Teacher redundancy - how to manage until the Summer

[Sadteacher]

I’ve just been made redundant from an independent school due to next year’s numbers being low. I’ve got to work my notice until July and am really struggling.
Having to be my usual cheerful, fun self for the children all day is exhausting when I’m feeling so sad and worried inside. Having to deal with the tricky parents, who haven’t been told I’m leaving, when I only want to speak my mind to them now! I think the lovely parents will be horrified when they find out but I’m not allowed to tell them.
The main problem is having the time or energy to apply for other jobs. Teaching applications take hours and I’m still expected to work late duties 2/3 times a week, do clubs, organise trips as usual.

Any motivational words of wisdom appreciated!

My school is going through the same but offers time off and support with job applications. Can you ask for this? Have you signed already?

There are jobs at Minerva online you could look at too.

It is just so bloody tough out there.Huge and very supportive virtual hugs. In my teaching, it is the kids that get me through so I cannot imagine your pain.

Make sure you have agreed your reference with your current employer.
You should be paid for the summer.
You are entitled to time off for interviews.
Start applying for jobs.
Are you wanting to stay in teaching? Do you have a partner, children etc to consider or can you see this as an opportunity for change?

I’d like to stay in teaching but haven’t taught in a state school for years so am not sure how easy that will be. Several competitor schools are going through redundancies too. I am open to other jobs, in fact I’d love a job where I can go to the toilet when I want to!! My children have left home, so I have flexibility. I will be paid to the end of August ( and receive redundancy pay which will last a good 6 months) but it is so soul destroying every day at the moment, dragging myself in to a job where they’ve said they don’t need me any more.
I have asked for job support but not sure what that will look like. I’m on good terms with my Head who has promised a glowing reference.

You have a bit of leeway with being paid until end of August plus redundancy so I wouldn't panic yet.

Have you considered supply teaching? I did it for years and loved the flexibility, being able to leave the job behind at the end of the day, being able to book days/weeks off etc. Might be worth looking into?

It would also give you a way to find out about other schools before applying for jobs.

Stop doing the extras expected of you. Say you need evenings and weekends to apply for other jobs. Hand over any clubs, extra curricular, outings, displays etc to teachers who are staying on. Keep marking to a minimum.

That’s really tough. I’m a teacher in an independent school too and it’s difficult at the moment. I’d try supply in the short term and give yourself a breather. Good luck.

Thanks for all the great advice and support, just what I need to hear at the moment.

I agree!

If you get paid sick leave I would go sick for as long as you can. Also they can’t actually stop you telling people if you want to, unless you’re signing some sort of settlement agreement. They don’t fucking own you.

sorry to hear you are going through this OP, being made redundant is horrible x

Supply teaching sounds like a great idea. You might find a school you like that then has a permanent vacancy.

Why can’t you tell anyone you’re leaving? Are you just expected to disappear in a puff of smoke at the end of term?

This is probably not good advice, but I’d be tempted to get that glowing reference in writing, then start telling the tricky parents where they got off! 😜

@DonnaSueWeloveyou no official reason, they said it isn’t in the children’s best interests to know - ie. They worry parents will think the school is in trouble and move them! I might have to start leaking info!

I’m so sorry to hear this. I’m a teacher in an independent too and I can imagine how I’d feel in your position. It’s always hard leaving a school and the kids even when you’ve made the choice to go, and being forced to go makes it even harder.

As you’ve got a bit of a buffer with the redundancy pay, you could give yourself the winter term off and aim to get a post starting in January. There are always independent school late leavers who end up needing to stay in post for the winter term, and there are always maternity posts. Making a plan to give yourself that time would take the pressure off for now and also give you some time to think through what you would like to do next.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing that and would rather have the security of something definite to go on to, then I would go to the Head and tell them that you are feeling very anxious and stressed about finding a new job for next academic year as your workload is making it challenging for you to have the time to make applications. Given the circumstances, you would like them to relieve you of your additional duties this term so that you can have the time to ensure you have employment next year. It’s really the least they can do and they do have a duty of care to support you when they have put you in this position.

I know it’s hard to stay your usual self in front of the kids when you’ve got huge personal worries going on. It’s also hard to put the extra effort in when you feel unappreciated. However my advice would be, stay focused on your kids and making enjoyable experiences and memories with them every day. The time you have with them is still precious, valuable and impactful, and you leaving makes no difference to that. Try to stay in the moment with them and focus on them and their learning. The rest of this year will fly by - think how quickly it’s suddenly become March! - and before long this experience will be over and you’ll be enjoying a break before moving on to something new.

