Anyone training or recently trained to be a primary school teacher?

[Spidermama]

I'm wondering about a career change and have been looking into becoming a primary school teacher. All I hear is how horrendous the year of training is and what ridiculous long hours.

I have four children (all at primary school) and a husband who works away a lot. Am I simply being unrealistic?

How hard is it? I mean really?

VERY, sorry!!

BUT...holidays holidays holidays...

I retrained 7yrs ago and now have 1 DD age 2.2. I cannot imagine the juggling you would have to do with 4, but then I know other people who manage.

The post-graduate year is incredibly demanding, you would need support with your childcare, especially when you are out on school placement as there is no way you will get home straight from school. But the course is only really 9mths, and once you are working you can be a bit more flexible, for example I have a colleague who comes in around 7:30/8am because her DH is around then, but has to fly out of the door at 3:30 (not always possible on meeting nights etc).

With 4 children you might already be experiencing this but what I find hardest is the lack of down time/me time. Pre-DD I would stay in school until my work was done, so the evening was my own. Now I need to leave much earlier, and once DD is sleeping I work 9-11/12 5 nights a week (and i only work 4 days!!), plus at her nap times at the weekends. So no time for me at all.

However in a week or so I will have a fortnight's holiday! . Then the summer isn't far away! And yes, you do have to work during these, but it can be at your own pace etc.

Do you have parents or other support near by?

It is hard, I am just finishing my NQT year. But yes, we do get the holidays, and I love my job. Be prepared to feel like the worlds worst mother though, the guilt at working long hours and taking work home is huge!

oh the GUILT why did I not mention that!!

Slogging your guts out for other people's children while away from your own...

Disclaimer - I am not enjoying my job just now!!

Caz all the grandparents are pretty useless and selfish to be honest with you so I can't count on any help whatsoever from them. Both sets of parents and divorced and live miles away. When they visit they want to be fed and entertained and never lift a finger.

Whoops! Did I accidentally go off on one about the lack of parental contribution.

You are right that I already get very little 'me time' but I think I would consider learning a new trade to be 'me time'. Or is that naive.

I am of course keenly aware of the holidays and worry that it's my main motivation for pursuing this career but then I do really enjoy being with children of primary school age and get plenty of practise. I think I am more tolerant and patient than many.

So I would need childcare. How would I go about paying for that? Is there any help available? I have a dh who works but is very often away for weeks on end.

MOEP - did you get help paying for the course?

Congratulations on nearly finishing it.

Why don't you go into your Dcs school and do voluntary work for a couple of weeks - I did that, sorted out childcare for 2 weeks and went in to my local school and worked full time for those 2 weeks to see what it was really like and if it as for me! Then if you love it you know to go for it, but if you hate it you can look in another direction. I know you won't be teaching but you'll get an idea of the amount of planning and prep involved - then when you see all the finished work imagine how long it takes to mark and assess it all before amending the next days plans to differentiate between thos children who 'got it' and those who didn't! Just an idea!

I don't think it is naive to consider it me time - it is certainly no spa break but I did really enjoy getting stuck in about my studies, and got a real buzz from learning about something which, like you, I was already very interested in. However, that was pre-DD - I don't know how I would feel now. Do you work atm? I think that if you were not working, then went on to do something that would involve that much time away you might feel very guilt stricken. But if you are already working away from them some of the time then it is less of a jump, iyswim. For example, are you home every afternoon when they come home from school? How would you feel about not being there?
I'm presuming you are in England so can't advise re funding as I am a jock...we got through mine with a full student loan and a few months mortgage holiday...again, if you are not currently working then having no income will come as less of a shock!!

PS your DH would have to really step up too when he is home - there will be lots of occasions when you will need him to do EVERYTHING because you need to focus on work- would he be ok with this?

