You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Currently 17 years in to being a teacher
wife
2 kids (1 tiny baby and a 9 year old)
nice house
happy in all aspects of life bar work.
NEED a change but not a clue what to do/how to go about it 🙁 No savings as such so can't just quit, and my wife is on Pat leave until next summer.
It's not just a dislike of the job its a hatred for the benality of tasks being asked to do/dreamed up/futile shite and pettyness, people crawling over each other for position etc.
Love:
family time obviously
fresh air
photos
making wooden stuff - heath robinson as opposed to craftsman
good ideas man
like numbers
hate computer coding and that ilk of stuff
cooking
coffee
telling stories/making people laugh
helping people
problem solving
hate:
working for people who don't give a shit
paperwork that has no reason - doesn't achieve anything
wasting time
procrastination
people who cannot make decisions without having umpteen meetings
HELP! Get me out of here!!
Porn tickler.
Theatre/Events Education?
hate - working for people who don’t give a shit
...this narrows your options massively! 🙂
Theatre no ta
We're all different, but personally work is just something that pays the bills, I seem no fulfilment or enjoyment from it. I'm in out the cold, not laying bricks or sclimming up roofs, so count that as a positive.
I get all my enjoyment from family, home and hobbies.
TBH the grass is always greener. Speak to people IRL who work in the private sector before you jump. rewarding, well-paid work, when you get to help people and have family time is a bit of a pipe dream in 2018.
teaching for 17 years means you're on a good salary - do you need to maintain that?
Lots of 'Forest School' type orgs springing up round here - which would be useful with your experience and mean a different environment to work in but salary probabluy won't be at qualified teacher level.
To change your criteria around, what do you
Need:
salary, commute time, location (can you move) etc
Want:
Not working with kids?
small co?
Need - to see a point in what i do, commute wise <45 minutes. can't move really due to big girl and wifes work so need to stay put. salary wise we all know that you will spend what you earn - i reckon i could take a pay cut if i were happier.
Only reason i stay here currently is cash and it's easier than upheaval,
would be happy with jobs rather than a career
I too have considered a change of career but on balance I take more positives out of my work than negatives. though sometimes it is a close split! its a roller coaster of good times and hard times.
Is there really nothing you can focus on with your work to help cancel out the negatives as often these things are just a frame of mind? No one has the perfect job. Otherwise have you considered staying in the industry you're in but doing something different, i.e become a personal home tutor / coach or if you currently work in schools, perhaps look at teaching adults or going in to college education?
My wife left teaching, spent 6 months not knowing what to do and generally drifting before going back to supply. Her issue, I suspect like you, is that she can't work out what else to do, and doesn't want to end up somewhere worse for less money.
Supply has got rid of the bits she doesn't like and enabled her to continue doing (most of) the stuff she does. But, and it's a big but, she's earning under half what she earned when full time. Partly due to being a 10 year + teacher with various performance based add-ons, partly due to deciding to do 4 days per week, partly due to the fact that she doesn't get paid on holidays and that the work is not regular during certain times of the school year.
Sounds like you like being a teacher but hate teachers. Could private tuition be an avenue to consider?
But, what can you do that is different from your present job?
Unless you have an aptitude in another direction then you are pretty much stuck where you are. We all go through phases of thinking there is more life away from the present job. There seldom is.
Treat your job as a source of income to allow you to do what you want in life. Some people live to work, others work to live. If you are one of the former then you will be a pretty boring person. If you are one of the latter then you'll just have to put up with the humdrum 9 - 5 job as a means to an end.
Theatre no ta
Museums, Arts venues, Science Centres, Country Parks, Historic Buildings, the Tourism sector and all sorts of other venues have education and/or outreach officers - whether thats direct delivery of activity or creating packs for visiting groups. This can be at a venue level but it can also be in a higher tier such as funding bodies etc.
Aside from that - these venues also need to provide 'interpretation' for the wider audience and being able to produce clear, accessible information is a role in its own right - and that can be about taking novel approaches rather just simplifying information
On a free lance basis a lot of smaller organisations who can't sustain a permanent education / outreach post often need people on a freelance/project basis.
If you want to stay local and you know the sector are there any other local authority roles around you that are eduction based - as an 'ideas man' is there anything at a strategic level in the LEA? Developing policy and support for teachers for instance?
Some people live to work, others work to live
I work to work 🙂 Being able to live as a result is a fringe benefit.
Shift in to some sort of forest school?
You in Devon?
Paignton zoo are looking for a train driver!
https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/vacancy-detail?Category=Retail&Advert=jwjBrxBxEDUZ7kHzDwmmEw%3D%3D
17 years are you a HOD / anything else that you can drop?
Mrs Dubs is giving up HOD after 12 years or so as she just can't be bothered any more.