Good luck and I’m so sorry again this has happened. I fear that it will become more and more common for us to face redundancy with VAT being added to fees and I think schools need to become much better at supporting teachers in the aftermath of a redundancy, knowing that they have to keep going until the end of term with the stress of pending unemployment looming over them.

Look on ACAS website. They legally must allow you "reasonable" time off to look for other work and/or to train.
Don't be a doormat, consult your union and take the time. Don't be going out of your way to do extra activities - it will impede your chances of finding other work!

This is awful behaviour. The OP is actually in a good position - independent school, to the end of the year and beyond, glowing reference from school.
Why would you make like harder for the existing staff? It's not like the OP has been fired and is leaving on bad terms. It's not even the school's fault presumably, lower numbers due to VAT and possibly an oversupply in the area.
Just go to work, be a professional and apply for new jobs during your generous redundancy period.

Cant edit but that was meant to say "paid to the end of the year and beyond"

Hate this attitude "they don't fucking own you" awful!

Are you on a term's notice? If so, it is usual for teachers to resign this term (so they can staff a new role in September) and for news of that to be public from the summer term but some will be saying about it now. If yours is announced at some other time, it could look odd. As a teacher, you don't want to be seen to be leaving at short notice as that could be seen to suggest that you have been immediately dismissed or dismissed on short notice which would immediately raise questions about safeguarding concerns or other behaviours. Therefore, I think you need to have a discussion with the headteacher and ask what the comms are going to be and when. The head might think she is being clever by postponing it but it will be obvious to the parents that there are children leaving as there will simply be fewer children in their child's class, at pick up and so on.

Awful advice. Why jeopardize a good reference like this by going off sick when you aren't. Op's employer sounds reasonable, I'm sure they don't want to make people redundant.

It's much the same as when people (including support staff on very low salaries or people employed for under 2 years so don't have their summers paid or enough money to last them until Christmas) are made redundant from state schools - you get on with what you have to do at work, you don't give them any reason to suspend you like leaking information, you do your applications and interviews - and then you walk away.

Seriously consider the terms of the payment - have they put in any little clauses that say you aren't entitled if you get a job in education/health/local government/social services/etc within a certain period? Is there a particular date of your payment going in - last day of term, will you have to wait until the end of August/September, who is the contact in case there are issues with the payment? What happens if the school does close?

It’s not awful advice, and being off sick with stress in notice periods is very common. It’s a stressful situation. You owe them nothing OP, do what suits you.

Why is it awful? It’s absolutely true. It’s only a job and they have had no qualms getting rid of OP as soon as she’s mo longer needed by them. I’m afraid at my advancing years and career stage I’ve learned that sucking up to an employer gets you absolutely nowhere.

If your own kids have left home, go and get a management job, or office training role - you can pre in peace - breaks are your won, no out of hours work unless paid double time, holiday when you want and more pay.

Honestly running a team of adults is easier than a class of kids.

Because the existing staff aren’t OP’s problem. As I’ve said, I’ve learned the hard way that sucking up to an employer gets you nowhere. I just treat it like the business transaction it is now.

@ThatsNotMyTeen Why would you go off sick? As some form of ‘revenge’? It’s not the school or children’s fault that numbers on roll have fallen. If the OP goes off sick when she’s not sick, her colleagues have to cover for her and her students don’t get taught properly. That’s hardly fair on anyone. She’s still got a job until August and is being paid to do that job until then. She’s been given plenty of notice and time to find another job. It sounds like the school have been as fair and transparent as they can be in the circumstances.

However, what the school needs to do is provide a compassionate way to support the OP through the rest of the term. Unlike in most jobs when a redundancy is announced, in teaching you still have to remain in post until the end of the term, and that’s really psychologically difficult, as well as making it challenging to have time to apply for jobs. Allowing her to be taken off extra duties in this final term to give her time to make applications and get her ducks in a row would be appropriate support, in my view. It is also worth remembering that all teachers are entitled to three days off per year to attend interviews.

I would also say that it is policy in a lot of schools not to announce that you’re leaving to the children or parents until the end of term. It can cause a lot of drama - certainly in secondary schools - when a teacher announces they’re leaving, as we often have exam classes we teach over two years, and when you leave a class half way through a course, the kids and parents panic. This is why schools want to carefully manage that comms so that parents don’t start emailing in about who’s teaching their child their GCSE course next year. Many schools prefer to wait until they have their new staff hired so that they can tell parents ‘Ms X is leaving us but her GCSE classes will be taken by Ms Y, who will be joining the school from St Hilda’s, where she has been leading KS4 for ten years’.

I usually agree with you but they’re not treating her well so why should she put her health at risk when she’s struggling and taking sick leave really might be worth considering.