calling all primary school teachers - please advise - considering career change

[jeangenie]

I am thinking of changing career to be a primary school teacher...just thinking at the mo...

I wondered if you could tell me the best and worst bits of your chosen career and also how well it fits in around your children's needs...(I have two - one age 6 one 3 and don't want them to have to be in after school care until 6pm every day so if it means that I may have to rethink)

I currently work P/T in an office in a job that bores me to death but allows me certain flexibility (ie I can pick up my 6yo from school 4 days a week - although I never see her in the mornings as I am already at work when they get up) but would love to do something a bit more meaningful and challenging

I already teach art to kids on an informal basis and really love doing it, I've also volunteered on two full day craft events at DD1's school and loved it,although I felt totally knackered at the end, but in a good way...not just bored and frustrated after another stressful but ultimately tedious as hell day at the office

but I know that enjoying a bit of art and crafts with kids doesn't necessarily mean I am cut out for teaching

so, another question, what in your view are the qualities you need to be a sucessful primary school teacher?

oh, and what way do you suggest training if I did go ahead with this crazy plan I have researched the GTP route a bit, and it sounds good as you get paid while training on the job so to speak...but possibly super competitive...or super stressful...

so many questions, thanks for reading, and for any advice you can offer

I have always taught part time, that's the beauty of it. I can't imagine doing it full time.

so dramaqueen - can you move to secondary if you train at primary?

how easy is it to get P/T job (sorry - this is probably an impossible to answer question)

that might be my best option - although the £££ would obviously go down too which could be tricky

can you be employed P/T but on permanent basis (iyswim) or has teachin gone down the route of trying to have lots of temporary contracts too now...

I really need to have a pension attached

Well, I moved from primary to secondary and no one has said I can't. I have been doing my NQT training for nearly 2 years now! I applied to cover maternity leave 2 years ago at my local secondary school, and have just stayed. I made sure I was flexible when they needed me to be and they are very good about my hours. Find out where your LEA jobs are advertised (usually on the coucil website) and trawl through them. You could always job share as well.

You would have to find out about NQT jobs, they do supply if they can't get a job but I am not too sure how this counts for their career. A job share is good, you can keep your weekends free.

It is much more likely IME to get a part time job once you are established at a school rather than finding a suitable part time job from scratch. However, they do come up.

FWIW - I work 2 days a week and spend at least one half day (often when ds2 is at playgroup) and several evenings marking, planning preparing, etc. And that is in a jobs that I have been doing for years. DOn't be put off though! Most of us are trying to show you the real side to teaching - but we wouldn't change jobs for the world!

Also someone mentioned extra stuff. I only have 6 work days left before summer, yet I have 3 late nights to do... awards' evening, parents' evening, new intake evening and a twilight session. Oh, that's four...

Also in 'theory' you may be able to go in at a slightly higher than basic salary (which I think is a little less than 20000 at the moment) but your first job would probably have to be at NQT basic salary as I doubt it would go down well at an interview asking for more money . You would negotiate it once in there. I know of one person who did this in her second year after working years in business but it depends on the budget/how much they want you rather than another teacher/TA, etc.

are you in england jeangenie? just checking as obv things are slightly different in scotland etc

re the hours, the school you end up in makes a difference - my last school lots of teachers came in later than 8.30am and were away by 4pm - god knows how they did it - whereas that would be SERIOUSLY frowned upon where I am now, and in fact totally impossible given the paperwork, twice weekly meetings etc.

I teach primary, and can second what others say. I am in my 2nd year of teaching, and it is roughly a 50-60 hour week, more when there are reports to write. Also, unfortunately, there is not very much time to teach much art - 1 hr per week at the most, as the rest of the curriculum pushes it out of the way. Although, having said that, different areas of the curriculum could def. be taught through an art slant.
I am 38 and never found age a problem.
I went into it because I wanted to do something more meaningful and now I am, which feels really good. Lots of job satisfaction and also frustration too. Spend as much time in a school as you can to get more of an idea.

aargh...I had written a long reply and it got lost in teh ether and I am exhausted now and need my bed

in short, thank sso much for all your replies. i am AMAZED at how dedicated you all are. Unfortunately I think the reality of teaching, the 60 hour weeks are just not going to be tenable with my current existence. My DD1 is a bit sensitive, she worries a lot, doesn't sleep well, and has been much happier since I changed my job around so I could pick her up from school 4 days a week. If I started a 60 hour week I despair as to what would happen to her. I had kind of naive hopes that teaching might be the profession where you could have a challenge, get job satisfaction, make a difference AND have a good work/life balance. I guess maybe that job just doesn't exist.

