Any ex-teachers out there ? What do you do now.?

[littleoldme]

I'm a secondary English teacher and I hate it. I've given myself until Christmas to come up a plan. Is there life outside the classroom

Hi I am an ex-Geography teacher. I gave up five years ago just before my eldest daughter was born. I now do a variety of things such as marking GCSE papers once a year, working for a children's toys direct sales company and in September I am going to start doing 4 mornings a week at my local pre-school.

I can't imagine now going back to the marking and paperwork. I loved the teaching but I want to be able to drop my kids off and pick them up from school and have free evenings, rather than doing what I used to which was spend them doing marking and preparation.

Supply is a great idea if you get the schools you want. I would have done it and would still but unfortunately it is not easy to get to schools near where i live using public transport and my husband uses our car for getting to his work.

Hi, I used to teach in F.E. which I loved but moved from that job and area due to hubby's job etc. Then had babies, blah-de-blah!! Anyway, I now run my own business www.tishtashtoys.com which I love. I still get the teaching side out of my system as we have over 100 people working for us - and I do training (usually online) for them. I also still write a lot for my website and blog, and spent time researching. So do get to use lots of the skills from Uni etc just don't have the politics and hassles which used to come with teaching!

I'm in the process of switching to primary. Currently work as a TA in a mixed yr5/6 class and I love it. Hoping to complete the transfer during the next academic year so that I can be working as a primary teacher by sept 2009.

(I was sec English too, did it for 10 years)

ooh no ....i am doing a degree with a view of going into teaching...is it that bad???

I escaped from the classroom (also secondary English) 6 years ago with DS1's arrival. Never looked back. Never regret it. Rarely miss it - except for the camaraderie with my colleagues. I do exam marking now, but obviously that's only seasonal so not much cop for you if you're looking for a regular income. A friend of mine who was also a seconary English teacher now works in FE and loves it - all the joys of teaching with little of the associated crap, she says. Might be worth looking into?

Hi-I used to be a Business and IT teacher in secondary-now work for Jobcentre Plus-less money but flexi time and its easier to negotiate the part time hours I want to work. Also there is the option of term time only working-also on a part time basis. Fairly decent pension also!!

Scarily I have dealt with some kids at the jobcentre (not job hunting!) that I used to teach and sadly they are the kids I expected to end up on benefits

Do you want to continue working, LOM? What is it that you don't like about teaching?

I gave up teaching after 4 terms to become a SAHM and I loved it.

I returned after 8 years, and I now have a job I love.

What is it that you don't like about teaching? If it's all the crap paperwork, meetings etc etc, but you like the teaching side, then look into supply teaching.

I did it for 5 years (primary) and loved it. I had regular schools I went to, and I enjoyed the flexibility and being able to finish at a reasonable time, with no evening or weekends spent working at home! I found it fits in well when you have young children, and I could work when I wanted so I didn't have to miss anything at my son's school. I've recently got a permanant contract, but am seriously thinking of going back to supply!!!

I used to teach Secondary french and spanish but did not go back after my maternity leave with dd2. I found the job too abusive for my mental health and I was a grumpy mum all the time with my own children because of school. It was a shame because I had always felt teaching to be a vocation for me, something I had always wanted to do but the job got worse and worse and it appeared that we got less and less support from senior management.

Anyway, I have now found life after teaching - I am currently training in Bowen Technique - it is great because I still get that buzz from helping people and really making a difference but without the abuse and crappy paper-work!

slouchy, can you tell me all about your move from secondary to primary? Something I'm considering. Do you have to do formal course otr just TA practise, time involved etc etc

I was a teacher for just under 10 years in total. I gave up with DS was 2 and a bit, when we emigrated to NZ (I went part time after he was born but I think it was worse).
Spent a year being a SAHM then got involved in direct sales company in the health industry. I do that very part time from home around the children but I do use my teaching skills as I am involved in the training side of things too.

Ernest (good name!)

I am getting valuable experience TA-ing (which I love though the pay is SHITE). I spoke to TDA and they said it is up to discretion of the headteacher, i.e. that QTS status qualifies you for teaching per se, not necc for one particular phase. Obviously there is the issue of curicc knowledge...

I am probably going to get on a Returning to Teach course (10 weeks full time, based in college but lots of in-school exp) just to get my knowledge up. We also have middle schools about 12-15 miles away so I might look for a post there when I start applying.

HTH

have you thought about FE? Much less stressy than secondary school.

I escaped from teaching to do childcare - not so good money but much less paper work and can now do what I want to do with them, within reason obviously.

I left mainstream teaching and am now in a special needs school. It is very hard work but a different type of stress ie not the stress of having chairs thrown at you but the stress of how to differentiate in a huge way.