How many teachers have had a career elsewhere?

[Earnsomething]

And if they have, does that change their perception of how good/bad the job is?

I've been teaching for 6 years now, after 23 years in Corporate Banking.

Teaching brings a unique set of challenges and pressures but that's the point, that's why it's so rewarding IMO. There is a level of scrutiny (doesn't there need to be?) but nothing like what I experienced before where results and progress were reported weekly and moved to daily if you were considered to be underperforming. OFSTED like audits happened four times a year.

I work fewer hours now and have more flexibility over when I work them (outside 9-4), then there are the holidays, during which, yes I do some work but in my past life, if I had a holiday coming up in 6 weeks, it was getting close. My work life balance is better, by a long way.

Students and parents can be unreasonable in their demands but so can customers at a bank, believe me!

I don't earn as much, but then I'm fairly new in the job. My salary before was similar to a UPS3 teacher with TLR, so not different to many teachers with 23 years' experience.

I hear the complaints of my colleagues and yes, of course we all have days when we think we'd rather do anything else, but sometimes I wonder if they would benefit from having done "anything else". Most teachers, apart from PT jobs whilst studying, don't seem to have done other work.

Please don't see this as teacher bashing, I'm just interested in why so many teachers seem so unhappy, when it's by far the best job I've ever had, in so many ways.

I don't get why anyone would make a judgement.

As I said, they're just different. My city job was really silly hours and pressured... but well paid. Hated commuting. Hated the "rah" element of city life, and the old boy thing. Hated the fact is was so blatantly sexist.

Teaching has different pressures.

What does peeve me is when non teachers pretend those pressures don't exist, or try to make out teachers are whining. I don't belittle anyone else when they talk about their work pressures.

Where on earth do you work , by the way, OP, where your school day starts at 9?

have met some seriously moany workshy jobsworthy people. More so than as a teacher.

That was very much my experience too. My mum was a Senior manager at utilities company for decades she always used to complain about the number of work shy, lead swingers on her team.

I can’t say I know a single member of staff in my department who isn’t working at full tilt all the time. There is no way you’d be able to stick it out as a lazy bones in teaching these days.

Unless you're male and get into SLT because of your banter Belle

@Piggywaspushed

Urgh- SLT bros. I could tell some stories. I bet we all could.

I think it depends on the subject and whether it is a school of an FE college. Almost every teacher in FE has had another career often linked to the subject they are teaching. Health and social care teachers have often worked in the nHS, care homes or the voluntary sector.

Hairdressing, motor mechanics, catering, all will have teachers from industry.

As already said, teaching has different stresses

[quote BelleSausage]@Piggywaspushed

Urgh- SLT bros. I could tell some stories. I bet we all could.[/quote]
I can definitely tell some stories!

I came into teaching after another career, I'm now an experienced teacher who's worked in many different schools. I don't think it's fair to say that teachers who went straight into it don't know the "real world". Would you say that about other professions, as Piggy said?

Many teachers are unhappy because of the tick-box mentality many SLTs seem to have. The actual teaching part seems, in many schools, to have become such a minor part of the job. OP, it's great this is the best job you've ever had, but that's no reason why those who've only taught can't be disillusioned by their jobs.

I think the subject also affects the number of career changers per department : maths and science tend to have more than English. In my large Eng faculty of 14 teachers, only two entered the profession later. In our school, most of our maths teachers are career teachers, but I know this is often not the case in other schools.

Wasn't actually me who said that sally but absolutely , it was a great point!

Sorry, Piggy, hard to remember who said what on previous pages! But yes, great point. I have a cousin who went into nursing straight from school. I wonder who would tell her she doesn't "know the real world"?

I agree OP. I think it ought to be mandatory for teachers to do some work in industry before they start teaching, and to have industry experience every 5/10 years or so.

I used to be a governor at the local Academy. Most of the teachers had little knowledge of the world they were training their pupils to enter.

Hilarious. I'm a history teacher. What industry should I pop in and out of every 10 years?
Do dentists need to do this too by the way? The assumption that teaching isn't a real job in its own right oozes from your post.

There’s some absolute nonsense on this thread.
Do pp see the irony of making a judgment based on the handful of teachers they have met about how narrow minded people who’ve only ever taught are I wonder.

