21 years of teaching and I'm done

[everychildmatters]

The title says it all really. I'm 44 and totally exhausted, and that's with only teaching directly part-time in primary (currently Y6).
The job is nothing like the one I started out doing.
I'm now considering SEN tutoring (EHCP primary) as SEN is my absolute passion. It will be in homes, with children currently unable to access mainstream settings.
My biggest worry is it's not going to work financially? I need at least two students, a minimum of 20 hours pw. Below this and we're going to struggle to pay the rent, CT, food bills etc.
And of course holiday pay and pension affected too as through agency and not a permanent contract.
Any words of wisdom?

@Flippingflamingo Sounds brilliant! What do you get in terms of holiday pay and pension?

@drspouse I'm not sure if the pay would be enough? I can't afford to drop my income.

The course is part time, yes. You seem to be talking about having to teach till retirement. What about the counselling?

That would be a good top up in the holidays, I was thinking.
We get minimum wage to pay the PA.
But as upthread we approached a tutor agency about a mentor and they said they charge £75 per hour.
We could pay that, but they couldn't find anyone.
I'm just saying if you need holiday pay that's a route that's more in the holidays.

For good tutors who want to work in August, work is still available. Some EHE families continue through August and either don’t take formal breaks or have them at other times. There are some with EOTAS/EOTIS who have tuition outside of traditional term time. There are families with schooled DC who want tuition.

There’s even more work if you are willing (and able because it is a different type of work again) to take a mentor/LSA/HLTA role. Depending on the role, they can still be paid more than the £27ph you mentioned in your pp. For example, as part of DS1’s package, he has HLTAs for the whole year. Although the number of hours differs in term time/not term time. The HLTAs are on more than £27ph. DS3 has a mentor who works term time (2hours per week) and 9 of weeks outside of term time (5hrs per week) who is also paid more than £27ph.

The exact same as any other teacher. I’m employed by the local authority in the same way the teachers in LA schools are. Full burgundy book protection.

I work 3 days and teach 5 sessions across the 3 days. It’s 2.5 hours per session, but not all students access that amount, it depends on their needs.

@BrightYellowTrain I'd be incredibly surprised if a HLTA was earning £27 per hour. I've been in education many years, a HLTA for some of those, and I've never known it.
I returned to teaching as the HLTA rate of pay was simply not enough to cover bills.
Any TAs/HLTAs on here?

@drspouse The.agency will take a huge cut of that £75 ph.

@Redlocks28 That's the ultimate goal. But not sure if it's going to be achievable as I need a minimum monthly pay at all times in reality?

DS1’s HLTAs (3 HLTAs are part of his package) are paid more than that. I support parents of DC with EHCPs and he is not the only one. DS3’s LSA is paid slightly less - the role is less demanding and complex compared to the HLTA role for DS1.

The problem is you are comparing to schools. Being part of a team for a child’s EOTAS/EOTIS package is vastly different to working in a school. (Although I do actually know of HLTAs in schools being paid in line with the teaching MPS for DC with EHCPs because it was the only way the LA could fulfil their legal obligations under s42 of the Children and Families Act 2014.)

@everychildmatters I don’t want to derail the thread, but when I read your posts I did wonder if you have considered whether possibly peri menopause is exacerbating your anxiety and insomnia. I do totally understand that teaching as a profession has been wrecked over the last several decades and it’s horribly hard work and stressful. But your posts just had a few “red flag” words in that made me wonder, have you thought about that?

Speaking personally (age 48) the insomnia and anxiety and woolly thinking has knocked me for six. And I’ve had times thinking, “I am not capable of working like I used to, I need to wind down, I can’t take it any more.”

Maybe you could mix it up - could you tutor for 11plus, hourly rate in Surrey is £60 plus (SEN children also need it) alongside some more mainstream SEN work, this would provide more income that you could plan forward (good tutors are being booked quite far in advance).

@May09Bump Thank you. I'm primary so older children I'm not confident with, and in our area we no longer have the 11 plus.
@TwixForTea Definitely peri and also with a 4 yo which is also difficult. But I've been unhappy in teaching for a number of years now. I guess with age comes the realisation that actually healthy boundaries are a good thing, and mainstream teaching is all-consuming.
In my 20s and 30s I accepted that many extra hours was just "a part of the job" but I'm questioning that now, and the job is certainly far more challenging than it was when I first started out.
I'm still trying to find a way to make this work financially.

