Anyone got anything positive to say about secondary teaching?

[Flippetydip]

I'm old to be looking at this game (44 currently) but cannot see me sticking in my current job until retirement. I have toyed on and off for ages with the idea of teaching French/English in secondary schools. However, I have a lot of friends who are teachers but mainly primary. They are all, without exception, fed up with the way things are. I'm also married to a teacher, who has left the profession - he is still teaching but peripatetic music - again primary.

Can anyone give me any guidance on secondary teaching and whether it really would be a nightmare or whether it might be OK? I would be 47 or 48 when going through training - is this too old?

Eolian I'm sorry I don't agree. You can talk to people and assuming you actually listen to their answers, and ask the right questions you can get a pretty good idea about the hours that they work, what expected of them and the actual type of work that they do.

I agree with Eolian. I worked as a TA for a year and still didn't fully comprehend the work that teaching requires.

Anewcareer - ok, well you are welcome to disagree. I think it's pretty daft to assume that talking to people about their jobs is just as valid a way of knowing what it's like to do the job as 20 years' actual experience of being a teacher and working with hundreds of teachers and thousands of pupils, but hey ho. You know best. Hope you enjoy your PGCE - nobody else seems to.

The person who said; I honestly dont think teachers work harder than many in the public sector; doctors, social workers nurses.

I was a teacher and now do one of the jobs you've outlined above. Teaching was worse by such a long way. In teaching, you have to do ALL of your paperwork after work hours, after an entire day teaching your classes. If you want a social life, don't teach.

Part of the problem is that processes such as observing lessons, supporting in schools or even being a TA still don't give much insight into being a teacher.

The curtain is still there between the visible performance and the backstage workings that make it look so easy.

My top tips for gaining insight would be:

Observe from the front rather than the back of a class.

Accompany a teacher for a whole day - no breaks. Do what they do.

Plan a session on paper and ask them to give feedback on your plan.

Take the part-time PTTLS course at your local FE college. This is Teaching 101 and much cheaper than a whole year of your life!

OK thanks people - you've effectively made me rethink options! Maybe I won't be looking at secondary teaching in 3 years. Any other suggestions for a career change?!

Occupational therapist, psychologist?

I trained as a teacher in my 50s - did supply for a couple of years, offered a job in on of the schools I supplied in and now happily FT in a core subject secondary and love it.
I worked in a very intensive private sector job before - this is easier, and bonus is I am learning new things every day.

My user name probably sums it up! I have been teaching secondary for about 12 years now and I do really love my job. It is hard work, it can be frustrating and sometimes the occasional student or parent will be so rude that you wonder why you do it all! However; in my experience, for every rotten moment there are dozens of good ones. Teenagers are fun, funny and incredibly empathetic. It does get easier the longer you stay at one school but equally I would recommend trying out different schools over time (it helps you see the big picture rather than getting irritated with the school you're in).
Things I love about the job -
Days fly by with a range of different activities rather than being stuck in one office all day.
You get to communicate with hundreds of people over the week...students, teaching colleagues, support staff, parents, members of the local community etc.
You get to be creative with your work, coming up with new strategies + resources.
It is mentally stimulating and you can continually seek out new challenges.
You get to work with an entire cross section of society (assuming a standard state secondary), future politicians, musicians, doctors, criminals etc. and they never fail to astound you!
Being a form tutor and having the privilege of being party to some very sensitive information, I have learned an awful lot about human experiences which, in turn, makes you see the world in a different way.
Getting to be the positive part of someone's day (not by any means saying I always get this right!) smiling, saying you make me proud, telling them what you admire about them, telling them to have a good day/weekend, talking to them about stuff that is important to them.

Be wary of people saying "just get a job in a private school" - I've been trying for 10 years, and I've never been able to get a job in a private school. I teach a shortage subject and have no problems getting jobs in state schools. I once applied to a private school and managed to get an interview, which turned out to be an amazing achievement because 60 people had applied for the job.

The European working hours directive says people should only work 48 hours a week. The average primary school teacher works 60 hours a week and secondary teacher 55 hours a week. But luckily for the government as it is unpaid overtime it does not count.

The infront of the classroom bit is intense and with a packed timetable, break duty and meetings you often don’t get 5 minutes downtime from 8 to 4 which is exhausting in itself.

I'm 42 and just finished my PGCE and completed the first half term of my NQT year. I have two primary-aged children.

My PGCE was incredibly hard work but at the same time I loved it.

My NQT year so far has been harder. I think other staff forget that when you're new to teaching, everything takes longer: revising topics you've never taught before, thinking more about how to teach things, taking longer to come up with comments to write into books, not being sure where to find a suitable homework. They expect me to keep up with everything they do, and then they're surprised when I'm not managing with it all. However, I think I'm starting to settle into it a bit more.

The first two years are incredibly tough but it's not all bad!

Nobody has yet mentioned, but I think teaching is pretty ageist. There is still a pervasive idea that teaching is a ‘vocation’ you are ‘called’ to. Therefore if you come to it late, the staffroom can be cynical and assume it’s because you’ve failed elsewhere and are in it for the holidays, The training and management is so poor in comparison to other professions the only older teachers are the ones who survive the first few years of the sink-or-swim attitude - they can be pretty hard and unsympathetic to older idealists and indeed anyone struggling. I don’t think it’s intentional but I see in general youngsters get more support and encouragement.

I’m not yet 40 and the majority of my colleagues are younger (including HoD), all of SLT are younger than 50 and some of them younger and with less experience that me. This is in a ‘good’ school with low staff turnover.

That said, I like my job, and am enjoying it more as I increase in experience, confidence and expertise. I have considered other careers often (this job is haaard), but haven’t come up with anything else I’d rather do.

You can do what I and many many other teachers have done: do the pgce, get a couple of years of experience then move abroad. I'm in Australia in an amazing school with great kids earning good money, and there at least 10 other teachers from the UK here. Not always a practical option though!

I've been teaching secondary English for 8 years in comprehensive schools. I find it hugely rewarding and I enjoy what I do. Some parts of the job are frustrating but I'm guessing that would be the same in any job.

I'm ambitious and quite driven so I'd always be working pretty hard. It's how I'm wired. I do think that one of the issues with teaching is that people expect it to not be hard work and then they're shocked when they realise what they've let themselves in for! It's a full on career but not unmanageable. I'm a single parent with social life and hobbies. I never work Saturday or Sunday but I do work like a maniac in the week 🤓

The first 3 years (including training) were the toughest.

Be a teacher!! It's such an important job and it's so rewarding. I think it's about finding a school that's a good fit for you!

^^ I'm 42 btw

I'm an MFL teacher and I do love my job. I work in a great school, with some great kids and management genuinely care about their staff. I think a lot of the leaving is down to poor school management, so just ensure you find the right school for you, rather than the first one that offers you a job. The PGCE is hard and so is the NQT, as you are working from scratch, so I remember working every hour God sent, including weekends, but then it got easier.

No no no no no no no. Dont do it. It's balls. Secondary is shit, primary is getting that way and college pays less and conditions are...precarious. Too much work for too little reward, nowadays.

I teach secondary English and bloody love it. But in Scotland in a tiny school with lots of freedom to teach what / how I want.