Would you retrain as a teacher if you were me?

[obiecheck]

Hello,

I fell pregnant in my last year of studying for a social work degree. I managed to finish the course and had my baby a few months later.

This meant I didn't work/use the degree.

I have since been a SAHM. But I thought now my daughter is 3, id look into going back to work.

I have been accepted into a SCITT training programme that starts this September. Monday-Thursday at school and Friday studying.

My only real challenge or concern is that my 3 year old still doesn't sleep. I was meant to actually start the SCITT last September but I decided to defer due to the lack d sleep.

Things haven't gotten better!

I worry with her not sleeping, looking after household responsibilities and my older dc12, I'm going to struggle.

The reason I thought a teacher would be a good job for me is due to previous years working as a TA; which I did before my degree. Alongside the holidays I'd get off and not have to find childcare etc!

My toddler starts three days at preschool in September too.

I really am unsure what to do. My partner said he'd support me either way. X

I think this is something only you can decide really based on how your child is and how you feel you’d balance the work and home life situations.

I am a primary teacher and trained via completing a PGDE so I don’t know if it’s similar to your training programme. My course was full on and quite demanding as it was a short 1 year course. I love being a teacher and now as a parent I really love the fact that I have all school holidays off to spend with my own children.
I would have found balancing family life and studying quite difficult but I can’t comment on how I’d have coped in your situation as it’s different for you.

Can you come up with a routine with your partner about bedtime and support? Will anyone else be around to support you so you can time to complete course work?

If you want to be a teacher then you will find some way of making the situation work for you. It will be tricky and tiring but with the right support at home and making sure you try to balance things then I’m sure you could at least give it a try and see how you get on.

I would not go into teaching if one of your main reasons is for the holidays tbh. Personally, it’s not a career I’d recommend anymore - especially if you don’t get any sleep!

Why are you not going back into social work? Surely you can still do your ASYE?

Don't go into teaching just for holiday/childcare reasons. It's got to be something you really really want to do as it's all consuming and you can easily need to work 7-6pm (or longer) 5 days, and/or some work on a weekend, and still not have done everything you need to.

I just qualified at 40 and really, really love it. Of course it's not just 9-3, but I love being able to pick DC up from after school club by 4, I can catch up on bits later on at home if needed.

I don't think your child's sleep has any bearing on it. Lots of teachers have babies and toddlers. Lots of babies and toddlers don't sleep. Lots of teachers are awake working in the night anyway.

I have two DC and I'm a teacher, it's exhausting. You also can't attend any of their own school events which is hard. Yes the holidays are a huge bonus but bear in mind that most days you will work until 6pm before you even think about extras such as parents evenings, fundraisers, staff meeting etc. During the last week of the holidays I also need to plan lessons and set up my classroom for the children returning in September.

I'd leave it until your child is secondary school age and more independent so they can play on their own on a Sunday when you are marking, when they are less likely to get every cough and cold going and when you are getting proper sleep. The early years of teaching is tough, once you are five years or so in it's ok as you know what you are doing, classroom management is sorted, more efficient at marking and planning.

Your daughter still needs you and teaching takes over your evenings and at least part of a Sunday particularly in the first few years.

It's worth noting that teaching has changed a lot in the last 5 years since COVID, everything about it is more challenging and it takes a toll hence why so many people are leaving. There is also bound to be a period of unsettledness as the new govt makes changes too

what is more challenging since covid?

Remember also consider relief / substitute teaching. You walk out the school about 15 minutes after the kids. A great option to balance life with your own kids and also experience lots of different schools and age groups. I love it. No reports, events, parents evenings etc. so much work out there. I can pick the days I want, keep days free if for example I want to see my own child's sports day, and am home by 3:45 most days at the latest. No planning!

Don't go into teaching unless you're 1000% committed and passionate about it. It's not something to go into for the holidays or because you like children. It's an all consuming job and you'll probably work more hours outside of the classroom than it with lesson planning, marking etc.

Unless it's a true calling for you, do not do it.

If you've finished your social work degree why not give that a go?

Once you're into it you can branch out into areas that interest you or look for part time work or even the roles that want any ahp rather than social work itself.

I would not go into teaching. The first few years you will be at work all dayand working lots of the evening/weekend too and it's really not very family friendly (apart from the summer holiday...)

