Jobs you have done you would NEVER recommend to your children

[OneUmberJoker]

McDonald's

Factory work - cold, on your feet all day

Call centre - getting screamed at by frustrated customers, constant targets, toilet breaks timed

Waitressing - rushing about, dealing with the public

DD is 27 and teaching English at a principally special needs private school, starting as a TA and they sponsored her teaching qual through the apprenticeship route. She absolutely loves it. She has 20 in her GCSE classes, mostly with a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, a combination or other learning needs. Parents are generally supportive. However, none of her children would thrive in a state comprehensive or academy.

She's in at 7.30, home by 4.30 and tutors two or three evenings a week. Over the summer she wrote schemes of work for academies.

I'm guessing the issue is about the dysfunctional organisiation of UK schools and the unrealistic expectations that all children should achieve a spread of good GCSE passes in huge one size fits all institutions which don't work for anybody in them and where children achieve in spite of the system rather than because of it. And the fact there are no longer any consequences for appalling behaviour.

One wonders where it all went so horribly wrong. I look back to my education in the 70s when there were different sorts of schools which were smaller, and no shame in not being academic and pulling down a huge clutch of what were then O'Levels.

Social care
Teaching
Catering
Retail
Social work

There was a lot of incidents of young people being abused and sexually harassed at McDonald's for ages with very little action. It was in the news for ages.

I would say feom family and personal experience:

1. Police (terrible toxic culture, racism, sexism, bullying is rife)
2. Armed forces (see above, plus can end up in pointless wars such as Iraq where the guilt of murdering people for politics eats away at you)

3.sex work

1. Factory work (hard and tedious)
2. Retail (poor pay, abuse)
3. Chambermaid work. So physically exhausting and people are vile.

Sorry, but another ex teacher here. My children would never even consider it. They saw first hand the impact it had on my health. I quit after 30 years.

Oh the joy of working now in a company which really cares about staff well being. No putting on the odd day of tick boxing arm chair yoga and role play here. The wonders of flexi time, actual lunchbreaks shared with colleagues away from my desk, clean, newly refurbished toilets, being able to make a coffee or go to the loo at any time. No abusive parents, no swearing, chair throwing children. No senior management hiding in their office away from all problems. Being paid for every minute worked. No taking work home and working every weekend and holiday just to keep on top of the demands of the job.

I wouldn't go back into the classroom. There is no salary high enough to put myself through that again.

Dentist! I’ve told my son he can study anything at uni apart from anything to do with health care

Teaching

Teaching - luckily for me neither child showed any inclination to pursue this path.

Social worker
Police or any emergency services

Teaching..as many have said.

Though if they had the absolute right personality for it I wouldn't put them off. Neither of mine have shown any inclination.

I've done a few other jobs - worked in retail, science, admin, and wouldn't actively put the DC off any of them.

Telesales

Such a shame so many say teaching but I completely understand it. I agree with pp who said they love education but not teaching.
I’ve been a teacher for almost 30 years and the only reasons I'm still able to do it are working part-time and teaching a Nursery class.
Teaching nursery is what you could do in all year groups when I first started (I taught Y6 for a long time). You respond to individual children’s interests and needs, you respond to the world around you and you have time to spend with each child. You can shape the environment around children’s needs rather than trying to make children fit in where they can’t.
As another plus, SLT tend not to understand so leave you alone!

OP has not returned then to explain what is so awful about working at McDonalds. I can only surmise that it's pure snobbery from her.

Weird people say McDonald’s when it was the making of dd and whilst she left after a year, her cousin is a regional manager now!

To all you saying teaching, nursing etc I’m guessing you’ve never done really physically demanding or repetitive work for minimum wage, they are really bad jobs. I have lots of friends who are teachers and love it, perhaps it simply wasn’t right for you and you went into it because at the time it was an obvious job. My nurse friends also love their jobs, my bil is so enthusiastic about nursing specifically. The person I know who really hates their job is a pilot! Go figure, can’t give it up as needs the money and he is senior, won’t say airline but it’s well known.

Teaching is unbelievably physically demanding.

15k steps a day, constant lifting, twisting, bending.

I reckon nursing is the same only worse, 12 hours on your feet.

Veterinary. Vet. Nurse. Reception. I wouldn’t recommend any of it. Piss poor pay and entitled abusive clients. No wonder the suicide rate is so high

Yep, the snobbery around McDonalds is fierce on Mumsnet. No-one can ever really explain why though. 🤔'Because it's a fast food chain,' is not a valid answer. Neither is 'because they serve up crap!' Because that statement is not true.

Well done to your daughter, and her cousin by the way!

Yep, the snobbery around McDonalds is fierce on Mumsnet. No-one can ever really explain why though. 🤔'Because it's a fast food chain,' is not a valid answer. Neither is 'because they serve up crap!' Because that statement is not true.

Well done to your daughter, and her cousin by the way!

Hotel manager - dogsbody in a posh suit.

Later I became a civil servant - good job in 2000, living shit show by 2024.

Looking back, I feel as though there was a shift in teaching around 2010-2012.

Yes, definitely-I agree with this. I presumed it was the change to a Tory government but really nothing has got better now Labour have got in again.

I genuinely loved teaching when I started in the 90s-I was shattered at the end of term yes, but I loved what I did. You had some autonomy in the classroom and despite the odd lesson observation and Ofsted (scary, but it felt as long as you were teaching what was on your planning, you'd be ok).

Now, every second is micromanaged, the planning is all 'bought in' schemes (which should free up time but actually takes longer), you are constantly accessible to parents, held accountable for all of society's failures, working 7.15-6 every day seems to barely scratch the surface and the minute you get onto M6, you become a target as the school budget can't afford you.

The main issue in my mind now though is inclusion/behaviour (and the budget, which can't support this). How can one teacher teach the y2 curriculum to 30 children day in day out, whilst also trying to support 2 children with such high needs, they are developmentally working at the level of an 18 month. Their EHCP only funds 3 hours support a day, but states they need a completely individual timetable, playing with 'cause and effect' toys, and a program supporting them to become aware of their own toileting needs as they are still in nappies. No special school place for them, the LA don't care. Add into that other pupils with ASD, ADHD, literacy difficulties and some EBSA, with no class TA, it's no wonder teachers don't want to stay.

It was the Ofsted changes that tipped me over the edge though (in case you are reading this, Bridget Phillipson). With the dreadful Ruth Perry case, I really hoped something would change for the better but I suppose this was naive and should have guessed it wouldn't.

That poor family were told at the last minute, they'd have to fund their own lawyers-(whilst Ofsted had, I think 5 lawyers on their side) which they successfully crowd funded for over the weekend! Ofsted were dismissive and rude throughout but the hearing but it found in her favour and the coroner report really made it sound like something would change and emphasised how Ofsted couldn't just 'pay lip service' to the suggestions...but, that's exactly what they've done.

The changes that had been implemented though are dreadful-they are much worse and the pressure on schools going forwards will be immense. I believe that more people will feel so desperate, just like Ruth did, and more tragedies will happen. I think many more good people will leave in droves.

I honestly wouldn't recommend teaching to my worst enemy.

Another vote for teaching! I still work in education but nothing to do with the classroom.

Teaching.

Midwifery. Anything in healthcare generally.

Anyhing in the fitness industry. It was great fun but everyone was shagging everyone, there was a massive culture of toxic masculinity, and managers hugely took advantage of naive young staff.