@WhatWouldDominicDo

I agree OP. I think it ought to be mandatory for teachers to do some work in industry before they start teaching, and to have industry experience every 5/10 years or so.

I used to be a governor at the local Academy. Most of the teachers had little knowledge of the world they were training their pupils to enter.

See, it’s comments like this that make me despair of some of the Governors schools have to put up with.

I did have more than one job prior to training to be a teacher but I am not sure how working in an office prepared me any better for some of the various circumstances dealing with children, some situations pretty horrific, than actual specific training when teaching?

This snobbery from some about ‘having to have a career beforehand’ needs to be stamped out and every member of staff taken on their own merit.

Schools work best when they have a variety of staff, from different backgrounds, different ages and sexes and all are equally valued and supported by all.

@WhatWouldDominicDo

I agree OP. I think it ought to be mandatory for teachers to do some work in industry before they start teaching, and to have industry experience every 5/10 years or so.

I used to be a governor at the local Academy. Most of the teachers had little knowledge of the world they were training their pupils to enter.

What a load of tosh.

We're not "training pupils for the world". We are teaching them knowledge on different subjects, giving them skills and helping them gain qualifications. It is the job of the separate industries to train their own staff.

And by "the world", I mean the world of industry the pp was referring to.

Why has the OP not been back considering how interested she was to talk to other teachers who’ve had more than one career?

Good luck to all the primary schools going back into schools today

Should have said “primary staff” sorry.

OP what do you make of everyone’s comments on this thread?

Would help to know what age group and subject you teach and what kinds of schools you’ve worked in?

5/10 years in industry before anyone goes into teaching?! Are you kidding?! So let’s say you’ve got your degree in education which gives you a huge insight into key things like child development. What sort of ‘industry’ job would you be able to get with such qualifications? Would you not, as the employer in this marvellous place, wonder why this person was not going into the are in which they had trained? Would you hire them above someone who had studied something relevant? Perhaps question their long term commitment to your company as they clearly want to do something else?

If I go and work in banking for 5 years, what unique insight will that give me into how best to teach 4 and 5 year olds? What about children with SEN? Will that help me know how to manage their needs?

Oh and let’s not forget that I may end up being faced with a very significant drop in salary as I go back to the job I wanted to do in the first place, having worked in another industry first.

Can you imagine saying to a newly qualified doctor ‘Well done on achieving the qualifications required for the professional job you’ve always wanted to do!! Now off you pop to work in marketing for 5 years’. No, I can’t either.

Doesn’t really matter if Some people find work harder than others in the same conditions. Maybe OP was used to working long hours in the city and felt more pressure because more scrutinised. Maybe some care a lot for their pupils and stress about doing all they can and burn out?

The point is that many state schools find it hard to retain teachers long term. Many drop out due to working conditions, stress. That is uneconomical in terms of investment in training and should cause people to think about how to improve things.

I am also wondering who is going to pick up the bill for teachers wandering out of their post every 5 - 10 years to get some 'industry experience' (can I write a book? Pen some poetry?). What happens about replacing me?

Do we expect university academics do have done something else , too? (obviously , some may have done but I doubt most have in many subjects) . Next time I encounter a physio, I'll demand to know why they didn't work in an accountancy firm first. Or I'll ask an accountant why they didn't try a bit of light dental training for a while.

Maybe it should be the other way round. Maybe people should all have a go at teaching every 5 years before they opine on the 'real world'.

Well I totally agree.

Maybe all graduates should be made to teach their subjects for a few years.

It's yet another teacher denigrating comment as nobody suggests solicitors or dentists don't inhabit the "real world"

Teachers see far more of the real world than you think. Neglectful parenting, abuse....no cosseted office life.

I worked in industry for many years before teaching. I love teaching but don't regret coming to it later.
Work in a few state schools doing supply initially but now work full time a lovely indie secondary.
With fewer hours now than in previous career, can walk to work and the holidays are a massive bonus. I don't think people who have only ever worked in education realise what a privilege the holiday are.
I agree that real life experience in something outside the public sector should be a requirement -but it will never happen in the state sector, sadly.

We could all do it, and call it National Service. Bankers should be made to work in food banks. Premier league footballers for the Jobcentre. Spiffing plan.

My Dad was a teacher (now retired) he trained in his early 40s and always felt those teachers who had a bit of life experience and hadn't always been in the education system were better.