The exodus continues

[Feenie]

timparamour.com/2016/03/07/the-story-of-the-teaching-crisis/

[Everytimeref]

Once I am in my classroom teaching on my own with no one checking I am doing the "latest" strategy, I love my job. But the constant learning walks and demands on time ouside the classroom that has got beyond a joke now.

[Feenie]

I love my job too, and wake up every morning looking forward to teaching my Y2s. But the constant changing of the goal posts this year has been awful, and the demands, which would have been bad enough in September but that have been sprung on us in March, are quite ridiculous.

[Feenie]

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-new-writing-assessments-will-penalise-bright-dyslexic

[Everytimeref]

As someone who has dyslexic and have had to battle against this type of thing all my life. I accept that spelling is important but to not to be considered "clever" unless you can spell a set of words is a move backwards. I seriously beginning to believe this government doesnt really want the masses to achieve and want thr majority of children to believe they are worthless.

[CheckpointCharlie2]

feenie are you considering leaving too? Have chatted with you over the last few years and always thought you sounded like a brill teacher.

I'm leaving in the summer too, had enough!

[ZombieHunter]

I'm one of the many teachers leaving, I've handed my resignation in last week.

I'm not leaving teaching though as I love the profession too much. I'm moving to China! Abroad is the answer, can't wait to be valued again and enjoy my job.

[noblegiraffe]

I've seen Eviltwins and Fallenmadonna talking about quitting too and those are also teaching posters who sound great at their jobs. And Raven went abroad.

I do find it depressing that even these good, dedicated teachers who clearly enjoy their jobs are being pushed to the brink.

[christinarossetti]

Me too noble.

Every single 'secret teacher' or 'this is why I'm leaving education' article that I've read hasn't been by a teacher sick of teaching per se; it's sick of teaching in the current UK education system.

I don't blame them at all, but the loss of such experience, talent and creativity is appalling.

[ChampagneTastes]

I'm going! I finish at the end of term five. I'm so excited, as a PP said, it feels like a weight has been lifted. It's sad because my school is great but no matter how good your SLT are, they can't protect you from the fact that you have to work a sixty hour week to come close to getting the job done.

I'm going to try doing some free-lance stuff instead and, crucially, spend time with my lovely lovely DS.

[Feenie]

Hi CheckpointCharlie and thank you!

No, I'm not going anywhere. I actually do still love my job. I wake up every morning and look forward to going to school, even with all the crap that is thrown at me. One of my biggest objections this year is change - I've never known the ARA to change midyear, but have lost count of the amendments this year. Some of it is ludicrous, but I would at least have had half a chance of teaching it if they'd told me properly back in September. Take the latest clarification document they had to publish - they wouldn't have had to clarify anything if they'd not made such a pig's ear of it in the first place!

It's all very worrying. And now decent MN teachers like you, ChekpointCharlie, and Eviltwins, FallenMadonna, etc, are off. So depressing

[Feenie]

China, zombiehunter? Wow!

[CamboricumMinor]

My DS's school has an NQT in nearly every class - every single job advertised over the last 5 years has been filled with an NQT.

[EnormousDormouse]

I've moved abroad. Teaching is fun again. Fab work/life balance, lovely colleagues (who are similarly non-stressed) and a chance to experience a new culture and travel a lot. Oh yeah.. tax free too.

[Feenie]

My ds's school were reduced to interviewing on the last Thursday in July - they employed an NQT with no KS2 experience at all for the post of Y5 class teacher (ds's class). And she is not great.

[SueLawleyandNicholasWitchell]

Only being able to strike due to pay is, indeed, very astute of the government. It means that the public think that teachers are all money-grabbing.

Teachers are frustrated because they are being micromanaged. That's it. They are professional people being treated like thick robots. It's hardly a surprise. People are going abroad and loving it because they are able to reclaim their work-life balance and sense of self-esteem.

[Feenie]

Only being able to strike due to pay is, indeed, very astute of the government.

