Any teachers on here?

[Isteachingalwaysthisbad]

This isn't AIBU but hoping for opinions on my little sister's primary teaching job. My heart breaks for her. Sorry it's long.

She is in her 2nd year of teaching (ect) and is planning to give it all up and change career which is sad because she loves the job but feels it's the only option for her mental health. She always wanted to teach.

In her current class she has three SEN pupils but only has a teaching assistant a couple of hours per day. Also a large number of pupils are working years behind, plus also various behavior issues amongst the class.There is little support from SLT and they cannot offer any further support (staff shortages etc).

On top of this there are aggressive parents who shout and swear in the playground and also to the teachers. They also fight with other parents. My sister feels very threatened by some of them.

Parents complain to SLT with minor issues such as child had toy taken from them in class, ( shouldn't be playing with in any case), child wasn't selected for something etc

The children do like her and are always writing her little notes and telling her she is their favorite teacher.

Do other teachers out there have to deal with the same, is this what teaching is about nowadays?

I am a TA. The school that I work in now is a million times better than the one that I was in before in terms of behaviour. It isn’t a private school, so it is certainly possible to find a good school that isn’t private. However, the experiences in my first school are more of the norm, so she would have to decide if it is worth it. Going to teach in a private school is also an option, but a lot are very competitive with even experienced teachers not getting those jobs.

The first thing that a teacher friend in Australia did when they visited earlier in the year was to complain of exactly the same things that teachers here in the UK complain about. Violence in the classroom, no support from parents, kids running riot, having more children with multiple severe needs than they can handle etc. It unfortunately appears to be a problem in several countries.

I personally do not think teaching is worth it, although with ai taking so many jobs, it is also important to think about what else she could do.

This is the reality in most schools. It’s worth completing the ECT year if at all possible and using the qualification to do something else. Teaching took 25 years of my life, I left four years ago.

My advice would be not to change too quickly. Look at teaching in a private school - much better with far fewer issues. Alternatively would she be willing to look at teaching in English language schools abroad - eg China, Dubai and so on. Good money to be made if she is free to move around.

As a primary school teacher, this is just how it is now. The higher up you get, the worse it gets.

I was a TA - I lasted 18 months! Wow working in a school is an eye opener! My heart goes out to teachers! For her own mental health - cut and run!

SEN school. Smaller classes, more actual interaction with kids.

Also look at teaching abroad ( proper teaching as opposed to teaching English)

Change schools before changing careers. There are 'normal' schools out there.

Private/independant school would be a game changer. You might get some entitled parents/students but atleast you won't have any "rough" parents and children are behaving properly. Teachers can teach and do not have to be police/social workers as in public schools.

I wouldn't assume that village schools are any better. They have the same issues and often classes have 2 or 3 year groups in together. That's hard enough to teach without all the other stuff as well.

Teachers still have to report safeguarding concerns in private schools. The worst teaching year of my life was in a private school, I resigned after a term. OP, please make sure your daughter is in a union.

Yes that's exactly what it's like. I have been a primary teacher for 20 years and throughout that time things have changed so much.

The level of needs in mainstream primary school is now insane due to "inclusion". Inclusion started off with children who would normally have been in a special needs school being supported in a mainstream school but cue years of cut backs a teacher is lucky if she gets any support in the classroom. One child in a class can literally ruin the entire school experience for others. It's just awful tbh.

Parents are quick to blame staff but don't give the same effort to supporting their child at home etc. Many children are starting school having never heard the word no so school is a shock to the system.

Teacher (secondary) and union rep.

Firstly, is there a rep at her school? If not, she should contact her local branch. It's completely normal for a branch secretary to go in and give the head a good talking to about staff welfare. There's no way your sister should be so badly unsupported.

Secondly, the Education Support Line (open 24/7) are there to help teachers who are in her position. Sometimes, just knowing that another person 'gets it' is very comforting.

Thirdly, it's ok to take some time out and regroup. The system is under so much pressure at the moment and teachers are subject to what almost seems like hatred from certain sections of society. It's hard to keep going.

Finally, I know a fair few primary teachers who've jumped ship to secondary. They're invaluable for KS3 and transition. They're universally surprised by the difference in school culture and the way staff behave towards eachother. I work in a very tough environment, however, the support of colleagues, gallows humour and being able to actually communicate meaningfully with learners makes a huge difference. Just something to maybe think about.

Sounds fairly normal

This is good advice - I moved to secondary after 8 years in primary and never returned to primary. I wouldn’t go back to either now.

