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Original poster

What else can I do if I leave teaching?

41 replies

kickingking · 24/10/2011 08:55

I'm a primary school teacher and expecting DC2 next year. I have struggled to manage work and family life since having DC1 - I work 3 days a week, which was supposed to help but I had my child at home with me all the time on my days off til he went to school and I found it hard to get anything done in the house or for work. Then I would spent every evening and half the weekend working, I was putting 50+ hours into a p/t job.

I was spoken to with concerns about my performance before becoming pregnant. I can't see me becoming more effective with two children to look after Sad

Ideally I would like to change careers after DC2 arrives, but have no idea what else I can do. We can afford for me to take a drop in salary, but whatever I do would need to justify the cost of childcare for a school aged child and a baby. We don't qualify for very much CTC as DH earns close to 40K.

Any ideas? What do people who leave teaching actually do? I don't have much experience of anything else, apart from a bit of youth work.

I could possibly afford to retrain but would be worried about studying while teaching, think I might collapse under the strain of that!

OP posts:
BoattoBolivia · 24/10/2011 08:59

Were you sharing a class part time? I have just changed jobs from a part time job share to PPA cover teacher in a different school and the workload has dropped dramatically! I am home by 4.30, with nothing to do but the occasional bit of extra marking. Because there are 3 classes in the year group I am teaching, they do all the planning as well. Try to think about other jobs in school before you give up completely, if you still enjoy the actual teaching bit. It will make it easier if you ever want to up your hours again.

Original poster
kickingking · 24/10/2011 09:05

I have done both. I am currently PPA and it is a big difference. However, PPA is being taken over by HLTAs so the school cab can get virtually the same job done for half the money. I always feel very 'dispensable' when doing PPA.

It's possibly the school I'm in - had very tough times recently, SM, etc. But I am not sure how easily I could get another p/t teaching job, they are like gold dust round here and I doubt I'd get a very good reference Sad

OP posts:
lv75 · 24/10/2011 09:05

I am just about to finish my EYP training - there are a lot of ex-teachers on the course who work in pre-schools or children's centres, but there is still a lot of work to do in the evenings etc and the pay is rubbish. Teaching is a good qualification to have long term, there are a lot of jobs in education that need a teaching background but not necessarily working as a teacher. Tribal inspections were offering freelance work for graduates/eyps/teachers with 5 years or more experience - the daily rate looked quite generous and you just give them the days when you are available for work.
Hope that helps.

Original poster
kickingking · 24/10/2011 09:07

What is tribal inspection? Confused

OP posts:
philmassive · 24/10/2011 09:08

Have you thought about teaching adult learners in an FE or HE college? Often it's evening hours and lecturers are usually well paid. Around here there seems to be a variety of teaching/working with children and families/TA courses and I wonder if you could look into teaching on that sort of thing?

Original poster
kickingking · 24/10/2011 09:12

FE/HE is a possibility - evenings are a bit if a worry, had to give up youth work as DH struggled to make it home in time for me to leave after we had DC!

OP posts:
beatenbyayellowzombie · 24/10/2011 16:33

Tutoring?

Depends what you like to do. If I had another chance, I think I'd go into nursing/midwife/medical profession. But I don't know what you are interested in.

A friend of mine has just left and gone into nutrition. She had to do some extra study but she's out of the classroom now.

lechillycornsilk · 24/10/2011 16:34

did you post about ofsted and stress recently OP? If that was you I'd say change schools.

slug · 24/10/2011 16:50

learning Technologies?

lv75 · 24/10/2011 22:09

Sorry, wasn't very clear - tribal are the company that ofsted outsource their inspections to. I know someone who has just started doing inspections with them, you have to do a short training course and have solid experience in education plus the usual qualifications. They were advertising in the summer but seem to have a recruitment drive every few months. Not sure if that's just my la or country wide that tribal operate in. Hope that's accurate but my understanding of it.

wine0 · 26/10/2011 08:07

Kinckingking i feel your pain. I have looked into alternative jobs, even evening work at Tesco but the pay drop would just be huge. If i had my time over i certainly wouldn't become a teacher and it's not the career choice i'll be recommending for my DD in 18yrs time.