There's so many people leaving teaching now it's really often only the young (read cheap) staff and often those pre kids that are enjoying it the most.

It is exhausting. I didn't return initially after mine as they didn't sleep and I just could not do it on no sleep personally. (I know others can!)

@combinationpadlock everything about teaching is more challenging since COVID. High turn over of staff meaning you have to take on more than your fair share. Limited budgets due to increased supply, limitations on resources due to budget issues. Attitudes and behaviour of both children and adults.

If the OP hasn't worked in a school since COVID it's going to be a bit of a shock. Teaching takes such an emotional toll and is such a huge timesuck on your work life balance that starting out with a very young child would be quite difficult. Considering the retention issues with ECT as is, many of which don't have other home responsibilities, OP would probably have a higher chance of success if her DD was a bit older.

Given her SW background, a pastoral role might fit perfectly. Still an emotional toll but not quite as much work to do out of hours and will give her lots of school and managing behaviour experience should she still want to move into teaching at a later date.

@Singleandproud I don't really understand your post, but I have been in the same school since covid. We don't have a high turn over of staff. Increased supply of what? No change in attitudes, that I am aware of. Maybe I am just in a lucky school at the moment

Increased Supply teachers. Are you at a Primary School? Perhaps there isn't the same constant churn of teachers at that level. The school I taught at was in a disadvantaged area perhaps that is the difference and had a rather awful SLT with a 3 heads in 5 years but its certainly not the only school with similar issues, if it was, teaching and retention wouldn't be such a problem.

Following COVID my department had three long term supply teachers, 1 ever changing short term supply and an unqualified teacher as they couldn't recruit, 3 long standing staff. All of which have now left.

Ofcourse there is a change in attitudes, parents and student don't value being in school as much as they could home school over COVID, you only have to look at the ever escalating absence statistics for that. Parents don't back the school they back their child regardless, I had a student threaten to rape me - his parent refused for his child to apologise to me and preferred to remove him from the school instead. Students who have had 3x supply teachers in a day really aren't in the frame of mind to sit and learn when they get into their normal lessons.

Poverty and the CoL crisis has had a massive influence with children turning up at breakfast club and taking plain bagels home for their siblings as they don't have enough to eat.

Challenging behaviour has escalated, more children with complex MH and additional needs are in mainstream and not getting support they need due to budgeting pressure and waiting lists in the NHS and other support services. TAs are used to cover lessons as they are cheaper than Supply so are used so not providing the support and interventions they should be.

I think teaching is a fantastic job - I absolutely love it! I would also personally disagree (based on my own experience) with the poster who says it takes over your entire life. I have had a successful teaching career in my opinion (gained promotions, always had positive performance management reviews, helped students gain good results and lots more besides) and I have not had to give up massive amounts of time at evenings or weekends - sometimes there might be a bit of planning or marking to do, and I do sometimes run trips which mean I am out in the evenings, but I certainly have a decent life balance anr always have had. (I teach secondary, which I do believe is easier in terms of work life balance).

But OP, do you have a passion for teaching? And if secondary, a passion for your subject? If not, then I wouldn't even contemplate it. Because it IS challenging in terms of the emotional drain, and issues like behaviour management. These are absolutely surmountable if you love teaching and care deeply about it - but I have always imagined it would be very tough if you don't.

You have worked in a school - you know how they function - how kids behave, what safe guarding issues there might be, pressures of Ofsted etc. You must have a fair idea of how you would find being a teacher.....

Regarding your daughter, surely her dad will take over his full share of dealing with her in the night, once you are working? Plenty of people combine parenting and teaching, so I wouldn't worry too much on that score. If it's what you really want to do, you will find a way, and more than that, you will thrive. It's a real privilege, IF you love doing it.

I left teaching after many years recently and honestly wouldn't recommend teaching to anyone. My whole May half term was spent writing summer reports, I'd be expected in during the summer holidays both at the start and the end and as another poster said, my weeks were 7-6 days with marking at home. If you feel like you can balance that around your children (I couldn't/ didn't want to) then retrain.

I will say that you should go into teaching because you want to make a difference to others and not for the holidays. A TA role is not at all similar to a teaching role, just as a hospital porter role is not similar to that of a doctor.