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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Stressed about Tuesday already!

66 replies

GreyVelvet · 15/04/2017 18:02

I'm really stressed / worried / anxious about going back on Tuesday. I can't even think straight. It's like I lose all function of my brain properly to do things.
I am leaving at the end of the year but I need to get through till then.

What do you do to calm you down?

OP posts:
BoysaDearyMe · 16/04/2017 12:06

Carrieblue - greyvelver referred to £35k salary of other graduates and compared to herself after 4 years in teaching.

I'm aware of the £22k starting salary for teachers, and also aware of how their progression through the payscales works.

Lucycat · 16/04/2017 12:07

I'm feeling similar here too, especially as we are likely to get our 'at risk' letters of redundancy next week.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 16/04/2017 12:10

Teaching in the private sector was my solution. Really full on during term time but from what I gather, in my school at least, there seems to be more freedom and less bureacracy than in state schools? I've not taught in one so I don't know.

I'm not all woo-hoo about going back but not dreading it either - would just rather be on holiday than at work as lots of people would! And I freely admit that if I left teaching, I would really struggle with the reduction in holidays. I get roughly nineteen weeks a year at the moment Confused

bugattiveyron · 16/04/2017 12:14

This last term has, according to my teacher friends, been the worse that they and their TAs have had. Our schools are in a terrible state, many of them were not in favour of private education in the past but now say that they would want to send their own children private if they could afford it so it must be pretty terrible to be a teacher or TA at the moment.

noblegiraffe · 16/04/2017 12:15

If there are loads of graduates out there working 60+ hours a week for crap pay, then why aren't they rushing to be teachers where they'll get lots of holidays? Why is there such a shortage of teachers?

BoysaDearyMe · 16/04/2017 12:23

Cos they've already graduated, in a different profession, noblegiraffe, and will be hoping to progress in those professions eventually.

And they all don't want further student debt, nor do they all qualify for bursaries available to teach physics etc.

Seriously?

pieceofpurplesky · 16/04/2017 12:28

Boys why come in a teachers' thread about something that you appear to know nothing about? What job do you do - let us know then we can all tell you we know your job better than ours Hmm

Original poster
GreyVelvet · 16/04/2017 13:03

I'm in London so I'm aware salaries are higher but in terms of 35k graduate jobs I am talking about city type jobs or at the big 4. None of these require a specific degree, yes the recruitment process is gruelling but I have many friends who work st these firms and some who've gone on to work st them since leaving teaching and all of them have said it's considerably "easier" than teaching. They said that in General hours are not as long and even when they are they are not so all consuming and tiring.

Teaching is a lifestyle and it sometimes feels like you have to dedicate your whole being to it. As much as I love teaching I don't want to give over my whole life to it with no time for other parts of my life.

OP posts:
CarrieBlue · 16/04/2017 13:56

BoysaDearyme - if you know how payscale progression works for teacher salaries you will know that there is no guaranteed progression and in the current funding crisis many teachers will not progress up the payscale due to the lack of funding.

leccybill · 16/04/2017 14:43

Agree with a previous poster about the all encompassing nature of teaching. It's not just customers/clients/shareholders you are letting down when you don't spend all of your evenings marking and assessing- it's young people, and their parents. People who only get one chance to go through education so you have to get it right.

It's hard to explain if you're not in teaching, although I think some spouses of teachers can understand when their zombified other halves stagger to the end of each term.

I suppose the clearest way of looking at it though is - if teaching is so easy/great/well-paid- why are the Get Into Teaching ads all over the TV, cinema, radio and online? I can't think of any profession which has ever had to try and recruit so forcibly.
If you can get a £25k tax free lump sum to train to teach physics or maths, why aren't those graduates clamouring to get on teacher training courses?

noblegiraffe · 16/04/2017 15:40

So basically what you're saying, Boys is that those other graduate professions are still far more attractive than teaching, despite teaching having the holidays.

clary · 16/04/2017 15:50

Op I feel ill before the start of term and can't sleep either. Colleagues say the same. Don't have an answer tho! At least this is a short half and year 11 and the extra stress of that is almost done.

To other posters - I have been teaching five years and don't earn anything like £35k. Maybe I as m not very good tho - or my year 11s continue not to hit their ludicrous targets!!