And if they had their way, we wouldn't even be able to do that.

You're right, have seen loads of threads here where posters accuse us of only doing something about stuff when it directly affects our pay.

[SueLawleyandNicholasWitchell]

That's because a lot of posters on MN think teachers are power crazed unreasonable monsters who are lazy and inflexible. They see the long summer holidays and early finishing time and imagine the whole thing is an utter doss.

I would like specific numbers on retention. I think 3 out of 5 teachers leave within a couple of years but would like to have proper figures.

[ZombieHunter]

Enourmous Whereabouts are you?

Feenie Yes, China Had two offers, one school in India one in China. Can't blimming wait! Package is to die for, wages that I would never get here in the UK (not that it is about the money, but it helps ), free three bedroom house, money for flights, relocation, private medical... It's going to be ridiculously good.

But most of all - I will be able to teach children who want to learn and who are not only dots on a graph or numbers on a spreadsheet.

It will be sad to say goodbye to the UK and I will miss my pupils who I know appreciate me, but I just couldn't stand it any longer. I've tried for 11 years and it's gone on a big downward spiral in the past five, I had to do something about it.

[SueLawleyandNicholasWitchell]

Sounds absolutely amazing. Friends of mine who have gone abroad to teach (2 to Middle East, 2 to Hong Kong) absolutely love it and intend to remain there. It's such a shame for the UK - they trained here and were superb teachers and have family here and would have stayed....but the conditions are far far superior abroad.

[EnormousDormouse]

Zombie - I'm in a nice liberal bit of the Middle East - if anyone is thinking of escaping just do your research first! I live very happily on my own here, it's very laid back and friendly. Until I got this job I was applying in China too - some excellent packages there, as you have found out.
As for me, sometimes I see wild camels on the beach on my 20 minute commute to school. And not once have I had the urge to run the car off the road to injure myself enough to get a few days off school...

[ravenAK]

Another expat here waves at noblegiraffe.

It's given me my mojo back .

Not for everyone, but these days I get to spend every evening & weekend with my own dc, or drinking sundowners round the pool with colleagues who aren't grey & shaking. I'm also earning a very nice tax free salary with a free villa thrown in.

The actual teaching? Well, kids are kids...but only having a maximum of 20 in front of you at any given time, & a 60% contact time timetable, makes it all a bit more manageable.

That probably comes across horribly smug & gloaty - not meant to be. I just can't believe the shite I tolerated before this year. I pinch myself often!

[fredabear]

I left teaching 2.5 yrs ago, after nearly 20 yrs teaching and having had SLT responsibility. I still work in education and am lucky enough to have found a job I love. I take home about £500 a month less than I did as a teacher, without the pension benefits, but I wouldn't go back under current conditions.

Good luck to all those moving overseas!

[spanieleyes]

Half our staff ( in a primary school) are now ex secondary teachers. We can't recruit primary trained staff-even NQTs - and we are a Good school with a fantastic OFSTED report-so will now take on anyone we can get! Secondary teachers think it will be easier in primary, they soon learn and then move on, but at least we get them for a couple of terms ( and one has lasted nearly a year!!)

[frikadela01]

Very interesting article. Such a shame knowledgeable and experienced teachers are walking away from the profession, the ultimate losers obviously being the children that are enduring this results based education.

Fwiw I'm a nurse so I know the meaning of stress and long hours. I don't know any teachers and my child isn't even born yet so have no contact with any really. All the tea in China wouldn't make me be a teacher. It disgusts me when the media paints teacher as money grabbers with their nice long holidays, that's not the impression I get. A holiday isn't really a holiday when you have to use it to do prep, lessons plans and god knows what else. Teachers a have a huge responsibility towards society, it's a shame the government, and often the rest of society, undervalue them so much.

Anyway just wanted to add my support from one tired, stressed often undervalued professional to another.

[Feenie]

Thank you, frikadela