Is it true that the NQT year is even harder than your trainee year?

[Lizzylou]

Am now more than 2/3s through my training, it is undeniably hard, my dh and dc barely recognise me. Perhaps naively I thought that once this was done the NQT year would be easier, no assignments for one thing. Lately all of our weekly training seesions have included something about surviving the NQT year with warnings about hard it will be.

Is this really the case?

NQT here. Personally I've found it much easier. No formal lesson plans at my school (unless it's an observation), you're in control of your own classes, etc. Brilliant. Workload can be quite high but stress-wise, it's been much easier than PGCE in my experience. I still don't feel like I've had a really tough year so I'm waiting for next year which will probably burst my bubble, having less non-contact time.

Lizzy - if you are stayimg at the same school that will make I 100x easier because the kids won't see you as a new member of staff in Sept and (I keep getting told) that makes a huge difference

I don't have a partner or children so can't comment on juggling that with teaching but a friend doing another intense type course started to schedule appointments with her husband and children.

It started with her daughter asking for an appointment.

It might be worth doing, you might think you have no time but build it in to your diary.

TBH I think the hardest year can come at any time depending on whether you are in the right job/school for you.

I've been going 13 years and the hardest year by far was the year before last when I decided to take promotion into SLT and both the school and job turned out to not be right for me. I ended up taking a short period of stress leave which I NEVER thought would happen to me and I certainly never came close to feeling that defeated in the early years.

We've moved and I am now in a school I adore with a bl**dy amazing Head and I'm happy as larry again.

The secret if to find a place/ level where you can be happy and never leave.