Anyone ever walked out of a job....literally walked out?

[nocontactforevermore]

I posted a thread on AIBU a few weeks ago and fb eh suggested asking on here as well. I have been in a temp post 6 weeks approx. Its part time, an academy and basically awful. In the briefest terms, the dept is a mess, kids are wild, and have embarked on an almost predicable witch hunt against me because they are disillusioned, fed up etc. The kids seem to rule the school, calling me foul names etc. Line manager tries to support, takes naughtiest out etc, but it's truly awful. No books, little ICT equipment, kids wee even studying wrong exam board. It's dreadful.

I want out. Union just said 'check their terms and conditions to see when you can leave/read the behaviour policy etc. useless.

Trouble is, I don't even want to go back Monday. I feel ill already and I'm only part time. I literally cannot face it.
I've had an 11 year unbroken career before this and took this jib so I could be in a less stressful role. I was a middle manager before this with a successful track record. I'm an idiot.

[nocontactforevermore]

Many potential schools actually request a reference before inviting you for interview. I doubt I will ever get as far as an interview with this school brandishing me a failure.

[silkknickers]

yes. I walked out of a teaching job after six weeks. I left on the Friday and never went back in. I was crying in the morning as soon as I reached the school gates and I realised that I just needed to leave for my mental health.

I got another job very soon after, and have been in it for nine years now and love it!

[nocontactforevermore]

Also, I burst into tears today to my line manager and told her 'I'd had enough' , and walked from the room really upset. She hasn't been in touch all day - never even sent a quick email to see if I was ok. I was a line manager in my last role and wouldn't have behaved towards my staff like this. Not in a million years. This is a manager who sends me email requests at 11pm at but and yet she hasn't enquired after my well being all fucking day. For all she knows, I meant what I said when I left her room.

[nocontactforevermore]

Silk- how did you explain leaving?

[Helpyourself]

Walk out and go straight to your GP. The stress sounds intolerable. And get back to the union and demand their support.
And as Hester says 'fuck guilty'.
You're not abandoning them moments before they qualify as doctors for a war zone- fuck 'em!

[shoppingbagsundereyes]

Go to the doctor, get signed off sick with stress and hand your notice in. Plenty of teachers do it who are not in as impossible as situation as yours. If this job is making you ill with anxiety a doctor will sign you off.

[nocontactforevermore]

Love MN

[aroomofherown]

If you've only been there a short time then no-one will be interested in a reference from them anyway.

I'd walk! And I'm a teacher. It's your life and some schools are seriously damaging. I left a job at Christmas once (not in my first year though) and wasn't a day without supply teaching until I got a promotion in the September.

It wasn't ideal but it was certainly better.

[Helpyourself]

nocontact that final bit about crying in front of your line manager and her not then checking on you- really don't go back.

[shoppingbagsundereyes]

I've just read where you say you 'don't want to go down the stress route'. I would agree with you if we were suggesting you fake stress. You are truthfully massively and unreasonably stressed. Your job has caused this. There is nothing wrong with telling a GP this. If you later want to erase it from your cv that's fine.
And as for feeling bad for taking the money, you are entitled to sick pay, that's why you've paid national insurance for years.
Phone the GP now and don't go in tomorrow.

[MothratheMighty]

Remember, there will be hundreds of eager beavers waiting to snatch up your job, and being an academy, they won't even have to be trained teachers.
No one is irreplaceable.

[gennibugs]

Im more of a lurker than a poster but wanted to add my support.

being that unhappy in a job is awful and where you say your line manager hasnt contacted you after being in tears is horrid.

I walked out of a job (not teaching). I literally walked out into a busy London street crying my heart out. My dad came and got me, took me to the doctor and I was signed off. I then handed in my notice and never went back. I was there a few years so had to put it on my CV and Ive always said I left to go travelling to explain the gap of a couple of months on my CV and its never been questioned.

Honestly, plan your escape - whether you get signed off or hand your notice in, you cant go on like this you poor poor thing.

[aroomofherown]

gennibugs I went "travelling" too. I was never questioned either.