If you can afford to get out then i'd do it. Worry about your next move afterwards. This is what i'm looking into now but just not sure i can afford to :(

Original poster
kickingking · 26/10/2011 19:45

I wouldn't become a teacher if I could have my time again either Sad

Looking into EYPS but I think that will need to be a longer term goal. Not sure what to do after maternity leave though.

OP posts:
HarrietJones · 26/10/2011 19:49

What about a specialist teacher for the LA ? Or a special school as s change of direction?

twinklytroll · 26/10/2011 19:50

I worked for home start for a while when I wanted to leave teaching over the workload and was working towards becoming an ed psych. I was sucked back into teaching.

It is a difficult decision to make

Original poster
kickingking · 26/10/2011 20:00

I think specialists have to be 'excellent practioners' and I'm sure I'm not!

OP posts:
wine0 · 27/10/2011 19:43

The problem is teaching is such a specialized area and new career moves are few and far between in my experience and like you say for outstanding practioners which like you i am not. I am seriously considering evening retail employment as an alternative. what an utter waste of 4 years of study and 10 years successful teaching :(

pugsandseals · 30/10/2011 18:32

I have a similar problem with an added twist - I currently teach as a specialist instrumental teacher but would love to get back to the classroom. However, I have no recent experience & no school will take me on as they would rather an NQT with recent subject teaching experience Sad. Am looking at doing some supply soon, but that will mean reducing my current hours & hoping I bring in some money from supply. I've even looked into TA/HLTA work but nobody is prepared to give me a go and the pay is pitiful . Interested to see if anyone here has any ideas which might apply to me to as currently travelling 300 miles per week for a part-time contract & would love to find something else, but like you cannot drop my salary too much!

Summergarden · 30/10/2011 19:42

I do private tutoring -am pg with 1st child now but plan to carry on after have baby. It's good money- £25 an hour, and much easier and more rewarding than trying to juggle the needs of a classful.

I hope to go back to my teaching job 2 days a week and tutor a few hours a week on top eventually.

Good luck- it sounds as if your confidence is low which makes things much harder.

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 30/10/2011 19:45

Health promotion practitioner? The OU do a course, and there are lots of ex-teachers in that field. Salaries range from low twenties to very early forties, higher of course if you become a manager or head of unit.

twinklytroll · 30/10/2011 19:49

I have decided this week that my days in teaching are coming to an end, so I am watching this thread closely.

Uglymush · 30/10/2011 19:49

Look at supply you can say yes or no as you feel like it. If you don't enjoy teaching then step away completely and do something totally different. Could you set up your own company? A few people I know of have become consultants for Pampered Chef as they can work their own hours and it can be evenings and weekends so might fit in easier with family life. There are other 'party consultant' type jobs out there if this kind of thing interests you

twinklytroll · 30/10/2011 19:52

I love teaching I am just tired of working 15 hour days. Maybe supply would be an idea , although I live the pastoral side of teaching and therefore I am not sure how I would enjoy supply.

Uglymush · 30/10/2011 19:54

Twinklytroll in the schools I work teachers that wanted a more relaxed job (ie start at 8.20 and finish at 3.05 and take litte if nothing home etc) have transfered to HLTA's and TA's. Would that be possible?

twinklytroll · 30/10/2011 19:59

I don't even mind working from 8:30 - 6pm to be honest .

I have thought about hlta but I am the major wage earner for my family. I suspect I am stuck in my position to be honest.

PotteringAlong · 30/10/2011 20:00

Have you thought about moving to secondary as a cover supervisor? School holidays and 8.30

  • 4pm hours? All our cover supervisors are qualified tea hers with young children (although we might be unusual as a school!) who 'dropped down' because of the workload.

It's a tough job but would be doable with family commitments and you've got relevant experience?

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