Would you advise someone to go into teaching?

[scrappydappydoo]

DD is 14 and doing her options so we’re having lots of discussions about future careers. Amongst many others she’s considering teaching (primary). Having read a lot of threads on here by both teachers and parents I worry about this as a career choice. Do you think things are going to change or will it only get worse?

Hmm. There have been a few threads on this, one quite recently.
Usually, the overwhelming consensus is "No! Don't do it!" Think I may have said the same last time.
But now I would qualify it. It's a rewarding career to choose, but ONLY if you're lucky enough to end up in a school where they take staff welfare and workload seriously. That, I'm afraid, is luck of the draw.

It will get worse, at least over the next 5 years. funding is cut to the bone, class sizes are getting bigger, TA support is being cut, behaviour of students is getting worse (not to mention the parents), scrutiny of book s and lessons is increasing to the point where you are constantly on edge......

Or - she might get lucky and get a job in a great school. They are out there - and if she gets in there then teaching can be incredibly rewarding.

I'm probably not the best one to give advice. 30 years at the chalkface. The last three yerars have been hellish and I am out at the end of the year.

No, I wouldn’t recommend it at all. Please search back in the staffroom board for precious posts which will explain why.

Your question is asked fairly regularly but not as often as teachers asking

1. How they can leave?
2. What else they can do?

I would definitely advise against it. Ridiculous workload that takes over your home life, behaviour management can be incredibly stressful, constant monitoring.

Yes. Absolutely. I love my job but I am secondary and in Scotland which has problems but does things differently.

I'm just in the car in our way to dropping 17y dd off for her first Primary Education degree interview.

I teach. I qualified as a secondary school teacher years ago but left that after ten years (I found the behaviour management at secondary just too much and felt I didn't get to teach much at time's - ended up in a poor school with rubbish SLT which just damaged by view of it all) and now work in an infant school,m. I've been here ten years and love it despite its challenges.

Dd has been doing regular voluntary work in schools pretty much since year 7, but increasingly so in the last two years and running her own clubs etc.

Dd knows the realities of teaching and knows the challenges, but also the rewards. She talks often with the teachers at my school ( from trainee student teachers to long standing experiences teachers and management) and at others about the role and the real life of teaching, so she knows what she's in for. It's what she's always wanted to do, and she's got the right personality and traits for it. She's not just 'falling into it' or doing it because she doesn't know what she wants to do which does make a difference.

So although I, and she, knows teaching isn't all rosy she is still very keen and I'm sure she will make a great teacher. I wouldn't have put her off, though would have been more concerned had she been looking at secondary I think due to my own experiences.

My Dd is considering where to do her primary Ed teaching degree at the moment. Watching me under pressure has not put her off because I also come home knackered but happy as I love my job,the kids and the people I work with. It can be a great job if like CallmeAngelina said you have a boss who is understanding and not obsessed with data and getting the holy grail of outstanding from OFSTED.

Unless you work abroad...great if you fancy emigrating to Australia!

My DD would also have been an excellent teacher I think but has been put off by the hours I work. She is considering speech or occupational therapy as careers and I am encouraging her in this.

No I wouldn't and most of my colleagues are thinking of leaving or reducing their hours. I'm in Scotland where we seem to have less shite to put up with than those in England.
However, inclusion with no support, zero exclusions ruling from LA, rising class sizes ....I could go on and on..... are making the job very difficult and unpleasant nowadays.

It is such a shame, as there have been so many positives about the job over the decades - it is interesting, stimulating, rewarding, a job where you feel you can make a real difference, etc etc but the micro management that has now become the 'norm', the lack of autonomy, the lack of respect for your experience and professional judgement, and the balance of pointless paperwork vs actual teaching, or preparing lessons, has gone too far.
I've discouraged my dc from going in to it.
there will still be individuals with the passion, who manage to tolerate all the rubbish, but it does grind you down I'm afraid.

The issues in teaching aren't going to get any better, not with the financial squeeze many schools have been facing.

Not only are the government not recruiting enough new people to train, but the retention of those who do qualify is getting worse.

Last year the Department for Education released figures which showed that the number of teachers quitting after their first year of teaching was at its highest rate for nearly a quarter of a century.

I think that figure speaks for itself.

Primary yes definitely not secondary. X
Nice school in nice area or private school. X

Primary yes definitely not secondary

Why?

No I wouldn't advise anyone to do it. My heart sinks when my DD9 says she wants to be a teacher.

I absolutely love TEACHING. The imparting of knowledge and helping the children understand a concept. To an extent I even enjoy planning, envisioning how the lesson on paper will pan out, wondering how the lesson will go, anticipating misconceptions and how to tackle them. I could do the teaching bit every day for the rest of my life. It's the rest of the job that is rubbish: behaviour, parents, scrutiny, data paperwork, unsupportive senior leadership, treatment of staff, to name but a few. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Nope

I think it’s about going into it with eyes open about the demands and pressures. If you love the job and can cope with working long hours, evenings and weekends and deal with stress we’ll, go for it.

Primary. Absolutely and definitely NO.

No. Never.
Life is too short.

Primary. No.

Definitely not. Unless you've got no life, family or children and would be happy to be married to your job.

Sadly, I wouldn't advise anyone to go into teaching, very long hours, enormous pressure and governments frequently changing what you should be doing

Nope. Love the teaching bit. Everything else crushes you really. 25 years in and counting...

Definitely not (28 years' experience). My twin daughters, now aged 31, lead front-line Social Work teams and agree that their working conditions are a lot better than mine ever were.

I second everything stated above by noideaatallreally about the future prospects.

I could weep for my 2-year old grandson at the state of schools today.

Thanks for the honesty - sad that there doesn’t seem an end to this pressure that teachers are under. I think she’d make a great teacher but by the sounds of it is probably not resilient enough to cope with all the extras.