NQT desperately seeking advice from experienced teachers

[nqtatwitsend]

I hope that someone out there can help me... I really don't know where to turn.

I am a mature NQT. I worked for over 10 years before re-training. I enjoyed the PGCE year and performed well. I left college confident that, with experience and support, I could become a good teacher. Four months on that confidence has gone and I am seriously considering resigning (if not leaving the profession altogether).

I am working in a very good state school that has completely turned around over the past 10 years. On paper it is an outstanding (and indeed amazing) school. However, almost since the first day, I have known that the school is not right for me. The final straw came yesterday when I witnessed a senior leader ranting at a large group of children for over 20 minutes (none of these children were being punished) during this time he told them that they were:

• 'worthless human beings'
• that being at XXX school was a privilege not a right
• that they were lucky they lived in a democracy because if he had his way there would be a lot of children who would be kicked out immediately
• that he could look at some of them in the eye and guarantee they'd be in prison in 5 years time

When I told a colleague how shocked I was at this she told me that I would get used to it and if couldn't get used to it then I wouldn't last long. The thing is, I don't want to get used to the culture of this school.

My question is this: Should I stick it out for the year in order to finish the NQT year or should I follow my gut instinct and resign in the hope of starting another NQT year in a different school in September?

[FYI: financially I'm reasonably secure and could do contracting/freelance work to bridge the gap]

Am shocked at your first post. I didn't think there were still teachers around like that!

You can't give up, you're Miss Honey! (Matilda reference.)

Agree with the others here, the teaching profession needs more like you. Yes, you will make some mistakes yourself(you would do that anywhere) yes it is very hard when in an unsupportive school in your first year, but please don't give up. You won't get used to the culture of the school in just one year, but you will pick up a whole range of skills to deal with tricky situations. That will make you more employable elsewhere.

Can I just point out that, while a second year can in many ways be as hard as the first, you DO not as Woffling suggests, have to take on extra-curricular clubs etc! I get really, really cross with teachers doing this because they have been pushed. Just say no. Unions fought a long battle in the 80s to stop this sort of thing and to guarantee lunch time breaks.
I say this as a teacher who voluntarily directs the school show, giving up countless lunch times, after school sessions and weekends. I do it because I want to, though, not because some bossy member of SMT says I must. THey can't say that.
Rant over.

I realised I had made a mistake in my NQT year, that the school was not for me fro a variety of reasons. I moved schools in the January and completed my NQT year there. I am now year 2 (without initials) and am ok. I am also a 'mature' teacher.

I'd stay there while you start looking around - you never know something might come up that you feel would be a better 'fit'... the only thing I wouldn't do would be leave with nothing to go to. I left my first school after 1 year and 1 term, now in 3rd year of teaching and am 40 so bit of a wrinkly too :)

Ps finding a job that starts Jan or Easter is good in that you don't have to compete with the NQTS who can really only start July/Sep (not that that's an issue as you're still very cheap (as am I!))

I am needing to leave my NQT year due to relocation... I am planning to leave in January... Was it difficult finding another job to start in January? Did schools discount you because of your resignation?

You need to start a new thread for your question, or most of the responses will be to the OP.