Maybe in a couple of years time I can revisit this but for now, after such stories from the coal face, it would seem I must let my dream lie

thanks so much for sharing the "real deal" with me, and please, take a bow, you guys are BRILLIANT!

re. the working Saturday or Sunday thing......I don't know about other teachers, but although I obviously have to plan etc , it usually takes up Sunday evening after the children are in bed, rather than ALL of a Saturday or a Sunday. It would be impossible to sit down solidly working on a sat or sun because my children need stuff done, places to be taken to etc etc and you do need to keep sight of the fact that you work to support your family- doesn't mean you ignore them all weekend, so do not be too put off by that aspect.

Especially if you have younger children they would be asleep fairly early, so you would have loads of time while they were asleep. Once the children get older it is tricky, because they stay up later and so the hours to work get reduced.

Personally, I tend to spend quite a lot of late evenings preparing work and rarely Saturdays, never Fridays, BUT at certain times of year, I do have to spend hours and hours in blocks doing reports, or marking end of year assessments.However, it all pans out, and once you get experience you find you do not waste time overplanning stuff so much and you have experience to fall back on, which makes things like report writing easier and faster.

Part time work- could work, but how many part time teachers find they spend most of their non-paid days working on school stuff anyway? Might as well get paid for 5 days.....

It is not so much being dedicated, although I am very conscientious, I simply have to be well prepared to survive in the classroom.
Part time is hard work because, as katak says,you spend most of your non-paid days working on school stuff.

agree abbey - it simply has to be done to survive!!!

I haven't read all of the thread, so forgive me if I am repeating stuff.
I agree about doing some volunteering - try it at a school that is not the one your DC go to. And ask the teacher's there about the job. As many have said, the job is not 9-5, and many dedicated teachers also give up holiday time to do stuff like set up their classrooms...
I think some private schools employ non-qualified teachers - maybe you could get some sort of work in one?

FWIW, I have been a teacher for over 20 years, and in my current role, I tick all your boxes - "the profession where you could have a challenge, get job satisfaction, make a difference AND have a good work/life balance"

I'm secondary but I'm sure some of this is relevent.

First couple of years - loads of work but then it does get easier.

I get into school for 7.45 so get an hour's work done every day. I also stay for an extra hour twice a week (but still leave by 4.30)This means 7 less hours of schoolwork to do at home and I find I'm much fresher in the morning so get loads done. In the past year I've had to do very little extra at home (apart from certain times of the year - coursework etc).

I think it's the best job in the world when you have kids. You can leave at 3.30 if you have to and you never go for longer than 7 weeks without a holiday with your children. It's also really rewarding and although not well paid it's not that bad elther.

People who say it's a vocation and teachers are made - well yes in an ideal world but if you quite enjoy it then I think that's enough.

I know a few people who have done GTP and think it;s much better than PGCE.

Go for it

Crikey! I never realised I had it so good! I've been at my current school 6 years (last 2 1/2 have been on a 0.4 job share). Our head couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, but we're a very small school (70 pupils, 4 mixed aged classes) and take responsibility for our own class. We plan "Learning Journeys" loosely based on the QCA topics, but it's a really creative way of teaching. We introduce a theme and the kids tell us what they want to learn - they take some responsibilty for their own leanring. Literacy / numeracy hour is out the window if the elements needing to be covered can be taught through our theme. It's also quite arty - great for OP!
I often don't get to school until 8.45, kids in at 9. If the Learning Journey is planned well (every term has a new journey)I can "wing it" for the first half hour in the morning! (Please don't flame me!!)
The problem with a job share is that I can't take stuff home for marking, and need to stay in school later for that and other stuff like putting up displays. I also spend that time setting up/photocopying etc for the next next (hence ability for a late start!). I don't leave school before 5.30pm.

next week, sorry!

omg JaCOBSprincess - where on earth do you work?!!?!? never heard a school like that in my life!