The truth is there a very few stable, on the pay roll jobs that offer a decent salary with enormous amounts of time off like teaching does; as you've come to realise after exploring other options. Self employment is always an idea but risky for a number of reasons. Counselling is not as lucrative as some may think and again very risky in establishing a reliable client base, particularly for someone of your age and financial situation. PT teaching is a cushty number when you compare it to other jobs and required working hours for similar income.

Even if you don’t have state or independent schools who use the 11+ locally, some parents are looking for online tuition.

@Armeani Where are these teaching jobs with "enormous amounts of time off?!"
And by that I mean time in which we are not actually working.
And ask any teacher - pt or otherwise - if teaching is a "cushty number" 😆 😂 😆 😂
I suggest you see if you can spend some time in primary schools shadowing and speaking to teachers and see if you still think like this.

Update...
After many sleepless nights I've decided to take the risk. My MH has been impacted at my current school for a number of reasons and I'm ready to start my new venture into SEND tutoring.
I only have to give seven days notice according to my contract so I will tell the school ASAP and my last day will be next Weds.
I feel bad for the kids but I'm only a jobshare on a mat cover, and I'm sure they will quickly find someone to replace me.
But I'm still really anxious about telling my boss.
Wish me luck!

Both my parents were teachers. They certainly moaned a lot, but looking back on things it certainly was a cushy little number.

My dad used to moan if he got caught up in a staff meeting and didn't get home until 16:30. We always sat down as a family to have dinner at 5pm. He taught at a comprehensive and never worked in the evenings unless it was writing the annual reports (which he moaned about - a lot).

Every school holiday both my parents were off work and we usually went caravanning except in winter.

When I compare it to the hours I work in the private sector, it's just another world and I really don't think teachers have got a clue what things are like outside their bubble.

13 weeks paid holiday each year.
Total job security.
Amazing pension.
Short working day.

Minimal expectations of unsociable working hours / extra hours.

@ThisOldThang How long ago was this? I've been in the job 21 years next year and teaching has changed beyond recognition in that time.
My father was also a teacher but took early retirement 20 years ago at 55. He is shocked at the expected hours now.
I am always in by 8 am and leave at 5.15/5.30pm. There is also a lot of work at home.
This is the "norm" for most primary teachers nowadays.

It was the 1980's in a rural area.

@ThisOldThang Exactly. 40 years ago.

Teachers get 13 weeks holiday. The average amount of holiday elsewhere is 28 days. Teachers have short working days in comparison to the rest of us. Yes, I'm sure you have to mark, plan etc but that is in the comfort of your own home, with a cup of tea and a dressing gown. Not quite the same as leaving work at 5:30 - 6pm every day to hit a bunch of rush hour traffic.
You are never required to work weekends.
You are off when the children are off, so you don't have to fork out for extortionate child care costs, you literally get to spend the whole summer off with your kids! Who else can say that!
I agree with @ThisOldThang regarding living in a bubble. I think a lot of these teachers moaning about how hard they have it would get a harsh reality check in any other sector and be begging for the classroom after a month.

I bet most of those people leaving offices at 5:30/6pm have been able to sit down during the day? To drink a hot drink? To go to the toilet? For the majority of teachers from 8:30-3:30 is absolutely full on. Then 3:30-5:30 is usually done in school still with staff meetings, parent meetings, agency meetings, planning and marking. Most teachers can’t mark at home as the books are needed to stay in school.

Where are you based? This is exactly what I do, having been in a very similar situation,
If you're in Lancashire, then we are looking for staff. If not, I'm happy to talk you through my experience and how to get started

That doesn't change the fact teachers get more time off than practically anyone else and they have a shorter working day. I'm not bashing teachers by the way, it is an important job with a lot of responsibility and I'm sure its fair share of stress. I'm simply pointing out that it gets boring seeing the amount of teachers constantly moaning about how hard they have it, I don't see any other profession complain like teachers do on MN. Take OP for example, only working 2.5 days a week, won't have to work over the Christmas period but still moaning about being exhausted. It's incredible really.