Even as a teacher with years of experience, in a school with a supportive SLT, the children’s behaviour is becoming more and more challenging year on year and the job is pretty much unrecognisable from 25 years ago. The lack of funding means support in the classroom is limited too which makes it even harder. My advice would be get out now before she becomes trapped by the wage and finds it more difficult to move.

It's management that makes or breaks a school.
I've taught in a large range of schools and the enjoyable ones are the ones that are realistic about their issues and have support systems. Some of the schools that I've enjoyed most aren't the best on paper or have challenging catchments; some of the hardest have been complacent on "good" catchments and have a blame the teacher culture (oh and some outright feral schools)

It is worth completing QTS. It improves opportunities and potential pay progression if in related jobs.

Honestly, that's mild. Last time I only had 3 children with SEN in a class was 2014. Last time I had a TA at all was 2021. Aggressive parents depends on the schools demographic. I've worked in schools where it was a daily occurrence and other schools where it was once a year tops. Parents complaining about nonsense has got much, much worse particularly post-covid.

I left this summer just gone, and don't think I'll ever go back. It's become an untenable job. The workload I could deal with. What pushed me over the edge was that no matter how much you give, there just isn't the funding or resources to do a good job.

This is normal for a lot of schools. It’s tough.

The second and third years of teaching are brutal. You're experienced enough to have your own classes and a pretty much full time workload but you lack the depth of experience and resilience to cope with everything that's thrown at you. It is overwhelming and exhausting and you have to just take it one day at a time. Teaching is such a highly skilled job, that very few people outside of the profession truly understand. It takes about five years to become competent, and fifteen years in, I am still constantly learning how to do my job better.

If you love the kids and the art of teaching, then it's worth sticking it out. That is what keeps me in the classroom. I'm permanently knackered and it does take over my life, but the joy and fulfilment I get from it is worth it for me. I love my colleagues, I love my school community, I love the buzz and the chaos and the constant need to be creative and innovative.

I'm an English teacher and I think it's the best job in the world. Talking about life and literature with kids is just brilliant. I cried last week watching my Year 10s recite the poems they'd written about themselves. It's a beautiful, life-affirming thing, being part of children's growth from innocence to experience.

But you have to be thick skinned, you have to be resilient, you have to be able to tell parents where to go, you have to let SLT's shit just run off you like water off a duck's back. I just very quietly don't do as I'm told when it comes to unnecessary admin and no one ever notices. I am very firm with parents and they back off quickly once they realise I know what I'm talking about and they're not going to get what they want. After a while, if you stick around for long enough, and are known to be competent and get good results, you do get left alone to just get on with your job.

My recommendation is for your sister to find a new school and see how she gets on there. Finding the right school is central to having a good experience. That being said, the first three years are incredibly hard, no matter where you are. You do to a certain extent just have to grin and bear it, and then it does get better, because your growing competence enables you to handle the challenges with more aplomb.

Im an ex teacher. Made it 4 years and then become part of the statistic that 1 in 3 leave within 5 years. I pretty much had a breakdown after getting a new job in a better school and finding it was just more of the same issues. Went back to supply for a bit and now I work a minimum wage job from home and honestly I couldn't be happier.

It might get better but it also might not. Mental health is more important and now I can actually spend time with my family

Nice schools do exist! I teach Year 6 and I absolutely love my job. My class are gorgeous (I do have about 6 on the SEND register, one with an EHCP and one who needs a 1:1 but doesn’t have one) and our SLT are great. I have been teaching for about 16 years though so a lot of the workload is reduced for me because of experience.

I genuinely don’t know how some of you work 45 / 50 hour weeks then still bring work home… What on earth do you still have to do?!

OP, teaching is HARD. Any job at this level is hard, and top of the payscale you’re looking at 60k when you factor in holidays and pension. I’m not really sure what people expect?! I think a lot of teachers just enjoy being woe is me I’ve got the hardest job in the world tbh

I’ve been teaching for 15 years, I remember working in schools like that and it’s just not worth it.
Today, I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the school i’m in (Sen with great slt) and experience and a catalogue of resources, but I’ve cracked it. Im in at 8 and I leave at 4. Very rarely do work at home. I never had a desire to climb the ladder and take on more work as it’s very rarely worth it in teaching.
I would say what I have is a rarity and I don’t blame teachers for leaving in droves

teaching is a trade off in that it’s a job where you get 13 weeks holiday a year and never have to work weekends or worry about holiday childcare. In return you have to deal with the fact that you’re working g within a broken system which is a huge ball ache. Your sister’s experience is pretty typical to be honest the whole system needs a huge cash injection plus overhaul.