Bubblysqueak · 16/04/2017 15:54

Just think it's a very short term. Hang in there. The relief you will feel on the 1st of September when you don't have to go back will be amazing! (I left on the last day of term after a lot of soul searching and a great MN thread) This holiday has been amazing , absolutely no stress and I start a new job in a similar field with 100% less stress but unfortunately a lot less pay and holiday. But who cares I'm happy.

storynanny · 16/04/2017 15:58

I was like this for the last year of my long teaching career before I took early retirement at 55 and went on supply.
I hung up a tape measure in my cupboard and cut one number off at the end of every day! Good luck and best wishes for your last term.

Original poster
GreyVelvet · 16/04/2017 16:24

Clary I'm in London and have a very small TLR

OP posts:
Bishybarnybee · 16/04/2017 16:25

Are you me? I have a new non-teaching job for September and have wasted my Easter holiday moping round - finding it very hard to get my head round this term. Don't want to wish it away but it has been a tough year so far and I am finding to hard to find any enthusiasm at all for Tuesday.

I know it will be fine once I start and will fly by though.

MagicalMrsMistoffelees · 16/04/2017 16:51

I'm M5 (fifth year of teaching) and outer London so my salary is £33,957. So fifth year, London weighting and still not hit £35,000!

I left a well-paid administrative job in a university which offered lots of benefits to teach because I wanted to inspire young people, give them a love of learning and provide a constant point of encouragement and support. And I love teaching and I love my class. I am happy to plan, assess, take on an extra-curricular club, stay late for meetings / training / parents' evening etc. I don't mind working extra hours and I don't particularly mind going into school in the holidays for various reasons. It doesn't even bother me that I only get paid four weeks of annual leave even though it's assumed we get paid for 13 weeks.

What I object to is the incompetent way education is constantly being messed about with by government. They throw it all up in the air and let it fall however it will and schools are left to pick up the pieces. They over-complicate the process meaning everything gets more confusing. It's difficult to imagine how bad the state of schools is right now unless you work in one. I'd love to get my hands on the education secretary's job and sort the whole lot out!

dahliaaa · 16/04/2017 17:04

'It doesn't even bother me that I only get paid four weeks of annual leave even though it's assumed we get paid for 13 weeks.'

Magical is your £34k salary pro rata? I genuinely didn't realise that. I thought teachers got the whole salary and just happened to be off for 13 weeks a year Blush

knitknack · 16/04/2017 17:11

Yes it's pro rate, were actually paid for a certain number of hours, but everyone assumes we're paid for holidays!

knitknack · 16/04/2017 17:12

Rata

Original poster
GreyVelvet · 16/04/2017 17:21

Magical I'm M4 Inner (£32,400) plus TLR (£2,640) which takes me to just over £35k. The TLR isn't worth it though regarding the amount of extra stress and responsibility it gives.

I agree, it's not about the work. The education system with its constant changes doesn't help, but it's also about how SLT (who are in turn pressured / guided - however you want to look at it, by government) implement these changes. I sometimes feel like I live in a different world to non teaching SLT who expect things to happen instantly, including in the middle of the day when I am in class...

OP posts:
Original poster
GreyVelvet · 16/04/2017 17:22

Bishy what are you going to do?

OP posts:
70ontheinside · 16/04/2017 17:39

Part of the problem is how utterly unqualified and crap SLTs and middle leaders are.
They might be good teachers, but most of them have absolutely no management qualifications whatsoever. When I see my HoD/SLT playing at being bosses I want to weep. It really doesn't help when you are a career changer and used to be in management....

Add to that a clueless government (it doesn't matter if that's Conservative or Labour, actually) who have no idea and voilà, this is why nobody wants to be a teacher!

Bishybarnybee · 16/04/2017 17:46

I had an open mind on whether to look for a teaching job in a different sector or try to leave teaching all together. In the end what came up was a support/development role across several schools in a small MAT. Slightly less than my teaching salary but in the same ball park. Really looking forward to it.

MagicalMrsMistoffelees · 16/04/2017 18:01

I agree that being a great teacher doesn't mean being able to lead a school well. I would actually prefer to have a head / SLT with no teaching experience but with the ability to organise, manage people, plan effectively, use IT wisely, set up effective procedures, lead with a positive vibe etc etc etc. I never thought I'd say that but it's how I feel now.

I would be so tempted by the Foundation Stage Manager job at my school as I believe I could do it well - but the extra stress and pressure, complete lack of support but quick to blame attitude of the head and tiny amount of extra pay means I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! I'm not sure what could persuade me to be anything other than a class teacher the way things are at the moment.

I can't believe I've become like this. I honestly used to bounce into school I loved it so much. This year has been awful though. When I close my classroom door we are a very happy class and I have an amazing TA and great children who are thriving. I'm graded an 'outstanding' teacher. But it's not enough any more. How depressing. 😢

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