What's it like to be a teacher?

[JuniperJenkins]

What's your day like? Do you find the workload manageable? Do you enjoy it? I'm considering teacher training but when I mention this to people I get really discouraging responses. Thank you for any replies :-)

It's tough. I would go through PGCE route rather than SCITT or school direct place. I had a young family and the amount of work and sacrifice meant they suffered during my teacher training. In school at 7.30am and out when site manager kicks you out.

I hated the hierarchical structure of schools; it also seems the curriculum doesn't trust teachers to teach - a lot of tickbox teaching.

The whole experience made me think what actually happens behind closed door because it seemed Ofsted reports and protecting the school was far more important.

it can be an immensely rewarding job but weren't prepared to do that to my kids for another year.

Gosh that does sound hard. And I do have a young family. Thank you for sharing

Doing your teacher training will be the busiest year of your life. Go down the pgce route, be prepared for it to be very stressful but it gets better as the years go on. Be prepared to be judged by everybody - senior management, inspectors, parents, basically everybody.

Shit and getting shitter

It’s great ( when we are allowed in school to actually see the kids!), no 2 days the same, interesting and the kids are mostly fun.

Training year is hard, though you may get a massive bursary ( eg physics) or absolutely no help at all ( eg RS, English)
I would check what employment prospects are like in your area for the subject you intend to teach as they vary widely.

NQT year also very hard work, you will need plenty of childcare to start with, depending on how old your dc are, and going forward from that either at least before and after school clubs or decent childminder etc, as you need ( maybe have to be ) in school usually long before your own kids school opens, and whilst you may be able to run out of the door one or 2 nights a week, you won’t be able to every night ( minimum weekly meetings, parents evenings etc)

Workload definitely eases when you have been doing it a while but I have been teaching about 12 years, and still need an hour before school and 2-3 hours after each day to plan, mark etc. The beauty is that a lot of this can be done at home, and later in the evenings, or on a Sunday afternoon.

Bad time to ask. F*ing hard work!

PGCE will be tough, as will your NQT/RQT years. After that it gets better.

A typical day for me, would be in school for 7.30am, check emails and respond to any urgent ones, flag anything for my to do list.
Double check lessons for the day and print the resources. Try and get a little bit of planning in or marking.

Tutor group first, usually half an hour of reading/current affairs discussion/PSHE and dealing with uniform/missing equipment/pastoral issues that have arisen since the day/week before. I also have conversations with students about any negative behaviour reports they got from the last time I saw them and praise those with positives.

Lessons are in double blocks, some are singles, some are doubles (45/90 minutes) 1&2, 15 min break (time to pee, refill water bottle and get to the next room)
3&4, take students down for handwashing, 45 min lunch. I like to have lunch in the staff room but not possible now. I usually plan and mark during lunch time, usually A level homework and essays rather than books, which take longer. Then teach 5&6. I don't teach all day every day but I am a head of department so I get more time for HOD duties. I have 5 break/lunch duties a week and run A level intervention for an hour after school once a week.

We usually have some sort of meeting after school on a Wednesday, either year teams, department meetings or teaching and learning briefings. We also have a briefing every monday morning that lasts about half an hour.

From 3-5pm on days without meetings, I plan and mark. I also have to log behavioral reports, fill out feedback forms on record, update mark books, teaching plans for the half term/term/year, set and mark homework once a week for each class, follow up with missed homework, ring parents to discuss concerns or detentions, have restorative conversations with students in detention.

I love teaching but it's a demanding and often thankless job. I could easily stay until 7pm every night but I pick my DD up so I have to leave. I plan and mark on the weekends sometimes and evenings. The work is never finished. Happy to answer any specific questions you have.

PGCE is bonkers and crazy. I also like those over SCITT for most but it’s still mad.

I think the curriculum is fucked, the structures designed to encourage eager young things to fuck things up whilst trying to show their initiative works whilst teachers endlessly have to accommodate each new thing. There are no new things.

A good school will be a joy to work in but too many are unpleasant or bullying and the culture can change over night with a new head.

The work load is often mad. This is dependent on the sector, school and subject. I have worked outside of teaching too - teachers limo to those holidays.

That said I love it. I like the pupils, I like the energy it needs and the variety. I like the deadlines and exam preparation and the families. I am someone who doesn’t need to finish everything and who can walk off and not over think. These attributes are important for sanity. You will never do everything you want to. The demands of prepping five lessons and marking the woek soon becomes an unresolvable battle with a host of other demands approaching from other sides. Am just spinning after tea. I have a good three hours to do to be ready for tomorrow - irrespective of Boris and his latest news.

Salary escalates at a reasonable speed, holidays are amazing, pension is good and part time, supply, tutoring etc all options. Go to a school as soon as possible and you will know if it’s for you.

For clarification we don’t limo to holidays - we limp!

Do you have limitless energy and a hide like a rhinoceros?

I did - but teaching broke me, just as it has broken thousands of others.

Give it a swerve if you value your sanity and your family.

I absolutely love it. Workload is massive, morale nit great, shit on by government, hated by media (inc social media), never actually get credit for what we actually do, many weekends spent working.