I am a primary teacher, work 3 days, and have 3 dc, 7,9 and 2. I am currently considering leaving due to the workload. I would echo what Caz says, I have a similar pattern (up at 6, leave for work 7:30, home @ 5:30, kids to bed, dinner, work 9-12/1am, work every weekend for at least 1/2 a day and some evenings) and feel that I am nowhere near to getting enough done. I job share and constantly feel as if I am letting the side down because there aren't enough hours in the day.
For childcare, dh takes girls to school / nursery, and we pay a childminder £10/hr (because there are 3 children) to look after the children 3:30-5:30.
I do think that going into a school and volunteering is the best thing you can do to get a feel for it, but with all respect, it is hard to get an idea of the workload when you do that.

Sorry to be such a downer about it, it is also possible that I am simply bad at managing the workload! However, I have to say that out of 20 teachers in my school, there is only one other teacher (in EYU) that has primary aged children. This pattern was also echoed in all three schools I did my practices in. To be honest, it makes me feel frustrated and sad.

It all sounds so awful, it isn't all bad. I love teaching but would be lying if I said it wasn't a struggle, the hours, the assessment, planning etc. Getting my degree with 2 little ones was the easy bit. It was like 'me time' going to uni, learning interesting things, having coffee breaks with adults!

I am planning on going part time but am lucky that DH has had a promotion so we can afford for me to earn less.

I sometimes think I would have been a TA if I had known how hard teaching was- just as rewarding, less pay, same holidays but also you go home at the end of the day without the planning and paperwork.

PS- always bad to ask on a Sunday while we are all fed up of missing out on another sunny day with the kids due to mumsnetting lesson planning.

I think you're right leslaki. Actually I've been told I need to spend at least four weeks volunteering in a school before even going for an interview to get on a course. That in itself will be pretty tough given my existing workload so maybe I'm kidding myself.

How can anyone who is a mum afford to do the training especially if you have to get childcare?

Caz either I or my husband are always at home for them after school. We both work freelance and work out between us which shifts to take. His work gets priority because it's MUCH better paid than mine. He is very good at doing cooking, shopping etc when he is around. Shit at laundry but you can't have everything.

Jennifer and Mummytoprincesses That's just what I mean!
It sounds like such a lot of work. Why is it so hard? Why does lesson planning take so long? Can't you do something similar every year so that you don't have to plan so much? Having four a primary I notice how each year the same teacher will do the same lessons with their new class. Surely as long as it's a good lesson you can use it again?

Forgive my ignorance.

As for being a TA - My friend tells me they only make just more that one hundred pounds a week. Really? That's terrible. I don't think I could work for that little even though I reckon I would really enjoy the work and I can see the appeal of having less responsibility.

How easy is it to get a job share? I think that sounds like a dream come true to me. But Jennifer I can understand how, with a two year old, you are feeling overstretched. I would say hang in. After a couple of years your life will be much easier.

What about pensions? Any good?
Also I am 43. Will they think me too old (teachers, students and pupils I mean). Have I missed the boat?

It's not as bad as folk make out.You need to be super organised. They won't think you're too old at 43 at all. My sis went into teaching at about 39ish and became assistant head fairly quickly. Her previous experience really helped her.

It is hard for me as it is my first year- the longer you do it, the less time you need to spend on planning, especially if you stay in the same year group (I hope).

I got a student loan, childcare funding and a small grant while studying, as well as a bursary (which I believe has been cut) so we weren't too badly off at all, particulary as I hadn't been working since having DD 2. We actually became slightly better off, despite childcare.

The hours are long but the job is rewarding, I don't mean to be negative, I am always a bit like it on Sundays as I am missing out on family time, but we get such good holidays it does compensate.

Having your own children is a really good preparation and a few weeks in a school will help give the edge. About half the trainees on my course were mature students like myself, a ,ot of schools seem to prefer this, an NQT with life experience is great in their eyes.

Have you looked into GTP and PGCE courses?

MOEP thanks. I have looked into those courses but tbh I find the whole thing very confusing. I need to go back and try to get my head around it a bit.

I guess the first move, then, is to see if they'll let me help out at the school my children go to. That would be the easiest way.