What else can I do??

[disneyfan83]

Hi,

I am currently in my 2nd year of teaching Maths at secondary school (3 including my PGCE year) PGCE year was awful, I did school direct in a horrible school with v little support and despite managing it to the end, left with some lasting effects including anxiety and stress. I was fortunate however to get into a very nice school, it's took a while to adjust to not being yelled at and belittled when I first started but I managed it, passed my NQT year and now getting settled. I really enjoy the job most days, and for the most part stay on top of my workload. However I feel so lonely. I'm so busy through the day, my yr 7 form have endless mishaps and dramas, I spend my lunches on duty or running around, and I teach most days all day, with my three PPA hours a week dedicated to marking or planning in my own classroom. The school, however lovely, does not really have much of a staff room, we all just tend to stick to our own classrooms. My problem is I miss adult conversation and interaction! I come home at night, I go to tutoring most nights because the money isn't that good yet and then I have my own kids to spend time with, by which point I've had enough of bloody kids, so my own kids, the ones who matter most do not get my full attention, just me smiling on autopilot. I want to be happy to see them again and enjoy their stories! And even though the time off is nice - I can't afford any bloody holidays during them! And I end up feeling like I'm in work anyway as my kids have their mates around (some of who I teach because my son attends the school 😬😬)

I'm now thinking of leaving teaching at the end of the school year. I've made a commitment to my department and the kids I teach and I intend to see it through. I think if I go now, my degree in maths is still relevant, my transferrable skills are still fresh and I'm not trapped by any huge change in wages (I'm on M2).

But.. I studied part time for my degree, with some breaks for my babies over ten years, while working, all in the hope of becoming a teacher, I thought it was the answer to my dreams, and maybe in another dimension it is, just not right now. So now I DONT KNOW WHAT I CAN DO! People are so impressed I have a degree in Maths but I feel like I'm trained for nothing. I really want to work in a people focused role, I love building relationships and I want to use my analytical skills, solve problems, work on projects etc, before teaching I worked in call centres, in sales and in a lot of admin roles, including in the construction industry. I don't want to go back though as I don't want to feel I've wasted my degree.

Does anyone else have any experience of leaving teaching and moving on? Any advice? Am I doomed?

Thanks in advance 😁

Hi OP,

I’m really sorry to hear about your situation - didn’t want to read and run

A couple of years ago, I was in a similar-ish position to you (in that I went into teacher training - again, through School Direct, in an unsupportive school, similar to your experience - and then was looking to go into another career, and wasn’t really sure what I’d like to go into).

A huge well done for doing your PGCE and NQT years!! (I caved in three months into my teacher training, so didn’t manage to get very far!)

Since leaving teaching, I tutored as much as I could to get money coming in whilst I thought about which career I wanted to go into. I then started working for the Civil Service, which I’m really enjoying.

Have you thought about working for the Civil Service at all? I don’t want this to seem like a massive plug for the CS, but I’ve found them to be a fab employer and they seem to have a lot of roles for economists and statisticians that are maths-related - would that be of interest, perhaps?

Are there any particular careers that you have in mind at the moment?

Good luck

Have you looked into jobs such as Data Scientist? I'll write more later today but you can find a job with your background. Which part of the country are you in?

Thank you both for replying! I didn't expect much with me posting so late 💐💐

@CinnamonandGinger I haven't thought about the civil service, but I'm sure a friend of a friend works for them, I'm not sure whether I have to be in a city? My nearest city is Liverpool, which is a 50 minute commute which I dont fancy 🙈 but I'll head to their website now and see what's what 👍🏼👍🏼

@antimatter I have looked at that sort of field, I live about twenty minutes from Chester business park (MBNA have their big offices there) and Ive looked on their recruitment website but they ask for knowledge in data languages etc, are they hard to learn? as I don't mind extra study over the next few months 😁

Hi disneyfan, you’re welcome :) Hope this is helpful :)

With applying for jobs in the CS, I think you may need to be near a city unfortunately, as it seems like their jobs are based in large cities. There are definitely lots of other options though, if the CS isn’t the best option for now. What sort of other jobs are you interested in?

Have you done any programming before?
You can sign in and try Python:
mena.udacity.com/course/introduction-to-python--ud1110

PM me their vacancy page and I'll try to see what technologies they are using.

