Have I made a mistake training to teach?

[salviapages]

I'm feeling so hopeless. I completed my PGCE in July but didn't get a job. I don't want to sound cocky but I'm very capable and got excellent feedback, colleagues at my placements were shocked I didn't get a job. There are just so many graduates in my area, over 100 people going for each job.

So now I'm doing supply. At first I thought look on the bright side, you're home by 4.30 and no stress. But I hate it. The reason I love teaching is the relationships you develop with the children and watching them grow in confidence over time. I feel like a glorified babysitter with classes with poor behaviour, and if I meet a lovely class I don't see them again.

I'm looking for a teacher job, but all I see online every teacher seems at their wits end. People quitting or desperate to quit. If I get a job I may just end up like this.

Did I make a mistake? I worked in marketing before, I quit and left all my clients to do this.

Hi I’m a teacher. I love teaching. But I am leaving because it takes over my life and I want to spend my weekends and evenings with my own children. Not working on my laptop. It’s not a great way to live. Do you have children?

@Meandmini3 no but I'd like to have children in the next few years and I'm worried about not having any time with them. But then normal jobs you don't get the holidays off so I'm hoping it will balance out

I usually put my children in to childcare for a day or two a week in the holidays so I can do school work. Even the holidays are not my own.

I love being a teacher. But the workload is too much.

I'm hoping it will balance out

It never did for me. I was similar to you. Distinction for my PGCE but couldn't get a job at first. Then when I did the 70 hour weeks broke me. I lasted four years.

I moved education sectors and have never looked back. Only eight weeks holiday a year but I can take them when I want and don't work in them. It suits me.

It's hard right now and I think a lot of people are struggling. Even edutwitter isn't as perky and keen as normal. I've done 20 years and love it, but I'm feeling more drained by it right now than I ever have.

However, it's still a great job IF you find the right niche for you and IF you find the right school within that niche. I hope things will get better.

It gets easier as every year goes by.

This year has been really peculiar for jobs. Have you had much supply? I know our school has struggled to get supply teachers in.

@Strawbales lots of supply been busy most days. I've seen teachers saying there seems to be a shortage of suppy which I find confusing as I know quite a few people from my course had to do suppy when they didn't get jobs

This is my second year, after a decade and a bit climbing the nursery ladder and being a TA. I haven’t been a teacher for a non COVID year yet!

It’s hard work and it is very underestimated by many. My own family tut at me when I’m working at home and think it’s down to bad time management and disorganisation that I’m having to work at home. They don’t understand the sheer volume. And I will add, I’m in an independent school so my class is 16.

There’s things that make it easier though. Once you’re actually the class teacher, you don’t need to do those 3 page long plans for every lesson. A lot of stuff roles over. My school has a two year cycle for topics, therefore the planning for each term and then each week actually already exists, which makes life a lot easier, it has to be tweaked not started from scratch. Likewise, a lot of resources are already in existence. Not necessarily unique to private, most of my state school friends have similar.

The workload and type of work to be done also varies by age and year group. I teach reception so the marking is done as I go, so I don’t have marking to take home. I do however have to prep their books entirely. I’ve just been sat in front of the tv writing tomorrow’s title and date. I then stuck in several photos of the maths practical work we did today into everyone’s books and wrote how they did. I’m about to start cutting out a whole load of pictures to use for writing tomorrow where they have to write the ingredients for their own lunch. I’ve also got to finish writing observations and upload them to the journal. It’s time consuming.
Sometime this week I have to print off and highlight lines for the nativity play!

I’m lucky that I’m in a supportive school and have a good relationship with colleagues. That makes it worth the strain for me at the moment, I have no children but admit to not doing anything during the week because it really is a life choice.

You won’t know until you try. Don’t waste that PGCE. There’s no harm in having a go and other doors can open up from it.

I don't know where abouts in the country you are or what subject/phase you teach but 100 people applying for a job sounds unusual. Every school I know are struggling to even get one person to apply. There is a vacancy currently at my school unfilled after three rounds of advertising. And this is in top schools, in major cities, etc. There is a massive teacher recruitment issue currently.
On the other point - don't go into teaching unless you want to work every evening and weekend for no extra pay.

@bananabuddy3 thanks so much, that is encouraging. They are lucky to have someone so dedicated!

@Hali2507 I'm in east sussex, so we have both sussex and brighton uni putting out trainees each year.