How hard is teaching?

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I'm heading back into full time teaching after a break (stayed in education though). I have two children aged 7 and 9. Also just started divorce proceedings this week. I'm worried that I won't cope. Any teachers here? How much work do you do on top of a regular 8 hour a day?

Like doing a full time job on top of a full time job.

The trouble is, you have no set hours so you just have to do everything you're told to do, most of which you can't do within teaching hours because you're, well, teaching.

All evening once children are in bed (several hours every evening) plus 5 hours at the weekend. As children get older, you start your evening work later so get to bed very late and sleep suffers. It gets easier over the years as your experience grows but it's still a lot of hours! You have some flexibility in that you can leave school after meetings/interventions/detentions etc (4.30pm at school) so you can get home to do things with the children, but you make up for it later in the evening. You do get school holidays, but will need to work to some extent during those.

Thank you. I remember working evenings and weekends before I had kids. The salary is so tempting. I think I'd be better off being part-time, maybe 3 days a week.
The kids at the secondary school where is been offered the job go home at 3 which would give me 2 hours afterwards to plan and prepare for the next day. I would leave at 5 to collect my kids from after school club. Is that not enough time?

Depends on your subject and the resources you already have/ the department has. I no longer work the hours I did as a young teacher but my faculty has spent a lot of hours over the years building resources so that they may just need tweaking for our class. My children are now 9 and 11, which also makes it easier as they don't want my time as much, so if I do need to work, I tend to do it whilst they play and don't stay up late.

Of, forgot to say, that I find picking up from childcare at 5 allows me to get enough done to survive.

If those are the hours you have, you’ll make it work. There will be times when it’s busier (assessment periods, parents evenings etc) but ‘just’ as a teacher without additional responsibilities you can probably manage with a bit of evening work & half a day or so at the weekend.

I think you would be fine, you just have to be really strict with yourself. I have worked in a school fairly recently (no longer work as a teacher) and the ones with small kids to pick up were just very protective and focused of their time and took a few short cuts when necessary. Obviously you may need to stay late occasionally for parents evening/ meetings etc.

I think you will be fine, you just have to have excellent time management skills. I think secondary is more possible in this situation as you are teaching your specialist subject. You will definitely find times when you are busier. I’d try to get all your generic cpd (safeguarding, prevent etc) done over the summer. I have a rule that Friday evening and Saturdays are work free, Sunday AM is cooking for the week. Then Sunday evening prep for week ahead.

I think the two hours after school will be very helpful. I get in very early and find that a very productive time too. Agree it gets harder as the kids stay up later, but then once they have lots of homework you can all work at home he same time. And the holidays are fab!!

I teach in FE and although I earn less than those key stages 1-4 it’s a decent wage of £37,000. I get more holidays than them as well. I take zero work home with me.

If you are very strict with yourself and no socialising in the staff room after-school you can do it but keep in mind that not everyday will be free, you'll have department and staff meetings, parents evening, depending on your school having to have restorative discussions with children in detention, making phone calls home, adding information on to the system, expectations to run another school club- that 2 hours gets eaten up very quickly.

I'd also find out their marking policy, do they mark books and homework my school did and it took up a huge amount of time even if 'ticking and flicking' whereas DDs school don't mark books but only mark assessments and her homework is either o Seneca or using knowledge organisers to produce revision materials which aren't marked.

Instead as going in as a full-on teacher I'd dip my foot back in as a cover instructor, it'll get you back in the school environment, you'll get to know the children opposed to a normal supply in and out of different schools but there will be much less demanding on your after school time whilst still earning some wage even if it's less than before.

Can't comment on secondary but primary is hell right now and no amount of money would get me back into the classroom.

The biggest issue is logistics. Teachers have fixed days and can't flex or WFH. You need a good support network to help you get to work early/stay late/ cover child illness.

Be prepared for how intense the hours are. I don’t know how long it is since you last did any teaching, but in most schools it’s a lot tougher than it was a few years ago.

You might be in meetings with parents and external professionals for that first hour most days

I'd say it depends on the school.
I'm not a teacher - but I work in a secondary school, dedicated to one department. I'm on fixed hours - 8 til 4.
The only person in before me is the head of department. I am regularly the last to leave - HoD has one meeting a week that goes on later than 4, and orobably leaves with me 1 day a week.
The only work that is done at home is marking - and that's usually Y0 and Y11 papers.

So, I personally don't recogonise the 80 hour weeks the majority of teachers are doing, but my view seems to be very much in the minority. What is the ethos of the school? I think that will massively affect things.

Check what other demands on your time they expect. Those 2 hours after school could be taken up with an expectation to oversee after school clubs and/or attend staff meetings/training.

Not just prep for next day, marking, reports, longer term planning also training is often one day after school for 1 1/2 hours.

I teach in primary, I've been teaching a long time now so have a lot of resources and experience I can fall back on.

I don't work at home much other than my PPA time. Certainly don't do hours & hours and very little at weekends.

I dropped to 4 days before Christmas and it's still a good wage.

New to a school, a year group - massive workload.
Paperwork-heavy school - massive workload.
If you are in a reasonable school, and have the resources, and know the school processes then it's a lot more do-able.

I rarely do any work outside of school hours, unless it's report writing time (or inspection notice has been received) but it hasn't always been the same.

Literally the hardest job mentally and physically plus with all the thankless scrutiny

Look after yourself.

What’s your subject?

I used to teach English and the 60-80 hours was real. Changed subject before I had my baby and thank god, because not all subjects are created equal workload wise!!

Thanks for all your interesting replies. I have recently taught part-time and worked as a TA so I am familiar with the job to a certain extent. To those of you with primary aged children, do you think you could also cope with a house sale and divorce proceedings as well as your job and not have a mental breakdown which is what I scared of?

Science

What is 60:80?