Is it too early to resign now?

[GivingUpforgood]

I started teaching Primary in a new school in September. I'm an experienced teacher of several years and I was going to give up teaching last year due to excess workload, pressure and all of those things. I decided to move schools and give it one last shot because I've always been told I'm a good teacher by Ofsted, SLT etc and I thought it was a shame to give it all up.

It was a huge mistake. This new school is awful. It is full of micromanaging leaders who clearly have their favourites and are constantly dropping in and observing. Yesterday I was pulled in for a meeting, told that I wasn't implementing their new English initiatives well enough and they had written a list of daily targets for me to complete and they will be formally observing me to check I've done it all on Friday. It was incredibly patronising and made me feel awful.

I was told about one of their NQTs who handles things really well (she trained there, with her current class, so obviously she knows the school and class well and is more settled.) It was all in a very condescending 'why can't you be more like her?' way. I felt really sad and insulted because I left a school where I was held in high regard to be treated like this. They were talking to me as if I'm incompetent. I'm trying so hard but it's difficult to be in a new school with new routines, the behaviour of my class is terrible and I've been working on that and at the same time, trying to implement about 5 new schemes for 'progress' which require a lot of setting up and resources.

I want to leave because this is not the right environment for me. I was very tearful and upset last night and I feel down today. I have a tutoring centre who seem interested in giving me some work in the new year so I have something else I could possibly move on to.

I'd be grateful if you could help me with these questions:

-Is it too early to hand in my notice on Monday for the 31st October deadline? I definitely want to leave at the earliest opportunity, which will be Christmas. Should I hold off until later in October or do it now?

-Will I be able to omit this job from my CV, considering I never want teaching work again? Will they be able to give me a terrible reference if I ever needed one from them?

-What should I tell them about my reasons for leaving? I'm very conscious of the fact that I only started in early September. The HT is very intimidating and I don't want a difficult conversation. Should I say I'm moving away?

Thanks.

Is there any possibility that the relationship between you and SLT could improve, especially as you become more used to the school and it's routines. As I said before, it's sometimes taken up to half a term to feel comfortable in a school.

Obviously it would look better on your CV if you could stick it for a year, but you also need to be careful of your health. Are the things they are asking you to do unrealistic? Would you feel better if the relationships improved?

The trouble is, everyone is expected to hit the ground running like Usain Bolt these days. They appointed you- they must have seen lots of things they liked about you in your lesson and interview.

In the meantime, could you think about what other things you might like to do and start planning for that?

It makes me so angry when SMTs behave like this. It is SO unnecessary and actually very damaging to the profession as a whole.

I wish you well (and I think I would resign if I were you).

Foxyloxy, I would like my relationship with SLT to improve but they are the kind of managers who blame the teacher for every problem and pass the buck. I am going to do the things they want me to do and hope they leave me alone for now. They really liked my interview and were so positive about my interview lesson. I feel like they're now disappointed and they dislike the fact that I've also stuck up for myself by asking for things like specific support for behaviour (which is now being handled but I had to push for it.) I think that they like staff who will mindlessly do what they want and not cause any hassle by asking for things that they are entitled to. They seem to employ a lot of NQTs who are very eager to please and don't know any different.

The things they are asking me to do are unrealistic in the time frame they've given. They've asked for lots of new schemes to be immediately implemented (which take an awful lot of resource-making and training of the children to get on with each thing.) My issue is that I have actually done the things they've asked. All of the schemes have been set up and are slowly becoming established in the routine of the class but it takes time to be perfect and they don't understand that. Nothing seems to be good enough, they never recognise the positive things and I feel that I've been unfairly criticised.

I think it's worth remembering that the people who will employ you in your non-teaching job aren't teachers and don't want to be. You'll have great transferable skills and have stuck out being a teacher long enough in total to be able to show that you didn't fail. You are capable of being a teacher, you are just choosing not to be.

You will know by mid-October if you want to be there or not. Don't stay the whole year in a toxic atmosphere: life is too short. You like teaching and you've been rated as a good teacher so don't throw it all away for the sake of one very poor SMT. There are plenty of really lovely schools out there.

A term or a year isn't going to look great- I personally had a similar experience and left as soon as I could, and handed my notice in as soon as I could. As soon as I did they massively backed off as they didn't want me to then get signed off with stress, or just not come in- suddenly I was being offered pay rises and being sweet talked into staying.

Leaving was the best thing I ever did- how can somewhere that on the one hand is trying to rip you apart with lesson obs and extra meetings to discuss ridiculous personal issues can then try and make out you're an essential part of the faculty and can't leave...insanity. I was so pleased to be out of there.

I would tell them immediately. It has more impact on them that way. Tell them nothing in a letter just that you are going at Christmas. They will ask why and if I were you I'd say that you'd always been praised for your work but since being in the school you have been criticised and treated as incompetent. If that's the way they feel about you, then it's far better for you both to part company. If they harangue you I'd have no problem in going off with stress. It's because of people like that that so many teachers are leaving their jobs.

If you're not applying for another school you don't need to put it on your CV and you might not need references either.

No private sector job has ever asked me for a reference.

And my CV doesn't list every single job I've ever had.

Imperial, I wouldn't give them the ammunition. Especially if the OP isn't moving counties. She may need to do supply to make ends meet if tuition is a bit scarce at times, and heads gossip.

I believe for jobs involving working with children you do have to declare a full employment history where you have been in contact with children/vulnerable people as a safeguarding thing. I would be honest on your CV about having worked there for that reason, but I would probably fudge the reason for leaving - short stint because of dramatic change in personal circumstances, please take reference from X school instead as they knew my normal working practices much better.

I think that you are obliged to provide a reference from your most recent employer, even if you were only employed for a few months. It might just be very brief, with dates of employment. It is possible that a future employer would ask to contact your previous HT, even if it's not another school. They may look at a reference from the school before too, which will be a much more positive one for you.

Just make the letter brief. You're not obliged to give reasons and you don't want to say anything that may be construed negatively.