Anyone else had enough?

[DaveCoachesgavemetheclap]

I'm 52 and have been teaching Primary since 1989. I'm lucky in that the school where I work has good behaviour and paperwork/marking etc isn't as excessive as in some schools although it's pretty bad. All I can think about is getting through the next 3 years to reach 55 so I can retire, although realistically, I couldn't really afford to go until I'm 57. I was just wondering if there's anyone out there who has zero interest and enthusiasm like me.

I love my job. I did feel similarly to the posters above - the car accident thoughts were a common feature for me too. I then moved abroad, out of the UK state sector and started working in international schools. Now I'm SLT, I still work 60+ hours a week, but the pressure to perform and be perfect and the relentless, challenging behaviour from children is so much lighter now, I do feel I am able to do my job well again.

@noblegiraffe
Loads of factors increased expectations
More scrutiny
Increased population
Worse pupil behaviour

However... if the people you work with in any profession are always Moany it will make everything worse

So, Farrow you agree there’s a critical shortage of teachers due to worsening working conditions.

But it’s people moaning about the worsening working conditions that’s the problem?

Yeah, that sounds like a DfE line. You can’t solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis by blaming the people actually doing the job for pointing out its flaws. You have to make the job better.

@noble

Ah. You may consider higher expectations and more scrutiny to be worsening of conditions.
I do not

It's actually the type of scrutiny. For example triple marking adds a lot to workload and does nothing to help pupils progress.

But it's been a thing for years now.

That's the type of pointless shite teachers get fed up with.

So you don’t consider ‘worse pupil behaviour’ which was on your list to be worse working conditions?

Pupil behaviour is a major reason given for teachers leaving the profession.

And expecting higher standards with accompanying worse behaviour makes it even harder to achieve, especially when SLT ask you to spend hours on pointless shite like triple marking.

And take down displays backed in the wrong colour.

And tell you you're changing exam boards now. And gave no time to plan, even though the content is different, you're halfway through the course with yr10 already. And you get no time to change anything.

That's why teachers think "fuck this" and leave.

Behaviour is a negative factor

But all jobs have their down sides !? I can think of no other job where the majority of the workforce seem so uninterested

I’m simply saying and no out

Farrow there’s a very simple explanation stating you in the face for the critical shortage of teachers, the increasing number of teachers leaving the profession, the failure of the government to meet its recruitment targets every year, and the existence of teachers being negative about their working conditions.

Can you figure out what it is?

How many times a week do you deal with people who can tell you to fuck off without consequences?

They don't even get removed from your class for doing it in some places.

It wears you down eventually. Kids beha5, no support from SLT......

If you're lucky you get good managers. And then it's a joy. But bad ones make behaviour and everything worse and then pass the buck when results are awful.

I did 21 years in inner city secondaries and was completely broken by the end. Five years at home recovering and I’m feeling a lot better. I had no choice, I had to work until I cracked up, but if you aren’t enjoying it please leave before you get to that point.

@BelindasGleeTeam

I’m a police officer.... I’m pretty used to being told to fuck off ...
but also I work for public sector. Have had eroded pay and conditions. More for less etc, however the point still stands that ultimately I love my job. I love helping people. Love locking up bad guys. Yes there is a fuck load more paperwork. Far my public and management scrutiny. Loads of people think police are shit and corrupt etc.
But I do it because I still love it.

If I hated it because of the changes I’ve seen - then I’d find something else.

But there are lazy police officers that take the piss and it fucks me off. Those that take the piss with sickness. Knowing that in the public sector they can.

This is difference. I’ve yet to meet a teacher that says there are any issues with lazy or malingering colleagues

Oh there are.

The best bit is I know quite a few in SLT too

Farrow- sorry, didn’t reply earlier as I was teaching. In September I started in my dream role. I’m excited to go to work every day and would never ever want to do anything else. Why would you assume that I don’t love my job? I work in an amazing school.

I’m going to have to hide this thread. Farrowandbrawl has managed to turn a thread of support for people into an argument. We’re not saying our jobs are any worse than others. We’re simply discussing the negative aspects and the impact on our mental health. We did it in our own section of Mumsnet. Just switching careers is not easy. I trained for three years for this job and I’m living in hope that it will get easier. Some days I love my job and others make me want to crash my car.

Farrowandbrawl have you considered a job in politics? You seem to know all about teaching without having stepped foot in a school in any other position other than student or parent. You fit the requirement perfectly for Department for Education.

In the meantime maybe we can have a go at the police service, who retire at about 45 and if my experience with them is anything to go by, do sweet FA.

I am getting close to giving up again and it’s not SLT, Ofsted or the kids.

It is the fucking parents.

My school has a real issue with vexatious, petty parental complaints. I spent two hours of my time dealing with the rudest parent I have ever come across on Monday. I’m not a HoD or HoY. Just a class teacher trying to get on and support the kids and what I get is a barrage of abuse.

This is not the first time either nor am I the only teacher who has this issue. Teachers simply do not have the time to defend their seating plan choices or why they set a certain homework or to explain the intricacies of every classroom interaction.

Mountains out of molehills. All taking away prep and marking time.

Sheesh.

I don't believe for a minute Farrow is a police officer! All the coppers I know are calm and good at dampening situations down. I've never met one that was a gobby inflammatory fucker who deliberately shit stirred like that.They wouldn't last five minutes in the job! Troll bullshit.

My school has a real issue with vexatious, petty parental complaints

I wonder if this is caused by the ability and trend nowadays to tweet your displeasure at a company the minute you experience a slightly below-par service.

I’d advise parents whose finger is hovering over the send button to consider that their moan may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and are they prepared for said teacher to quit, leaving their kid with no teacher just for the satisfaction of venting their spleen?

I know a couple of ex-teachers where that happened.

@BeingATwatItsABingThing

I suspect You’re hiding this thread as you look ridiculous for being 25 years old only 4 years in and ‘done ‘ already, calling new teachers ‘fresh meat’ and wishing you could go off sick 😂

@BloodyhellMartha

Where have I been inflammatory?

I’m saying teachers are so Moany and this thread confirms that .

People have tried to imply that the routinely cover duties on their breaks with out being paid , which as you know is nonsense. You may well have a working lunch where you get some shit done while eating a sandwich ( same as the rest of the world)

And the biggest issue seems to be Slt with high expectations

My uncle was a police officer. He’s a gobby, inflammatory gobshite so I wouldn’t rule it out on that basis. He had plenty of spare time, left work at work and moonlighted as a cash-in-hand plasterer and then retired in his late 40s. Why would a police officer complain about their job? it’s a pretty cushy number. He encourages anyone he knows to apply. He was well paid with a great pension and excellent conditions. It has its downsides, like any job, but as someone who left school with a handful of CSEs and one O Level he would have been hard-pressed to find anything better and he obviously couldn’t have been a teacher.
Now I know what Farrow does, I understand why our long holidays and “gold-plated” pension aren’t enough to tempt them into teaching.

Ok Farrow, you've had your 5 minutes in the sun. Got a lot of teachers to respond to you - lots of attention. Very clever, we're all so impressed. Gold star for you!

Off you pop to bed now, there's a good gf!

@SabineSchmetterling

I doubt your uncle retired in his 40s

The retirement age used to 28 but that nasty Mrs May made if 30

Jeez Farrow just how empty is your life?