Work are ok with dropping her TLR and keeping her on at her threshold rate.
We'll see how well it works out next year when the new Dept Head ends changing everything she's done 🙂
I suspect you would miss the holidays of your current job. I full appreciate you dont work 9-5 but curremt austerity means that anyone who will pay you a decent salary will want a lot from you.
Maybe a move into independant education would work for you?
I'll chime in with another suggestion to look into private tuition.
Granted this isn't an exact comparison, but when my Mum retired from teaching she was sick and tired of much of the same set of things you are. In essence she'd seen the job going from being mostly about teaching children, to being increasingly about ticking boxes.
Since she retired she's started private tuition to pay the bills, and loves it. She gets to manage her own time and commitments, does as much paperwork as she thinks serves a purpose, and focuses very much on the individual children she teaches. Basically she has retained the joy of teaching, while dropping the vast majority of the "other stuff" which frustrated her in a full time teaching role.
hm, outdoor access co-ordinator (e.g. locally we have a Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator type office).
Not sure how you'd get on in indy education. School locally seems to expect their pound of flesh and some for not that much cash. Saturday working expected for example.
I quit my job at 35 to manage property - holiday lets, long term rentals. Love it as it pays and I can control my time. If i was 35 again and had little savings i would retrain as a plumber/bathrooms/kitchens design install. I was in London last week you can pretty much name your price there is a massive skills shortage. You have to be good tho, people will pay but have high expectations.
Funnily enough 20 years ago we had a bathroom done and the fitter was working 6 months lead time, so things have not really changed.
Good luck btw.
Could you look at safeguarding type roles for a local authority?
Maybe consultancy type stuff on your main subject.
working for people who don’t give a shit
I find that being the person that doesn't give a shit makes work a lot more palatable.
hmmm - the teaching part is ok, my responsibility (pastoral) is ace. It's the constant career climbers that are grinding me down, constantly piling on meaningless pieces of work to waste my time and further their own meaningless careers. I work to live! hence my "loves" column being #1 family.
Thinking maybe do something completey different and also a "real" job for regular cash
IHN - when i say that i mean people that don't give a shit about the feelings\needs of others
Is there an opportunity to stop the current job and have a period of training / volunteering / apprenticing in something new, like when your partner returns to work, or would circumstances mean you'd have to jump almost immediately from your current salary on to another "professional" salary (allowing for a pay cut)?
I think that would affect choices for me. Many options (or setting up your own business) might require a fair period of little income, or even extra cost if training is needed.
I could scale back the job or do something new during the summer months to get the show on the road if need be. Fancy writing s book
17 years are you a HOD / anything else that you can drop?
Mrs Dubs is giving up HOD after 12 years or so as she just can’t be bothered any more.
I was thinking this, I am now just a lowly teacher. I mainly get to teach in my classroom without being bothered by anyone these days. I quite like it. You do it get the occasional person with less than half your experience come along and tell you how to do it better, just nod and smile and then carry on as normal.
Train driver? Worst paid ones are on over 40K & some are paying 70.
If you are up the pay scale in teaching, very little will offer anything close financially.
Those suggesting forest school - I'm predicting its a bubble that will burst. Every man and her dog has trained in FS L2, and as such we are seeing over supply in some areas of England. For some in FS, £130 a day is good money - including tools, resources, travel, prep, insurance, marketing, clean up etc... It's a hard way to earn £20k a year. Like most things in outdoor education.
Museums/guides/education coordinator posts are similarly low paid, and the few well paid (e.g. Cairngorms education coordinator) is one post nationally that Alan will be in until he retires. And when he does, the line up of folk like me will be huge (teacher 5 years, 10 years residential adventure education, 5 years consultant and teaching teachers in service in outdoor education)... And still 'well paid' is £30k ish.
Your stresses are in every industry - leaving teaching may not mean escaping them.
I'm more of the 'find a different area of teaching' thought, or aim for leadership where you can give a damn and influence change.
Really radical - what about a couple of years teaching abroad? Some international schools offer ace salary and conditions, in somewhere totally different, and a different view of education. Hard work, but then you are used to that. I did a months consultancy last year for Dulwich International, Beijing and Shouzhou in China, Singapore, Myanmar... All thier staff were happy, hard working folk who liked the organisation and work.
Forestry Commission Scotland are after a recreation ranger at Aviemore at the moment btw.
And
Plenty of van /lgv/bus and coach driving jobs, local and national ,supermarkets, B and Q, Smart meter installers, water meter installers, cable tv and openreach phone line installers.