But I love it. It is easier in some ways now, but been doing it 15years. But am a HOD in a large secondary school which has additional stresses!

Married to an ex teacher. He left as we had no life, we were both permanently exhausted and he wanted to spend time doing things with his (young) children. I wish someone had warned us off him going into teaching. 6 years of stress and heartbreak at having to admit defeat and leave a job he was good at.

I love it too.

I must be a total masochist. It's insanely busy, your brain basically feels like it has 5000 internet tabs open all day.

I was the corporate kid before teaching so I've seen the real world. It's definitely easier. But it's not so much fun. Get a good school and it's brilliant. A bad one will break you. The school is everything.

@Bunchup

Do you have limitless energy and a hide like a rhinoceros?

I did - but teaching broke me, just as it has broken thousands of others.

Give it a swerve if you value your sanity and your family.

Every time kid gives me a meaningful card or letter it goes in a box buried at the back of my wardrobe and stays there for me to read on a really bad day.

The kids are everything. Most of the teaching struggles come from the stuff outside the classroom. When a kid says something like "I need to pee but I don't wanna go because this lesson is so good" its enough to ride off for another week!

Oh and I forgot to mention the bullying which the driving factor in his final decision to leave. It was awful.

@GuyFawkesDaybsadly there are no longer enough good schools to go around. At least not where we are

The training and first couple of years are difficult but if you find the right school, it can be a good job. I have been teaching over 20 years and I enjoy it. It is challenging but also rewarding. Some schools are however a nightmare. A lot depends on the SLT and your colleagues.

Can anyone advise whether primary teaching might be more manageable than teaching the older years? (In terms of pressure and workload)

I trained to teach 4 years ago in my late 40s (SCITT route). The training year and NQT year are incredibly hard. I worked every evening and every weekend for two years ( my DH was so supportive and would take the kids away for the weekend to give me space. It gets easier after that. It is the most rewarding job in the world and because I worked so hard I’ve been promoted every year since qualifying. I’m aiming for a headship within 5 years. If you’ve always wanted to teach - go for it. If it’s a whim and you’re looking forward to the long holidays forget it.

And how to tell the good schools from the bad! Like the OP, I've only heard horror stories from friends/family who are ex teachers.

I think to survive being a teacher you have to accept that you will never be good enough. No lesson will be perfect, everything can be pulled apart, you will always be letting a ball drop.
I don’t work all hours as a teacher as my young family are far more important. I am lucky that I am not the main breadwinner in my family and I seem to be liked by SLT. What I’m trying to say is you have to have enough internal strength to know you are doing the right thing as you will get pressure from all corners.
I’m at the top of the pay scale so the money is good but it starts low.
I would really recommend getting some work experience in a school before making the leap.

@Octoblockswim12345678swim

Can anyone advise whether primary teaching might be more manageable than teaching the older years? (In terms of pressure and workload)

Primary teaching is worse in my opinion. At secondary you don’t really talk to parents much.

The kids = incredible. Every single day has something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy or die laughing.

The workload is mad and getting more insane by the minute. I've been at it 10 years and this year has been insane. Usual day looks like this:

In at 7 (sometimes a bit earlier), do something that needs doing (marking, planning, data analysis). Registration starts at 9.20 but I have before school intervention once a week with A Level and often have 1 to 1 or small group sessions on other days. Teaching until 11.30, break is 25 minutes (half the school eat in this session), then another 2 periods until 1.45. 25 minute break (rest of school eats) and then last lesson until 3.10.

I dont teach every period as I am HOD, but spend at least 1 lesson a week observing trainees/others, one lesson a week mentoring trainee, then have various meetings/behaviour support etc.

We currently have 7 duties a week (1 do 4x break duty and 3 x after school). Tuesday before school is whole staff meeting and year team, after school is department meeting. We also run intervention for exam groups after school.

I tend to stay until it's done (usually leave around 6ish) and do at least a day at the weekend, mostly marking (teach English). Holidays I "budget" the first week to holiday and the second to prep/replanning etc. But I dont have kids yet...

You are never, ever, EVER finished. I'm going to watch Boris' speech, then go and record me reading the y8 set text for remote learning and type up an illegible handwritten essay to use as an exemplar...

Good bits
The students
Funny things students say
Seeing students grow from yr7 to yr13 and being so proud of them
Seeing the lightbulb moment in a student
When a student says "thank you miss"
When a student says "is the lesson over already? Oooooohhh"
When a student says "that's the best bit of work I have ever done"
When a student says "you are my favourite teacher"
Training and developing staff
When a parent says "x really enjoys your lessons"
Christmas cards from students
Holidays

Bad bits
Head teachers that think they are god
Head teachers and senior leaders that bully staff
Terrible work place politics
The expectations that you should work 7am until 6pm or you are lazy
Kids telling you to "fuck off"
Kids shoving past you, spitting at you and generally being abusive
Ridiculous policy that changes every 2 years
Meetings for the sake of meetings
Aggressive/rude parents that think it's our fault their child is failing

I'm so glad I asked, this is invaluable advice and an invaluable insight too. Wow, you're all warriors. Thanks @Bobbiepin for the offer of more info. I'm going to digest all of this!