If you had your time over, would you still be a teacher?

[finn1020]

One of my teens is considering training as a teacher, potentially primary. For those of you who are teachers, if you had your time over, would you still choose it as your profession?

What are the biggest pros and cons? How easy is it to gain employment, and do you feel it pays ok with the potential for career progression etc?

[northernknickers]

No I wouldn't. I'm miserable...but I've been doing it for nearly 30 years now and being single, with a mortgage etc, I don't know what else I could do to earn what I do, at my age (55) to enable me to pay my bills. I'm exhausted, work in excess of 70 hours a week and have no life (no time to have a life). I have no idea how teachers with young families manage...I see them crying in their classrooms at school, going off with stress and depression, leaving in droves. The profession is in serious crisis...it wasn't like this when I first started...I loved my job. If it had been like this when I started I wouldn't have lasted 5 years. Now...well, they call it the 'golden handcuffs'. I honestly can't see a way out, as I am trapped with financial responsibilities.

I do, however, adore the children and can assure anyone reading this that my class only ever see a happy, smiling, 'outstanding' teacher...I am a consummate professional and I'm good at my job. This doesn't mean I would advocate it as a career for anyone else! I absolutely wouldn't. Especially if you have, or are planning to have, a family.

Or a life 🤷‍♀️😩😢

[northernknickers]

@Tw1nset guaranteed weekends?? Really?

I haven't had a single weekend where I haven't worked in years...or a 'long holiday'. The only holiday where I can guarantee that I actually get some time off is summer. And even then, not all of it...I would usually work two weeks out of the six.

I go into school most Sundays to set up my classroom and print off my worksheets for the week. Saturdays are spent planning (we have to email planning to our deputy by 6pm on a Saturday!). All planning is on smart slides...for context, a weeks worth of maths for my class is around 70 slides...plus the differentiated worksheets to go with them. We don't have a scheme, so do our own slides/sheets for everything. We are a rural school, so mixed age classes (year 1/2, year 3/4, year 5/6) which makes it harder. 6 ability groups per class...so 6 sheets per lesson means I'm planning 30 differentiated maths and English lessons each week (as well as all of the other subjects we teach as primary teachers).

As PPs have said, primary and secondary are miles apart in terms of workload and expectations (and I'm not being goady here...this is backed up in workload studies). Of course it does also depend on your subject, year group taught and time of year if secondary, as this can vary greatly.

There is a lot of research on teacher workload, recruitment and retention, mental health in education, the teaching crisis etc...well worth googling OP.

[fedup21]

I go into school most Sundays to set up my classroom and print off my worksheets for the week. Saturdays are spent planning (we have to email planning to our deputy by 6pm on a Saturday!).

That is awful!

[Tw1nset]

@northernknickers I do think primary is much harder which is why I said I was secondary.

I rarely work at the weekend or the holidays, the exceptions might be during a data deadline. I do some other bits and pieces linked with education - some writing and making resources for a company linked with education- I might do that work over the weekend or the holiday.

Exam board marking is the other exception but that is something I choose to do to fund our summer.

[Tw1nset]

I go into school most Sundays to set up my classroom and print off my worksheets for the week. Saturdays are spent planning (we have to email planning to our deputy by 6pm on a Saturday

I would be contacting my union rep and looking for another job.

[Tw1nset]

. We don't have a scheme, so do our own slides/sheets for everything. We are a rural school, so mixed age classes (year 1/2, year 3/4, year 5/6) which makes it harder. 6

Why don't you have schemed of work?. It seems mad to be planning like this every year. I understand primary is different but it must be possible to have long term plans you can adapt. Can you not buy in schemes of work? Lots of stuff is also shared on twitter. Seriously do you have a union rep.

Ofsted will want to see a sign that management are taking workload seriously. They also want to see long term plans.

There are issues with workload, especially in primary ( and I do wonder why it is so bad in primary when compared with secondary) but there are also schools with poor management. I would be involving my union and banding together to refuse to hand those plans in.

[LyndaLaHughes]

I'm sad to say no I wouldn't. I always wanted to
be a teacher from a young age but sadly, it is no longer an enjoyable job. The pressure and workload are horrendous and everyone I know is miserable and wants out. There is no money for anything and no support yet expectations are horrendous. The advent of Michael Gove is what destroyed things for me. The job has become intolerable over the past ten years and I want out.

[northernknickers]

@Tw1nset it is definitely in part due to poor management. No schemes due to cost (no budget...the schemes are expensive and with mixed age classes, honestly they don't work). There aren't really any schemes as such for English. We are not allowed in my current school to use Twinkl or Hamilton plans (no idea why, we haven't been given any kind of coherent reason for this, just told NO!). There are maths schemes but my current school won't buy in. As I said...mixed age classes are challenging in terms of planning so schemes don't really cater for these well enough.

I know it's completely crazy...we are writing our own plans for every single subject. It's taking so many hours...and is unnecessary as there are things out there that we could use but have been told NO! We are exhausted with it. Especially as the whole curriculum has now had to be changed with the new framework this year.

