Teaching - the good and the bad!

[lucyalice18]

Hey guys!

So, i’ve recently applied for primary education at university. I currently have a job on my gap year working with children in an after school club which i love every minute of, but i completely understand that it is a very different job to a teacher.

So far, i haven’t heard many positive aspects of being a teacher but i’d love to hear some advice on what the best things (and the worst!) are about teaching and any advice you guys potentially have?

Thank you so much :)

I've taught for a long time - got my first job in 88.
Whereas I wouldn't recommend to any of my dc of your age to go into teaching, I do have to say it has had lots of positives to counter balance all the hundreds of negatives.

It is challenging, and therefore stimulating.
It stretches your own brain / imagination / resourcefulness
It is NEVER boring
Yes, the long holidays are an advantage when you have your own school age dc. You may do some work in them, but that can be around looking after your dc.
It is just so incredibly rewarding, indeed thrilling sometimes when you see the penny drop, and a child "gets it" or when someone you have been working with all year, and had many challenging days with, comes back later and says thanks, or their parent writes you a note.
It is a pretty secure career in terms of you aren't likely to be made redundant and the pension and the sick leave etc isn't bad.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to look back over the years and know that , by going into work each day, you made a difference to people's lives.

erm..... that's all I've got at the moment

Thank you so much! It’s so refreshing to hear the positives of teaching as well as the negatives i have heard from many other people. It must be so rewarding to be able to change a child’s life as you mentioned above :). Is there any reason in particular you wouldn’t recommend it apart from the long hours and crazy workload?

Yes, the micro management and the loss of autonomy that we used to have
The disproportionate amount of paperwork that does nothing to help the dc
The lack of respect.....the fact that every Tom Dick and Harry thinks they can question everything you do, throughout the day, and the time that goes into trying to appease people.
The fact that OFSTED is nothing to do with improving schools but they come in with a set agenda rather than an open mind
The lack of trust
The fact every bit of planning is now so micro managed you can no longer change what you were going to do that day because it is snowing and a child has captured a snowflake and noticed it's beauty or it's structure for the first time.......or the fact it is Thursday and it has been wet play for 4 days and the dc won't learn anything from what you planned last Sunday.......or the fact something terribly sad has happened in someone's life (or the school community) and you need to do some reflection on that...... etc etc etc
The insistence by Education Minister after Education Minister that "Every child must......." when anyone who knows the first things about children knows that not every child can.
The curriculum destroying a love of reading and writing by over emphasis on learning grammatical terms that never improve a piece of writing
The fact that the chance to play has been squeezed out of the curriculum for 5, 6, and 7 yr olds

@Kite22

Yes, the micro management and the loss of autonomy that we used to have The disproportionate amount of paperwork that does nothing to help the dc The lack of respect.....the fact that every Tom Dick and Harry thinks they can question everything you do, throughout the day, and the time that goes into trying to appease people. The fact that OFSTED is nothing to do with improving schools but they come in with a set agenda rather than an open mind The lack of trust The fact every bit of planning is now so micro managed you can no longer change what you were going to do that day because it is snowing and a child has captured a snowflake and noticed it's beauty or it's structure for the first time.......or the fact it is Thursday and it has been wet play for 4 days and the dc won't learn anything from what you planned last Sunday.......or the fact something terribly sad has happened in someone's life (or the school community) and you need to do some reflection on that...... etc etc etc The insistence by Education Minister after Education Minister that "Every child must......." when anyone who knows the first things about children knows that not every child can. The curriculum destroying a love of reading and writing by over emphasis on learning grammatical terms that never improve a piece of writing The fact that the chance to play has been squeezed out of the curriculum for 5, 6, and 7 yr olds

👏 Excellent post.

For most teachers, they love the job but they absolutely hate what teaching has become. For many, the love of the job, the children and dare I say the security will keep them in it - I include myself in this. However, the battle with the negatives is one you have to encounter daily.

For far too many good teachers, the negatives just mean the job isn't worth it. The toll on physical and mental health means far too many teachers are leaving and it's awful.

Nobody high up in education seems to even care.

You have to hang on to those ‘penny dropping’ moments and the ‘thank you’ moments, because there’s so much that is dispiriting. It’s been mentioned by Kite22 and careerchange456 so no need to repeat that. I’d just add though, that it is increasingly easy to get rid of teachers, not because they're incompetent, but because they're expensive.

The lack of funding within the state school system permeates everything and makes it very difficult to do the job that you'd like to do for every child. And yes, experienced teachers aren't valued, the bottom line is schools can't afford them so they're squeezed out. Sometimes in not very pleasant ways. If you've worked in other industries, you may be shocked at how some Headteachers treat their staff. In fact I'd go as so far as to say that as teaching and managing adults (and a school budget) are actually quite different, it's rare that an individual is good at both. The lack of funding puts increasing pressure on the staff in the system, to do their job without enough free time, and too few resources. Mental health support barely exists, SEN support barely exists, but teachers have no alternative but to deal with the consequences of that. Ofsted are a constant threat, with some schools forcing their staff to jump through ridiculous hoops because they think that's what will better prepare them for Ofsted. I wouldn't recommend it as a career at the moment.

I work in a private school and enjoy a lot of autonomy in what I teach. I plan all of my own schemes of work, which I am encouraged to plan around my interests. I am observed about twice a year as part of our coaching programme, which is always done in a supportive manner. I haven’t noticed much penny pinching and we are encouraged to book courses etc. We get about 1/3 of our time off timetable to plan and mark. Lots of the negatives from previous posters seem to be in state schools - maybe consider private? I am currently employed 3 days a week but, in reality work about 4.5 plus many holiday days in planning. I have returned to teaching after 13 years out, (so probably work harder this year than I will in future) where I worked in a higher paid industry. On returning, my school has financially rewarded me for this experience and I am on approx £49k PA full time equivalent as just a basic classroom teacher. I am loving it and really enjoy my work. I have great colleagues and love most of my students. They are really progressing so I feel proud of them and myself. Lots of job satisfaction. So I’d say go for it, but aim for private and try to only work 4 days per week, and if you need extra cash, do some Sat morning tutoring (we charge our students about £70 per hour round here).