Teaching as a new career

[BooseysMom]

Originally posted this on the Work page and was advised to move it to the staff room...
Can anyone please help set my mind at rest a little please? My DH has had a rough time career wise. He was made medically redundant from a physically exhausting job and decided he wants to teach. He has been accepted on a uni course and has started studying. The worry is that i read a thread recently where there were 26 pages of 95% negative comments about teaching and that there is a massive burn-out rate and therefore shortage of teachers esp in IT, maths and science. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves. This is basically DH's only chance to get himself a proper career. He already has the degree and is studying computer science to teach at secondary level and he gets a full bursary.
He has the makings of a great teacher. Can anyone say anything positive about teaching or is it all just doom and gloom?
Thanks x

There's a lot to be said about the previous thread you refer to.
Teaching is relentless, challenging, tiring and very rewarding. It's not for the faint hearted and those who find constant scrutiny difficult to deal with.
I went into primary teaching as a second career in my early 40s and am about to start my seventh year of teaching. I don't regret my decision to retrain but definitely acknowledge how challenging the first few years of teaching are. There are never enough hours in the day to get it all done properly.

If his mental health is excellent and he is both organised and able to balance all the needs and demands in his life, he has a good chance of making it through.
What made him decide to teach?

The actual teaching is fab. Rewarding, challenging, varied, interesting, yes, demanding and exhausting too.
The issue is, that the teaching has gradually become a smaller and smaller % of what you do as the crap just becomes a bigger and bigger % of the job.

‘He has the makings of a great teacher’
Does he have experience of working with teenagers, Scouts or some other youth working role? Because it’s not so much about being interested in your subject as being interested in children and how they learn.

I'm a qualified primary teacher of 16 years. Got to the point where I'd had enough of no work-life balance and constant observations making me feel like however hard I worked it would never be good enough.

I'm currently working as a 1:1 SEN HLTA. The pay is rubbish but I'm not sure a teaching salary would make the ridiculous pressures of teaching acceptable to myself or my family. My job is so rewarding. Don't get me wrong-I work bloody hard when I'm at work and do a little bit here and there at home-but nothing like the 2/3 hours a night every night when I was teaching. My fiancé has quality time with me and I'm not rushing to get my children into bed so I can start work.

I don't think I'll ever return to classroom teaching.

At the risk of being slated by some in her, I think it depends on the sector he wants to teach in. All surveys show that primary had a greater drop out rate and a worse work life balance. I'm assuming it's computer science at secondary he wants to do?

Sorry just reread thread to see that's what you'd put. Many teachers at DCs high school (v good one) leave by 4pm on a regular basis which is unheard of in primary. Surely that is a better work life balance?

@NCTDN it’s only a better work-life balance if work stops then - my DH leaves school at around 4.15. He has an hours drive home, has dinner and starts work again until at least 11pm.

I used to get up at 4.30am to get marking done.
Just because you’re not on site doesn’t mean you’re not working.

I'm about a year ahead of your DH, having just finished my PGCE and I'm about to start my NQT year.

Whilst I'm excited about my new career, I am definitely going in with both eyes open. Last year was tough, and this year has the potential to be even tougher, and then supposedly it starts to get a bit easier!

I've worked in physically demanding jobs before and I definitely got really tired during my teaching placements. And I certainly wasn't able to leave school by 4pm most days!

The PGCE and NQT years do have a really high drop out rate and there is a reason for this, but obviously a lot more people get through than don't!

There are definitely advantages to teaching as a career, but I think you do need to be prepared for it to be tough for your husband, and be prepared to pick up the slack and support him initially.

As a Secondary teacher I'd suggest looking into FE or even the private sector. The type of person who is coping with the current teaching environment is very organised and capable with admin, less emotional with a thick skin. Passionate, caring people who are sensitive to criticism are the ones who are finding themselves struggling (I include myself in that).

Oh goodness to the person who suggested FE. I worked in FE @16 years ago and it was horrendous then. My friends who stayed in the sector tell me that if anything it is worse. Big classes, high pressure to achieve specific outcomes, lots of admin, job insecurity and lots of observations. Absolutely no better than school teaching!

@LittleAndOften you have put it so well. I completely agree with you re. who is succeeding in teaching at the moment. And of course the trouble is that the passionate caring over sensitive types are frequently the ones who make such a huge difference to kids’ lives...