Are they looking for teachers?

How feasible would it be for you to set up as a freelance art specialist 'for hire'. I know DS's school has someone come in as and when needed on a freelance basis - also museums/galleries etc use freelancers for one off events for kids? You've got business experience so ultimately running your own business might be a possibility?

Obviously I'm thinking long term here, I don't know what qaulifications you'd need or what the market would be like in your area but it might be worth investigating?

I teach primary as part of a job share. We each do 2.5 days a week, but I was FT for ten years prior to this, as was my job share partner.

When I first qualified it was long hours for the first year. When I have changed year groups, the first year requires long hours. 8 - 5.30, an extra effort in planning, and evening work.

I love my job, and this is why I have continued after having my own children.

Now I work an hour every evening (not weekends, unless school reports/policy writing is involved).

I work 8am - 6pm on two evenings and 8am - 4.30pm on another, taking unfinished work home to complete. It takes careful organisation to do it well, I have a friend who has two children under five and she finds it harder.

I think it would be harder in the first few years, but after that I think PT teachers bring a lot to the job. The children love having two teachers, and we are a great team.

My own DS doesn't spend long hours in nursery as DH also works shorter hours than before children.

The lows: marking and feedback is time limited and has to be done to be effective. It is also time consuming. In a PT role, you are always trying to prove yourself and I am aware it shouldn't be that way!

The highs: It's energetic, lively, rewarding when children learn, and progress, or overcome a major hurdle in their education.

Hopw this helps!

Yes JacobsPrincess I'd like to know where (though I can appreciate you may want to keep anonymity) as I'd like ds to go there . It sounds lovely.

Is it a non-state school?

Sorry Bobby, we may have an interesting curriculum, but we don't any money! PTA subs each year group £100 a term just to keep us in pritt sticks and pencils. Dropping roll and overstaffing causing probs (70 kids, non-teaching Head, 3f/t teachers, 2p/t teachers, 5 TA's and an INA = unhappy governors and no funds!)
It's the politics of teaching I really don't like. Head has been encouraged by OFSTED with creative curriculums, but County just don't like things when they're not done County's way IYSWIM. Head even told SATs moderator she was "talking bollocks". I nearly wet myself laughing! (She was picking on me for not knowing what the whole-school policy on Maths moderation was. I didn't know we had one, and it turns out we don't!)

I'm in East Sussex. I'd rather not say exactly where!

just popped in - thanks so much for more commenst and perspectives... I am at work now so can't read them all properly but will be back later or tomorrow to do so

you lot are brilliant - I am truly grateful

There's been an awful lot of negatives here concerning the home-life balance. Will tell you about my last job as a class teacher and hope it evens things out a bit!

I had 5 months of holiday a year (1 at Christmas, 1 at Easter, 2 in the summer, plus half terms and 'long weekends')

Days were 8.30am - 5.30pm.

Apart from end of term reports, I never took work home. (If it didn't get done during school hours, it was left undone. The days are intensive enough without having to work in the evening. Its one of those jobs where even if you worked 24/7 you would never get everything done. I set my times and stuck to it, it is possible).

Although I was teaching primary age children, I was able to choose which subjects I taught, so chose my favourites, these included Art / DT / ICT / Orienteering / Sailing !

I never had more than 12 in a class.

I negotiated my salary to include my mortgage It was the perfect job .

There are perfect teaching jobs out there, its a case of advertising yourself and finding a job rather than waiting for a job to find you.

Its probably obvious it wasn't a state school!

The huge advantage (for you) in choosing something other than a state school is that you wouldn't have to be qualified. You could then choose to do the GTS at a later date.