What to do? Teaching? NHS? Something else?

[pancakes22]

I am 35 mum of 2 and completely miserable in my job being a PA that I just fell into and kind of just drifted along until 10 years have past. I have 3 years left until my youngest goes to school which is heartbreaking and sends me into mid life crisis thinking what on earth will I do!

Since home schooling I have actually considered going into early years teaching however before that I also toyed with the idea of healthcare assistants particularly maternity.

Teaching
Pros
Term time and family friendly
Little ones
Satisfaction watching them learn

Cons
Might not be as rosy with the more strong willed children
Work in evenings with prep etc
Would always feel less than nhs

NHS
Pros
Would feel so proud to be working alongside people who have my upmost admiration
Learning clinical skills
Helping new mums/witnessing birth has to be incredible

Cons
Hours/Shifts/sleep deprivation/not family friendly
More confrontation which I am not good at
Higher demands
Lower pay as I probably wouldn't go on to qualify as nurse/midwife as I don't think I'm clever enough and 3 years full time would be hard with family

Basically I think I just have an obsession with how amazing I think NHS is and feel unworthy doing anything else! However I know it's not practical and a really hard option. My friend is doing maternity at the moment and every shift she tells me about I'm just in awe.

I want a career that I can get some personal satisfaction from, that helps people but doesn't involve too much confrontation and fits in with the family.

Hmm...I generally applaud people who take up the challenge of re-training/going back into education when they've got kids, but I'd suggest taking up the PP's offer of a free coaching session or find someone similar to chat to about different possibilities to the ones you're thinking about. I was a teacher for 17 years, but didn't go back to it after having my own DC, because, as PPs have said it is not family friendly at all, except you don't have to worry about child care for (most of) the holidays. When my DC started school I went back to uni to retrain for an allied health care profession. I realised fairly quickly on placements, etc. that I probably didn't fancy starting a new career in the NHS after all. So I've now set up my own business that allows me to work from home and be completely flexible with my time. That's just me, obviously, we're all different...but thought I'd give you my twopenneth worth re the careers you are thinking about.

Good luck though. Keep thinking and talking and researching. You'll find the right thing for you.

I'm a primary school teacher. It has worked out for me because I only have one dc and she went to the school where I teach so I didn't miss out on her sports days, plays, parents evenings etc. I can get by without that much sleep in the week as long as I can catch up at the weekend so was happy to spend time with dd after school and then work once she had gone to bed.

Because I taught in Foundation and year 1 when she was young, she didn't mind hanging around my classroom at the end of the day or coming into school with me in the holidays because there were plenty of things to play with.

We also had very involved grandparents who did nursery drop off and pick ups and would have her if she wasn't well enough to go to nursery or school. My dp also has a job where he can largely choose the days and hours that he works.

But without that combination of circumstances, teaching wouldn't have been family friendly.

What about FE? Psychology ALevel?

Thank you every one for your responses. Looks like I am completely naive with the teaching!

You don't say... I have family who teach, this attitude of the general public is why so many leave and is incredibly rude. IMHO teaching is far more stressful than an NHS job unless you're in A&E.

Teaching is family friendly?!!!

I've been working since 8am and still have loads to do. I'm giving up and going to bed. I had a governors meeting this evening at 7:00pm and my child got very cross "but the work day is DONE mum"

Last night I worked until 10:00pm.

It's most definitely NOT family friendly.

Teaching isn't family friendly whatsoever.

Definitely not teaching! It defines your life.

The entry requirements for teaching are significantly higher than for nursing

I work in the NHS and I love it, I wouldn't work anywhere else

Chill out everyone. The OP wasn't being rude or dismissive about teaching and she's said she was naive to call it family friendly.

I'm a primary teacher coveting an office job! I love the actual teaching, but feel a bit like I have missed out on so much of my own kids' childhoods while seemingly always working in the evenings and on weekends. DP takes half terms off to look after the DC but I usually manage to down tools for a chunk of the longer breaks. It sucks, I spend hours ensuring other mothers' DC have an amazing time in my class every day, but struggle to find the time to read for 15 mins with my own DC when I get home. If DP wasn't such a domestic deity we'd be stuffed.

