I need to leave teaching but wtf else can I do?

[Grockle]

I need to work and have always loved teaching.

Over recent years, I have developed several chronic illnesses that have become worse with time & are aggravated by stress. I have had significant time off work which, I think, will make it difficult to be employed elsewhere.

I am being hounded at work now & know my boss has asked people behind my back if they want to make a formal complaint about me (they don't) but I really feel like I am being pushed out. Capability proceedings have been mentioned in passing & although there is no reason for me to be put on capability, it is now an easy way to get a teacher out. I have been in touch with my union & I am just biding my time now, waiting to see what will happen next. I think work are waiting for me to be off sick again, so they can push for me to leave on the grounds of ill health.

WTF do I do? Teaching does make me ill but I don't want to do anything else. I have no skills, no training in anything else.

Private tutoring?

See a careers consultant?

I'm a lone parent so not sure I could do tutoring. I suppose I could do it at home whilst DS entertains himself but by early evening, I'm exhausted & don't function well.

I didn't know there was such a thing as a careers consultant

What's your subject, and are you primary or secondary?

Can you look into a combination of supply, tutoring and examining?

Work in a nursery?

Some HEers employ tutors.

Childminder?

Which sector are you in? If secondary, which subject?

I have just started to think about becoming a HE tutor. At the moment it's just an idea, but local HE groups want quality teaching for their children that is also creative and tailored to their children. People HE for a wide variety of reasons. Try finding a local HE group/forum and seeing what they want from a tutor.

I'm primary + SEN/ ASD

I've thought over & over again about being a childminder but would worry about getting ill - I sometimes need weeks/ months off work which would make me unreliable. Of course, I might be much better if I weren't teaching but I don't know.

The future is a bit scary. I've found a lovely job online from 10 - 2 every day but I don't see how we could live on £7,500 per year

I will look for local HE groups, thank you.

ABA tutors are highly in demand.

What's your subject(s)? Teaching involves loads of skills.
You'll have presenting skills, organisational skills, writing skills, analytical skills, risk assessment and all sorts, not to mention subject-specific things like languages or maths or science knowledge or whatever.

Look at all the things you do as part of teaching, from planning lessons to giving lessons, controlling the classroom, managing all the different needs of all your students and so on. Which bits of those things are you particularly good at, which do you particularly enjoy, and also, which would you happily never touch again? Which aspects particularly aggravate your stress and thus your illnesses? This all helps you build a skills profile.

There are things you can do like private tutoring, but what about educational liaison with a local museum or something? Adult education? Training within a company? There may be other jobs you completely haven't thought of at all - that's partly because we tend to focus on the job titles, rather than the skills which are involved. There will be other things you can do, but you need to spend more time thinking about what your skills really are before you can see which job profiles that might fit.

Done any exam marking? Retrain for an admin role within a school/ educational type business like exam boards?

Done any exam marking? Retrain for an admin role within a school/ educational type business like exam boards?

I really sympathise . . . I teach and have had mh issues and wonder how I can go on. A few of my friends have gone on supply through agencies and get full time work if they want it. I understand you wouldn't get sick pay etc but at the £110 per day when you do work might cover your bills? What does your union suggest? Or have you rung teacherline? Hang in there . . .

I work for the LA tutoring kids who are out of school. It is a zero hours contract so not exactly reliable income but when I have students I am paid at my point on the teachers pay scale and I can turn down students if I am unable to work (needed time off last year when DS1 had an op). You could see if your local authority employs tutors for this sort of role.

With SEN experience, you would be welcomed by families whose children have had to be pulled out of school and taught at home for medical or mental health reasons. Most councils have such a service, but I have no idea how often such vacancies come up.

x-posted with geogteach!

Are you in mainstream?

Have you thought about working in a specialist setting? It's a very different ball-game, and much better in terms of work/life ratio, etc IMHE

Literacy intervention? Plenty of companies offer this and employ qualified teachers

Careers adviser/ educational co-or donator or SEN officer for a local authority / work for an educational publisher/ pastoral role in a school. So many things you can do with a PGCE.

Tell us the skills you like to use.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I'm in an SEN school but have no official training in that either. School won't fund anything like that.

It's all a bit overwhelming and, despite mulling this over for a while, I suddenly feel the urge to get out NOW.

I will look at ABA training and at local museums with education programmes too. I've never done exam marking but have always wanted to. I don't know how to get into that either, especially since I've not worked in mainstream schools for many years. Also, I've always wanted to work as a tutor for children who were in hospital so supporting those who are not in school for SEN/ MH issues might be a good option.

I should contact teachline too.

Skills I like to use... um, I don't know?

I like being organised - everything filed, colour co-ordinated, up to date

I like meeting with other professionals, supporting families

I enjoy the pastoral side of things as well as the teaching.

I just hate the scrutiny & constant pressure from above when much of it is not relevant to my children.

So sorry you are going through this but unfortunately it isn't uncommon. I have a friend who went through the same and is now temping.
I used to work in SEN teaching and was Head of Pastoral Care. I also worked as an ABA tutor but now work in mental health.

Bizarrely, I find it much less stressful than working in education, even though I am working with people who are at the more unwell end of the spectrum.
Even without SEN qualifications you have experience and there are places that like to take on people and train them themselves and looking at what you've written, you sound like a great candidate for this field. I think that doing some ABA work might help you - you'll get some formal training too, which is a good thing.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions and good luck :)