It's not usual for secondary teachers not to interact with each other - it's odd you don't have a proper staff room. My school is super sociable and it's the main reason I'm happy there. Maybe look at moving schools before throwing in the towel? It sounds miserable.

Have you thought of transferring to junior school?
Much more friendly and community focused and more fun

Have you thought about applying for a school business manager or finance manager?

Also, every company/organisation of any size has a finance dept, so maybe look at some kind of entry post in that field.

I used to work in the pharmaceutical industry, and they employ statisticians to analyse all the data from drug trials - look at the ABPI website.

A relative who runs a company is always moaning that there aren't enough data analysts, so you could research that.

Finally, if you live fairly rural, then it may be better to just do a 5 or 10 mile radius search on Indeed and see what comes up. If too many jobs come up, then cut it down by adding some keywords eg. 'data' or 'finance' or something.

Another relative of mine got onto a trainee bank manager scheme after packing in his (engineering) degree half way through.

I'd also echo another poster though about trying another school first. It is difficult to find a school that is the right fit, because so many of them are just awful for various reasons. After returning to teaching after a career break, I worked in 4 schools before I found one that was the right fit. Changing schools is hard work though, it's like being an NQT again.

Supply? If you teach maths it is unlikely you would have an issue getting long term work. I was much the same a few years ago but didn’t want to give up so decided to try supply. I have less money but my sanity has returned and I am more relaxed. I take long term contracts to cover illness or maternity or a long term absence in my subject area but as I’m not worried about long term results, I can just get on and actually teach and enjoy it! Between contracts I do Day to day work and sometimes TA work which is great ‘cos you get to sit and see other teachers at work and that is always enlightening. I tutor in the evenings which is my money to cover the summer and I am more available for my children. It has worked for me and is certainly worth looking at.

My experience was that the third and fourth years of teaching were the hardest. After that it got easier, and I enjoyed most of it. The children were endlessly entertaining (as well as occasionally infuriating), and I know I made a positive difference for many of them. I was a late entrant and I too had children of my own at the school! I’m glad I stuck it out, and I ended up at the top of the pay scale, which made life much easier. I retired at 60 and moved into a less stressful environment, part time, in FE. So my advice is to stick with it. It’s a rollercoaster, but the ride is worth it.

I teach Maths in Alternative Provision. Very full on during the school day, but much less marking and the other soul destroying stuff. Lots of peer interaction too because AP requires really strong teams. If you don't mind dealing both with challenging behaviour and the emotional challenge that comes with working with highly vulnerable children (but well supported!) then it is a great teaching role. I have a much better work life balance than when I was in mainstream.

If the teaching itself is ok, then maybe just look for another school. I would never accept job somewhere with no staff room; you are quite right to find that difficult as the support of your colleagues and a chat at break time is so important. The tips I pick up from chatting to colleagues are a million times better than any inset I’ve ever attended. Normal, non-school chat is necessary too! Look at private schools too. You’re lucky to have a subject that is in demand - I’m sure you will find something else easily.

You are at a vulnerable point in your career.... lots drop out at this point. As a Maths specialist you could get more money in another school which may well have a much nicer feel .... staffroom etc.

I think you could try another school but I also think you've recognised that much as you like working with children you like adult conversation too. I know what you mean about the loneliness and I work at a school that is sociable. I think being aware of these sorts of things is really important to job satisfaction. Given your maths degree I would have thought you would be very employable. Have you registered with any agencies who could potentially find you jobs?

Thank you everyone for your advice! I have considered another school, but if you knew what the schools in my area were like, you would understand why I'm not considering it as an option right now. and I think a longer commute at this point would add to my misery. I started my teaching in a school 45 mins to an hour away depending on traffic where abuse and sometimes violence against staff were everyday occurrences. I can't go back to that, it nearly broke me. I understand that I'm more experienced now and with more supportive staff around it could be easier but I'm too scared to risk it. My mental health and the affect that it has on my family has to come first.

I've been investigating online courses in SQL, a programming language which is asked for in a lot of analyst jobs, and I'm going get in touch with a few recruitment agencies, although not sure it's too early yet given I'll still be in the school until July, but I'll let them decide.

I'm actually excited at the prospect of using maths again and applying those skills I developed for so long during my degree to work. I'm very much a 'go with your gut' person and my gut says leave.

Thank you again xxx

You’ll still be employed till the end of August - just time your notice accordingly

I left teaching to become a civil servant. My work life balance is better and I am much happier.