Should I stay or should I (maybe) go?

[SleepymummyZzz]

I am in my third year of teaching, usual story, adore the children and actual teaching but exhausted by 70 hour + weeks and constant observations and criticism. I changed careers from a successful management role and borrowed 15k to retrain. An opportunity to move back to my previous sector has come up, back to my old salary level with great prospects. Term time working too! I should go for it right?! Just feel like I’ve failed...

You haven’t failed. It is the system that is failing you.
You wouldn’t consider moving to another school before giving up teaching completely? Perhaps it is this particular school and SMT?
If you really cannot face another academic year in school, return to your previous profession without the guilt.

Thank you 😊 This is my second school and have found both difficult due to work load and expectations. I think I could carry on in teaching but have completely lost my enthusiasm already but it just feels so relentless and is killing my self esteem 😔

Will the job still be open if you can’t leave until Easter?

Take the new job. Teaching is impossible today anyway. You didn't fail. The govt failed you.

It is very sad to read stories of how many teachers are dissatisfied and exhausted in the profession. It wasn’t always like this. Don’t spend the time feeling guilty about leaving. Ensure that the post you are returning to is a firm offer and then hand in your resignation to the school. Life is too short to be so unhappy.

Take it in a heartbeat.

I'd take it so fast my head would spin. Teaching is a hard job and I don't think it's going to get any better for years to come.

Take the new job, I was going to say try another school first but you've done that. Three years is long enough to say you've given it a good crack as well so don't feel guilty.

I always always said I'd never ever send my kids to independent schools, staunch supporter of the state sector, but having seen the impact of how things are now on so many really good teachers I'm seriously considering going private if we can when the time comes. It breaks my heart but it's almost impossible for even the most dedicated teachers to work effectively at the moment. I'm hoping it changes by the time my future children are old enough ☹️

Thanks everyone. I would still need to meet with the CEO so not guaranteed at the moment but yes as it’s a senior management position, they would be expecting to wait a 3 month notice period for someone new to start anyway 😊 I just feel so sad about it, teaching was a childhood dream of mine and I gave up so much to pursue it. I know I can’t carry on until retirement in teaching, I am nearly 40 and completely shattered all the time. I just wish it could be different. Thank you for all your advice, its confirmed what I already knew deep down xx

I think take it. If you're a qualified teacher you won't stop being one just because you're not teaching. It's just possible things might improve in future, or you could consider the independent sector. Schools aren't going anywhere! I've got a corporate lawyer friend who was made redundant in her 50s and became a school careers' advisor. She now has a teaching timetable too. She enjoys it and has money behind her from the legal years. You did three years - you paid off your training.

When you were making the decision to retrain, if someone had said to you, 'You might love it, but you might hate it and want to quit after 3 years" would you have given it a go anyway?

If you would have thought 'yes it's worth a shot to give the dream a chance' then you can now say to yourself I gave it a try but sometimes things don't work out the way you dreamed.