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Original poster

How do you teach?

64 replies

StarChartEsq · 09/04/2014 10:32

I'm thinking seriously about training to become a teacher. I have always wanted to but been put off by a)My parents (who were teachers), b)the very un-child-friendly expectations of most schools towards teachers' kids.

I'm entering my 40s, with young children and looking at Primary, particularly infants though I'd like to teach Juniors too.

My questions really are:

How do you manage the work load with a family?
Am I right that I'd never be able to go to my kids' class assemblies or parents consultations?
Do I need to up my energy levels significantly?

And:

How do you arrange childcare for your Primary aged children? I have 3 and a full-time Nanny will cost almost double my starting salary and I am at a loss to know how to arrange it during training. Any one have any ideas?

Many tia

OP posts:

blackcoffee · 09/04/2014 23:34

also I am EYFS which is full on during the day and heavy on planning/resourcing/evidence collection but light on marking

Hobnobissupersweet · 10/04/2014 00:07

Secondary here as well, drop my dcs off at before school club at 7:45 am, am at work around 8:10 am, most days I work until 5 ish and collect them from school by 5:30pm, tbh it is no different to when I had my oldest and worked in the NHS. I spend plenty of time with them in the early evenings then pull a hefty late nighter. I do see my kids, IMO one of the advantages of teaching is after 3:30 most work can be taken home and done at any point between then and the next morning ( or later depending on if I see that group that day). I never get to see Christmas productions/ assemblies but do get to sports days/ similar in the summer as we have a civilised policy once y11/12/13 go on study leave and I can often get out then.

CharlesRyder · 10/04/2014 07:50

It does depend on the age of your kids though Philoslothy. My 3yo is in bed at 6.30pm so getting home at 6pm didn't leave me any time with him other than bath and story.

When I was picking him up at 6pm he'd had dinner at the CMs and would often fall asleep in the car on the way home so my only interaction with him became waking him up and hassling him out of the door to get back to the CM's.

I wasn't happy with that.

sashh · 10/04/2014 09:01

Have you considered FE?

It is much more flexible, most people train part time over 2 years and work during that time.

When I say more flexible you might have a class from 7 - 9pm, and then a day off during the week.

The downside is you have to find your own teaching jobs/placements and there are a lot of zero hours contracts.

At one stage I had three part time teaching jobs, one was an evening session.

morethanpotatoprints · 10/04/2014 09:12

Hello OP.

I did a F.E PgCE and had placement in the college as did all students, most colleges offer this now.
I found it almost impossible to do the work, found out it wasn't teaching but filling in forms and left after a year.
Its very hard work, you are never finished and unless you have help at home your family life and dc will suffer.
I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Sorry.

teacherwith2kids · 10/04/2014 10:28

"I do see my kids, IMO one of the advantages of teaching is after 3:30 most work can be taken home and done at any point between then and the next morning"

Exactly. That is my experience, and why teaching works for me as a career. The time when it is most critical for my children that I am around - roughly 4.30 - 8, depending on the after school activities of the day - I am around, but i can still put in the number of hours per day that, IME, are expected of almost all professions in the modern world. I work a very similar total number of hours to my DH, and similar to the hours I did as a middle manager in a big company: around 10 hours per day routinely, more at times, occasionally less. I just work them in a more disjointed fashion!

And the holidays are great for children.

Philoslothy · 10/04/2014 11:26

Add message | Report | Message poster CharlesRyder Thu 10-Apr-14 07:50:31
It does depend on the age of your kids though Philoslothy. My 3yo is in bed at 6.30pm so getting home at 6pm didn't leave me any time with him other than bath and story.

I quod guess that most people who work full time get home at around 6pm. The joy of teaching is that many evenings you can leave school just after the bell and therefore see your 3 year old.

CharlesRyder · 10/04/2014 16:10

You can't ever leave just after the bell on SLT sadly.

Philoslothy · 10/04/2014 16:12

I am SLT and leave on the bell at least once of not twice a week.

ApricotExpat · 10/04/2014 16:30

Hi,

From my experience,
Pros
Yes the holidays are great to be with your children.
If you're children are at the same school, then you are at least in the same campus
You could choose to travel the world on the international teaching circuit, thus showing your children a multitude of different cultures etc

Cons
You are not the person who takes your children to school
You are not the person who your children run to at pick up time
You are knackered when you get home in time for supper / bath / bed routine.
After the children are in bed, you have to work, so no cozy evening with your husband.
When you've finished the evenings work, prepared everything for your students and your own children, you are too tired for sex!
You still have A LOT of work to do at the weekend.

It was great fun, but I'd much rather be 100% mum than trying to juggle everyone's needs.

When they're older...? I doubt it, but possibly.

Good luck!

rollonthesummer · 13/04/2014 19:02

Training and nqt are the hardest.

I would disagree with this; I found the year after my NQT to be even harder! Your PPA/NQT time is gone and no allowances are made any more.

I do enjoy my job-I love the children and I actually quite like doing displays and planning (though I like thinking of lovely activities, not endlessly agonising over learning objectives) but it's killing me. The pointless changes that have been implemented recently and the evidence trails we have to do are destroying the job. I wouldn't recommend anyone I know train now.

TheLateMrsLizCromwell · 14/04/2014 14:35

Finding this very interesting! OP, I am older than you, and in my training year ( School Direct, unsalaried, PGCE). I would have loved to teach when I was younger, but having taught as a postgrad, I knew that it is not at all a 'family friendly' job, despite the school hols. I had a career in another profession, where I lobbied my employer for term-time only working, and got it. So could attend sports days etc that I could not have as a teacher. When my youngest DC went to secondary school last year, I was free to follow my dream, and finally did my training, as the DC do not need me to attend daytime school events.
Somehow, presumably because of the school hols, a lot of people think teaching is the easy option - it isn't. Like most teachers, I really enjoy the part in the classroom - but what had made me decide not to teach after my PGCE year is the relentless moving targets and data, and impossible differentiation of 30 pupils, 15 of which are SEN and/or EAL - they deserve a superhuman person, and I am not superhuman. So... I have enjoyed the year, but full-time teaching - nah. DH, who was supportive, but when pressed said he thought it would not be the behaviour or hours that would put me off, but the mindless bureaucracy, was proved right. (He has not said 'told yer so' - maybe he is superhuman )

rollonthesummer · 15/04/2014 10:03

I had a career in another profession, where I lobbied my employer for term-time only working, and got it. So could attend sports days etc that I could not have as a teacher.

You've lost me here; you lobbied to only work term time and that allowed you to attend sports days etc? Would these things not have occurred during the terms?!

TheLateMrsLizCromwell · 15/04/2014 14:37

I worked flexibly - had a great employer. No problem about taking a few hours of for sports day, made it up at other time.I did work long hours, but was able to work around the DC.

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