Perhaps not teaching... (I left and miss teaching but not the anxiety and lack of family friendliness.)

Have you looked at Occupational Therapy? Or Speech and Language? These would both tie in with your psychology background. I really wish I had trained as an OT - so much variety and seems to be quite flexible hours locally. You could specialise in children or in special needs etc which are similar to your other interests.

Or a social worker (not family friendly...)

What about adjusting your current role hours so you can do some voluntary part time work, perhaps with the NHS? There was a scheme at my trust and loads of volunteer roles in hospitals and the community.

Not teaching.

I left home at 7.30 this morning-waved briefly to my kids who were still in their pyjamas. I got home at 6 in time to start dinner. Luckily DH is WFH at the moment and they are all secondary age now and need much less ‘help’ otherwise it would be a nightmare. We needed a lot of childcare pre covid when DH had a long commute and the kids were little. Snow days/inset days/when anyone was ill was also horrifically stressful. Sick days for children. were nearly always unpaid and caused a LOT of problems at work.

I have also never been to a single assembly/play/sports day for my youngest child as I was full time by then. I managed some for the older ones as they were on days I didn’t work. It’s a very inflexible role during term time and if you have children-that’s obviously when any school events you’d want to see will be.

Your only definition of ‘NHS’ appears to be ‘nursing’.

What about therapy? I’m an OT, but there’s also speech and language, physio, dietetics...all of these have assistant posts at same - or better - pay than HCAs, a lot less scutwork, much better hours (never long days, rarely weekend working), same entry level requirements and your background in psychology is particularly well-suited to being an OTA. I’d say well over half of the OTAs I’ve worked with have had psychology degrees, and many of them have gone on to qualify as OTs.

PS OTs work extensively in primary schools with one eighth of the bullshit teachers have to deal with...

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If you’ve got two degrees already you’d definitely be able to do nurse training from an academic point of view. You’d be more qualified than a lot of other new students.

You get better nhs funding now but it would still be 3 years with a limited income but then good potential afterwards.

You’ve missed the ucas deadline for this year but I believe you can do late entries which will still be considered if the course isn’t full.....and applications are down a third this year nationally. So quite possible.

We are crying out for educational psychologists. Worth a thought given your degree.

I believe that teaching is only really suited to young single people with the time and energy to focus on only the job.

I spent years wishing my kids would leave me alone in the evenings, so I could work in peace. They're almost in high school. I see more, hour by hour, of my gcse classes than my own kids. I have stayed late at work to ensure other people's kids do well (academically and emotionally), whilst my own sat waiting in after school club. I have lost countless weekends to a level cw marking or general marking or data analysis or planning or any number of things that can't be done around your teaching hours. V family unfriendly.

Oh, I can add more cons to NHS...
Only the option of 7.30-20.30/21.30 shifts within an hour of where I live (trust policy) and no childcare options outside of 8-18.00 unless family are nearby and can help.
No annual leave in school holidays in next 2 years as they’re “peak times” and we’re short staffed.
No flexibility for nativity plays etc.
Institutional bullying is rife.
No staff support/ family friendly/ flexible working (policies just pay lip service)

Pros
You are definitely smart enough to train as a nurse/ midwife

Yep I'm an OT. Thoroughly recommend it. Loads of options from hospital, community, paediatrics.

I love my job and have the hours I want. Band 7 so decent (ish) pay.

I enjoy teaching, but I wouldn't recommend anyone goes into it until they've spoken to lots of teachers in different schools, and preferably done some work experience.

I was a PA so I understand how you feel! What depresses you about it in particular?

I now work in the NHS and I'm going back to uni in September to speech and language therapy. It will be my second degree! I miss some aspects of being a PA but the NHS is a great work environment for women if you are a clinician (rather than admin).

What qualifications do you have? Perhaps we can guide you?

PA skills are a great thing to have whatever you decide to do!

Thank you for the idea of OT that's definitely something I will have a little google into now

Just have to say, all these stories of you teachers and how hard it's been with your own families has really pulled on my heart strings. I genuinely had no idea. Well done to you all hard working selfless people

@stuckinatrap do you mind me asking what you do now? I am desperate to get out of classroom teaching but don't know what direction to go in. Education is all I've ever done so probably still in this sector...