I got all 'Excellents' in our Ofsted. But I knew it wasn't really education...

That succinctly sums up the state of education today. Desperately sad. So much wasted teacher talent; so much wasted pupil talent.

Goodness knows how the system can extricate itself from this mess.

To the OP - if this is what you want you need to be selective about where you finish up teaching If you are tied to one place then you need to look at the local schools and think hard. We have a charming small village school with good discipline and a loving ethos. But not all schools qare like this.

Wherever you might finish up you will not be able to avoid the dead hand of statistics, testing, rigid curricula etc. etc. Think hard before taking the plunge ........

I love it but I’ve done it since I was younger and pre-children. I’ve known a few mature students who have come into it later. They have both been shocked at how hard you work (compared to what they expected), how much pressure and the criticism from parents. It’s more than a job, it’s giving up evenings to volunteer for an event, thinking of ideas for the start of a new topic, wondering if the parent who complained yesterday will complain to the head etc. but I love it and am used to it. You have to really want to do it!

My OH worked in an Outstanding school in London - it was hell.
Expected to be in at 7am and endless meetings etc after school - finally leaving around 7pm, not to mention evening events and weekends.

No job is worth that amount of your life.