Unable to work.. change of career options?

[MyWildOliveGoose]

Long story short, I was a teacher. I am now disabled. I’ve been told I am likely to remain considered unfit to work/lower capability of work related activities for the rest of my life. I am devastated. My employer has decided to take the ill health retirement route, however this has not been confirmed officially yet so I’m weighing up other options.

I’m thinking desk jobs, and things I can do part time, or partly remote.

Has anyone ever been in this position? Do these jobs really exist? I’ve applied for so many but when I get to the point of talking to people the jobs are much more active than advertised.

I am in my 30s, I’m young. People keep telling me maybe it’s a good idea to accept it, and do some charity work to raise awareness for others who experience what I have - which is the plan, but going back to work was the plan too. Maybe the plan isn’t the plan. I’m really in my head about it.

I am sorry to hear this. I may be able to help with suggestions if you are willing to share your functional limitations?

Chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, syncope, extreme fatigue, limited mobility, fortnightly medical reviews - usually on the same day of the week hence why I’m thinking part time would work.

Could you do online tutoring? You’d be in demand as a qualified teacher and you could choose your hours and days of the week.

I am unsure if tutoring would work with the breathlessness? How about exam marking? Customer service using a chat box?

What tier of IHR are you getting? There may be restrictions on you working?

There are more and more online teaching jobs available. They range from those paid similar to mainstream - but those tend to have a high workload, rigid timetable just like in person, that might not work for you. There are also more flexible ones that take on qualified teachers as self-employed contractors and will offer part-time hours that work around your needs, the pay is variable, in some cases quite low, 1:1 or small group tutoring can be more profitable depending on your subject/level - it’s worth exploring. It’s nothing like lockdown teaching when done well. A lot of the outstanding teachers at my school have health conditions or caring responsibilities and moving to online has allowed them to continue supporting pupils rather than leaving the profession when being in the physical classroom was no longer possible. Look on TESjobs and LinkedIn.

I don’t think charity work to “raise awareness” should even be on your radar. Online tutoring is a much better idea. Or VA (virtual assistant) work - lots of sites will link you up with clients, just do due diligence. Hopefully at some point your symptoms will be more under control (they sound acute right now) and you will be glad of the independent income.