Brexit Secretary?
if you like teaching but not the paperwork/career folks, is the obvious answer not to become a supply teacher? Similar money, similar hours, none of the hassle. You don't even have to do marking..
if you like teaching but not the paperwork/career folks, is the obvious answer not to become a supply teacher? Similar money, similar hours, none of the hassle. You don’t even have to do marking.
True, but you don't really teach either, it's more supervising. You end up going through someone else's hastily put together lesson which can take away the satisfaction from teaching itself.
how about just telling those people who want to load you with additional work you can plainly do without to 'do one'?
'i'm sorry, but i find my existing workload is putting me under a great deal of stress already - this might just be the straw that breaks me' said with a hunted look in your eye. see where they go with that. if you're not playing their game, play your own.
how about just telling those people who want to load you with additional work you can plainly do without to ‘do one’?
That. If you're not good/clever/strong enough to "manage" your current workload then why would anyone else want to employ you?
harsh scotroutes, maybe the fact that these people are policy maker extraordinaire and like to make work is something to do with it. All that gets quoted is "its your job" which you cannot argue with on a day to day. The job is growing in complexity each year, last years appraisal doc was 1 side of A4 - this years is 9!
People making docs and policy to look good without any joined up thought as to how it will be implemented - everything is looked at individually not holistically. If i cannot see a direct correlation to what i am doing and it ehlping a kid in front of me - frankly what si the point. I have to produce report to quote "justify my TLR" - wtaf!!
I feel your pain OP.
I quit teaching last year due to the things you have mentioned. Massive amounts of data related paperwork, marking etc.
I did some supply teaching, but it was far from consistent work and going from a HoD to a school where students do not know you and always try it on, was tough. It really wasn't for me, but it gave me time to look for a job.
I eventually ended up at a local heritage charity and now do the learning side, dealing with schools at the museum. It is great, I get to do all the good things about teaching, but none of the crap. The pay is considerably lower though, which I struggle with sometimes, but I have my life back.
It can be really daunting looking at the job sites and seeing where to start after teaching for so long. Start by looking at how much you could realistically go down to, then it will narrow done jobs and cut others out. Then just keep looking, and see what comes up that may be interests you. Apply for some, as you may find a job that just gives you that extra breathing space for the time being. I am not intending to stay with my current role for ever, but at the moment I enjoy it, pay isn't great but it gives me time to assess my options.
At the end of the day, life is too short to be stressed, unhappy and in a job you really do not like. And unfortunately in the long run, it will impact you, family and the children you are teaching.
Good luck OP. Any questions about leaving teaching, you're more than welcome to email me (in profile)
mrwhyte - i WILL be in touch 🙂 Thanks
Treat your job as a source of income to allow you to do what you want in life. Some people live to work, others work to live.
Not that useful advice IMO. It's aimed at people who feel over-committed to their jobs and work too hard for their mental health. However when your job is simply shit, it doesn't really help when you need to keep going back to pay the bills.
I was a teacher many years ago, but couldn't put up with all of the BS, so got out quickly.
Have you considered staying in the sector, but moving into higher education - eg teaching in a university Education department?
JP
What about HE ? Move to being a Lecturer training new teachers ?
Cross posted
I am a teacher in Pastoral role in Scotland. I share the OPs feelings. The pressure is immense and the expectation endless. It has been taking a toll on my mental health. I don't have time to go to the toilet between 8am and whenever I leave. I can't remember the last time I sat down to eat lunch. The hours are having a negative effect on my family. I have seen experienced colleagues crack and be unable to return to work.
Luckily in Scotland we have a notional 35 hour working week. The reality is significantly more.
The current round of pay talks is looking like eventual strike following work-to-rule. I am trying to move towards a work-to-rule for my own sanity, and have started responding to requests with "I am sorry, there is only one of me."
In a discussion with colleagues one stated that they couldn't work to rule as the additional negative impact of that on their MH would push them over the edge. Sooner or later a child will die and it will be on our consciences.
Our weakness is we care about doing a good job. I view every child as if they were my own and consider "What would I want someone to do for my child?" as I plan and execute interventions. My golden rule is would I be able to look this child/parent in the eye in 10 years time and think "I did the right thing by this person".
The simple solution is to set the "Care" switch to "Off". Tragic. Can I last another 20 years?
In a discussion with colleagues one stated that they couldn’t work to rule as the additional negative impact of that on their MH would push them over the edge. Sooner or later a child will die and it will be on our consciences.
Our weakness is we care about doing a good job. I view every child as if they were my own and consider “What would I want someone to do for my child?” as I plan and execute interventions. My golden rule is would I be able to look this child/parent in the eye in 10 years time and think “I did the right thing by this person”.
And you've just given the best reason ever for saying "no more". Stretched, stressed folk don't make the best decisions. Saying "yes" is a short-term fix and masks the long-term problem.
Why would you even think of staying in this country?