I'm a teacher who doesn't like teaching!😣

[user1483390742]

I have worked in 3 schools in the last 3 years trying to find a best fit one for me. I have now come to the conclusion that i just don't want to teach anymore, after 13 years.
While i enjoy the classroom and kids, i can't cope or manage with all the other stuff- paperwork that no one looks at etc.
I really can't afford to take a wage cut by getting a job in a shop or similar. What to do?

Have you thought about looking into NVQ assessing? You'd be field based, and I suspect the paperwork would have a bit more 'purpose'.

What about becoming a trainer for an organisation? We've just recruited a trainer at work to manage employee training in our region. They used to be a teacher.

The real question is OP, what do you want to do? Teaching in my opinion gives you so many transferable skills.

Im.watching this thread with interest as I'm in the same situation. I've been teaching nearly 20 years, first 8 full time and last 10 part time on supply but mainly in nursery. Nursery teachers have now been replaced by eyo's where I am so I've had to go back into primary classes, doing mccrone cover and various classes and I'm not really settling in and enjoying it much and feel I've lost the love!
I have no idea what else i can do though.

How good are you with computers? After a decade in the classroom, I became a learning technologist at a Uni and am now a learning designer. It took a couple of years to get my salary back up, but I only work 35 flexible hours a week (usually over 4 days, so approx 8-6) and I have 30 days leave plus bank hols and Uni closure days (so about 42 days in total).

I'm there too. Been teaching 14 years but the life has been sucked out of it. A change of school recently has renewed my enthusiasm but I still know that I can't be doing this when I'm 65. My plan is another 10 years to pay off the mortgage and then I'll do supply or try something different where the pay drop or change in holiday wont matter. I've been part time since having kids and that really helps too.

Another one who has gone down the learning technology route. I now work in a university managing the online learoand teaching provision.

You poor thing! I am married to a man who was amazingly brilliant at his profession, but hated every minute of it. It was hard for us all to live with and made him ill. And then, shortly after retirement he was diagnosed with Parkinsons, so not even a happy retirement.

You only get one life and you cannot waste it being unhappy in your job. As others have said, teaching brings a multitude of skills that are very definitely transferable.

I had two careers: one the profession in which I was trained - I did this for over 25 years - and then I retrained in arts related activities and had a wonderful 10 years or more doing this.

Once you start thinking laterally and really researching what is out there, you will be amazed at what you can find.

How sad it is that there are so many teachers dropping by the wayside - not because they do not love teaching but because of the unnecessary crap that now surrounds this. But you need to grab life by the balls and branch out!

Completely agree with everyone's ideas here. I feel like a fraud because I never actually became a teacher as I never handed in my dissertation but to say I think I dodged a bullet is an understatement. I went into teaching because I wanted to teach children, I wanted children to have a love for reading and be excited by learning. During my training and being on placement I realised that I'd been seeing teaching through rose tinted glasses and that there was so much paperwork to do! Honestly I admire each and every one of you that does this for a job. And I defend you all when people bitch about teachers in the playground having an easy ride. It's one of the hardest jobs in the world and used to be one of the most rewarding but the way the curriculum is now I would never go back to it.

What you've actually said there is that you DO like teaching- just not what teaching has become.

If somebody said that all you had to do was teach your class- that nobody would ever look in your kids books, or criticize your 'style', or ask you to submit 'evidence'- would you want to do it?

If so, I still think you just haven't found the 'right' job in teaching. What about a small Independent school? Or a PRU?

There will always be some paperwork/ boring stuff in any teaching job- but if you have only tried mainstream state schools, I think you could still find a job with much, much more of an emphasis on actually teaching.

For what it's worth, in my job:

I have 6 kids in my class
Read to them for 30 mins every day which we all love
Write with them about things they want to write about
Watch them play in the woods for at least 30 mins a day
Plan the curriculum around their individual strengths and needs and nobody questions that
Have time to stop and give them some down time when they need it
Nobody looks at their books (except admiringly that they actually do any work)
In my appraisal we discuss what is realistic and why for each individual

Yes, I do a good bit of paperwork and work bloody hard. Some days I am emotionally exhausted at 3pm from helping them self-regulate all day. But I'm also bloody happy. I would NEVER EVER in 20 million years teach in mainstream.

OMG 4point2fleet that sounds wonderful! I do still really enjoy being with the kids and teaching them. It is the paperwork, constant book scrutinies, planning to the nth degree etc which is dragging me down.
Maybe an indie school is the way to go forwards for me. Any vacancies where you are?! 😂

Could you look at teaching overseas? I love teaching again now I have escaped the UK.

Not really. I have 3 kids at school and a DH in a job he loves!

I'm not in an Independent, I teach children with Asperger's. The flip side is that I get frequent demand avoidance, meltdowns, and have to plan for their very complex learning styles. But I'm cool with that because they are amazing kids- kind, clever, interesting and a genuine pleasure to spend my day with.

I like them much better than I like most neurotypical people.

Interesting! Thank you- i am going to start considering other class based roles!