Unions: I tried once to involve our union with regards to workload reduction (whole other thread!!). Nobody in school would join me...all too scared. Union required others to 'be on board' in order to come in to school otherwise it would be obvious that I was the one driving the complaint. The head won't allow a union rep...yes, I KNOW this is illegal but we have been 'told' that things would be 'difficult' if anyone were to take on this role. Small school...everyone is really scared of the head. It is a very toxic place.

I'm leaving at Easter...got a new job at a different school (no idea if it will be any different in terms of management, but it's one-form entry so at least that side of things will be easier! I'll be teaching a straight Year 4 class as opposed to a mixed age). It definitely can't be worse 🤷‍♀️

[TheSquitz]

I've been teaching for 30 years. I loved the first 20 or so but have become steadily more fed up with the job. I'm lucky in that I work in a one form entry Primary, where 4 of the 7 class teachers and all but one of the TAs are 50+ so I'm not the only oldie. I'm 53 in July and intend to go at 57.

[TheSquitz]

Forgot to answer your question - probably not.

[finn1020]

Thanks everyone for your responses, some of your experiences are very similar and others completely different.

I did wonder how big a part parents played in negative experiences as from Mumsnet it seems crazy parents are making waves in the classroom on a weekly basis but no one has really mentioned this as a reoccurring issue which is great.

We’re not in the UK so although “teaching” experiences will be similar in both countries the politics of administrative issues will differ. However the teen is dead keen on living in the UK again during studies and after graduation so some issues still relevant.

[Saltdoughmuncher]

Secondary maths- and definitely not.

[TimeForDinnerDinnerDinner]

I taught for 20 years. I should've left when I had my children (10 years into my career). It was virtually impossible to maintain my attention to detail, and to keep up with all the new initiatives once I had a family.
I left 5 years ago to go on supply, and then started a new career. I haven't regretted it for a solitary second.

[ValancyRedfern]

Yes I would. No question. I'd prefer shorter working hours and free weekends but the joy and sense of purpose I get from teaching is worth it for me. I'm lucky I teach a subject I'm passionate about in a school with excellent behaviour management. If I was having to deal with terrible behaviour every day I'm sure I'd feel differently. I also think secondary offers better conditions and work life balance than primary.

[daisypond]

I know several teachers who went into teaching in their 30s, 40s and even 50s. Those that made it through the NQT year (not everyone did) like it and are pleased they made the switch from what they did before. Whether they would like it after having done 20 years is another matter.

[ploughingthrough]

Yes. But I jumped to the independent sector several years ago and would never look back. I really love my subject and whilst it's a bit tiring, it's a performing arts subject so I have a lovely time doing extra curricular things.

[SeeingThePyramids]

I’m leaving at Easter. This is my fourth year of teaching. I trained on the job in schools at 30.

I love the students and my subject but the state of education and the teaching profession have left me unfit to work.

I’ll be taking some time off to put myself back together.

Ideally I will eventually find a science tech or TA role, I wish I had stayed doing those and ignored my ego and bank balance lol

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

No. I wholeheartedly wish Id qualified as an OT or psychologist pre kids so I had a career I could go back tom

[fussychica]

OP we lived abroad but DS went to university in the UK. He followed his degree with a PGCE and is now in his 4th year of teaching at a secondary school in UK.

He is with us for few days so I asked him whether he would do it again and at this early stage in his career he said yes as he loves the fact that every day is different, the regular holidays etc. He is often in school very early in the morning as he prefers that to staying late in the evening although sometimes there's no choice. He brings work home often which he obviously doesn't like. He is lucky though as the school doesn't seem beset by major funding issues that many experience and has a strong behaviour management system.

Whether he will still be teaching in 10 years time is anyone's guess.

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

I think prekids it is ace, the adrenaline rollercoaster is great to ride and thw highs are good! Its fine to tell friends youre not available mon- fri term time etc. You have money to travel in the holidays.

I simply dont find that sustainable long term, especially after kids.

[Corneliawildthing]

Absolutely not - I was forced into it by my mother and didn't dare go against her wishes .

Our staff is largely middle aged and are all looking to reduce our hours or quit in the next few years. In fact our first staff meeting after Xmas is with someone who specialises in pensions etc

I feel sorry for our few young teachers who have got a lifetime of the shit that is the education system to look forward to. At least the rest of us have enjoyed years of our careers before it became the nightmare that it is today

[Sewingbea]

My daughter wants to work with children but is adamant that she doesn't want to teach because she sees all of the evening, weekend and school holidays work that I do. Instead she is looking at speech therapy or occupational therapy as a profession. I am fully backing her decision not to be a teacher, I want better for her than that. And I say that with huge sadness.

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

Occupational therapy looks awesome. Friends in it I know say there's lots of part time roles, lots of women working in it and routes for progression. Another one I wished Id considered!

[newyearnewear]

No not primary. I love the job but the stress and workload are too much.

[MrsJ28903]

No. Primary. England.
The workload is unbearable.