[nocontactforevermore]

Thanks you all so much. I used to work in a high achieving school, there was an enormous persistent pressure me to perform but aside from that, my subject was a dumping ground for the naughty kids and it was a hellish 2 years. I didn't sleep or eat. Somehow through sheer stubbornness and fear of ruining my career I stuck it out and it got better. I keep thinking it will be the same here. I left my last job in oct half term after 5 years and although my HT wasn't happy, he let me go and is essentially a good person. My reasons for leaving is because although I no longer had behavioural problems, the pressure for performance was always there.

I am not a quitter. I keep thinking it will get better. I don't have a workspace though, or a room, or a key to the rooms, we have to shift about every lesson (literally every lesson) and I am ignored when I bring it up. They know I was a manager in my last job and are expecting MASSIVE things from me with no fucking tools to do the job.
I am a strong person. I know I could stay, but I left a stressful well paying job to stop all this. I no longer want to do it. Part of me keeps thinking back to how bad it was at the start of my last job - and I was so low that I thought crashing my car on the way to work would be a great way to avoid going in. I am not there yet with this job, so feel somewhat weak and a bit fraudulent for thinking about going sick.

[nocontactforevermore]

'Travelling'

Love that idea - might be hard to explain with a 7yo

[nocontactforevermore]

Maybe I could say we went on a soul searching trip to India for a year a la Emma Thompson

[JuliaScurr]

NUT should offer a rep to negotiate for you, not tell you to do it yourself. Phone them again. Get signed off with stress
good luck

[nocontactforevermore]

Would getting signed off on stress mean I couldn't just drop it from my CV? I mean.....doesn't it kinda crank things up a bit? As opposed to just walking and then going silent ok them? That's what I really want to do!

[SukiTakeItOffAgain]

I walked out on a job once (Not teaching). It wasn't my finest hour but was the worst place I've ever worked (I did a lot of temping prior to working there). They were horrific to me, sexually harassed me, screamed at me. I had no desk and had to hop on other people's when they went to the toilet. We could only have 2 drinks a day. We didn't have a contract.

In hindsight I wish I'd gone down a more formal route than shouting 'shall I just put a brush up my arse?' and then bolting out of the door when one of the jumped up long-termers (not even a manager) launched himself at me aggressively.

I went home and shook and sobbed all night. They paid me up to the day I left which surprised me, I didn't expect another pay packet.

I've put 'travelling' on my CV too

[nocontactforevermore]

Has any of you who are teachers actually 'dropped' a crappy stint in a school from your CV? I've my eye on two jobs in the borough for the same LA and I have a horrible feeling I just would not get away with it

[MamaMary]

Noconact, I remember your last thread. Did you send the email that was suggested, about the expectations placed on you not correlating with your part-time role, the extra unpaid meetings they were expecting you to stay for etc? What was the outcome?

[ContinentalKat]

I think you shouting at a kid today might actually be a blessing in disguise!
You will have a talk with your superior in which you will agree that you are obviously not compatible with the school's ethos and tell them that you will be resigning. Could they remind you of the terms, please.
If you are very lucky, they will offer you gardening leave, or you can still go down the GP route.

I would also "go travelling" or do a sabbatical or similar on the CV.

Good luck, and focus on yourself. You don't owe anybody anything!

[nocontactforevermore]

Continent-

Mama- yes! I sent the email and it resulted in a meeting with my line manager - who I've actually come to like because it would seem she is also massively put upon. We had a meeting that was pretty much off the record in that she was only writing some of it down. I came away feeling massively sorry for her and pledging to help her (what a dick I am). Thing is, she is a nice person - but her radio silence today tells me she fears for her job. Not because of this - but overall. She will hang me out to dry if she has to.
I've had a formal email from the pastoral office requesting a written account of what happened today and nothing else. What a shower of fuckers. The email said they had taken statements from the kids and were waiting to hear my side of the story. According to the pastoral team, the kids are terrified of me (have taught some of them literally 6 times).

Who operates like this? Statements? My side of the story????

[nocontactforevermore]

Sorry that should have also said 'continental' - I very much anticipate that I will be having a conversation about their ethos/my ethos.

No doubt their response will be something along the lines of 'we will make sure you never work in the borough again'.

[MamaMary]

I don't know. It sounds a complete mess. :(