@IrisAtwood sorry, it wasn't my intention to cast FE as the easy option. My dad worked his whole career in FE, I'm aware of the challenges. My point is for the OP's DH to cast their net wider than they may have considered previously. I should have explained better.

OP, there are many alternative settings to traditional schools which are worth exploring. Often, how well one copes with the job can entirely depend on finding the right setting. I found my niche in Alternative Provision - others do in SEN, Adult Ed, hospital tuition, prisons etc.

@IrisAtwood completely agree. The quirky, maverick, disorganised, inspirational characters of old have been drummed out of the profession.

I've just passed NQT and it is hard. But I've done it with a young DD (retrained instead of returning after MAT leave) so it's not impossible.

Organisation is key, and knowing when to stop. Sometimes things need to be 'good enough' if you are to maintain any work life balance.

I found the hardest part of PGCE to be the constant scrutiny, and often conflicting advice from mentors. I've found the hardest part of NQT to be behaviour management - but I am in a school where the pupils play up for newbies (especially women) and it has got better.

Thank you for all your comments. Today is a good day for DH as he's passed his English test. It was third time lucky. He has passed the maths first-time and previously re-took his maths & English GCSEs. So he's continuing with his course. It seems a strange way of going about things as he's started assignments and done his first presentation but unless he passes both tests he won't be accepted on the course..but he's started it! Weird!

He's doing Computer science at secondary and the reason he wants to be a teacher is that we've got a young son and he loves teaching him robotics etc. Also his uncle inspired him. I think he has the potential to be a good teacher but is naive to how challenging kids can be.

I've been a teacher for 18 years and I love it. I can't think of any other job I'd rather do. I recently changed subject and now teach mostly A Level which is really great - interesting and challenging. It's certainly hard work but I laugh every day without fail.

I'm a secondary maths teacher and generally love it. It's hard work, there's always something more to be done, and there's often politics going on at school. But that stuff is outweighed by the good, IF (and it's a very big if) you've got a good, supportive department in a school with decent behaviour policies.

I've been teaching 15 years now, and have worked in 3 schools. I can't emphasise enough how much of a difference it makes to have good behaviour. Individual teachers can only make so much difference if the culture is of bad behaviour, or with ineffective behaviour policies (avoid anywhere that uses "restorative" behaviour systems ime)

I think he has to go in with his eyes open.

The first couple of years are tough but not unreasonable if you get a good school. The early days finding your feet are challenging in any profession.

What you also have to remember is that people rarely post the positives.

Think about how many threads are on MN each term about why the school is wrong to tell my child not to wear trainers (and other unreasonable threads). How many more do we see of people really wanting advice on SEND/SEMH/mental health for their child (and other reasonable concerns)?

Look in relationships, how many people post about their happy marriages vs when they need support?

I love teaching but it has its challenges. Getting the right school matters.

I’ve been teaching for 20 years and can’t stress enough how mentally exhausting it can be.
I still enjoy the actual teaching (mostly!)
However the marking load is draining and relentless (exam classes).
On the good days it’s the best job in the world. On the bad days i’m dreaming about what I could do instead.

When my DH was training he was determined to get in to a private or free school the burn out is because of incredibly heavy pressure with national curriculum he needs to be prepared that he might be working from 7am through to 10pm with marking and lesson planning. Private and free schools don't use the national curriculum so the pressure is less than in state schools.

Private and free schools don't use the national curriculum so the pressure is less than in state schools. I disagree with this-pressure in private schools can be horrendous (have worked in three different ones over the last 12 years). Exam result pressure is just as intense within the private secondary school system as you have parents who have paid literally thousands and thousands of pounds each year for their child’s education. It is very much the feeling that they have paid to go there and paid to get the grades. Pressure is on in prep/private junior schools because of getting kids to pass entrance exams/11+

This is basically DH's only chance to get himself a proper career.

Why?!

I honestly wouldn’t recommend teaching to anyone at the moment, however, you’re talking about secondary which is different.

Has he has much experience shadowing in a secondary? Is he organised? Good at record keeping/paperwork? Sound mental health? Good at doing what he’s told despite it going against sound pedagogical theory!

Have his health issues resolved? I was medically retired from teaching - it is a difficult job to manage alongside health conditions. Much easier in my previous and new jobs.

It’s exhausting and frustrating but I can’t think of any other job where you can proper belly laugh every day. I laugh a lot at work because kids are funny and find daft things hilarious.
I think it’s about being very ruthless with your cut off point each day. Use time wisely and once you’re done, stay done.