I’m considering training as a primary school teacher. I’ve been a SAHM for the past 4 years and I’m looking for a career change that compliments my love of children and learning. The teacher salary is higher than what I could earn in my current career as a copywriter (approx 25 – 30k), there is obviously a lot more holiday time, better pension and a defined career path.
But… teachers all seem to hate their jobs. It’s all over the news that teachers are leaving the profession in record numbers.
So should I just avoid it? Is primary just as stressful as secondary?
Thanks in advance!
11 comments
What makes you want to be a teacher ?
Quite frankly, I wouldn’t go into it for ‘holiday time and pay’. Sure, it’s better than you currently get but if that’s the defining reason to go into it you most likely won’t be in the job long.
As long as you’re prepared to just ignore awful behaviour from some kids and pretend it’s all rosy, it’s probably ok?
Can you volunteer at a school as a teacher’s helper? It would definitely give you more insight into the day-to-day work of a teacher.
(I taught for 12 years and my SO is in year 25 in the US.). It’s a low commitment way to see if the career path is right for you.
I would look in to it a lot more than holidays and pay scales. Your holidays are partially spent working (planning, assessment, data analysis etc), you cannot book time off outside of this (so pay the extortionate prices of school holidays when you travel) and I regularly work 60+ hours a week during term time.
I’ve been teaching 10+ years and am leaving in the summer as it’s honestly a train wreck at the moment. So many good teachers have left that many of the remaining ones either do very little work and leave at half 3 (so it’s a good gig for them but the rest of us have to do the work that they don’t) or are new to the profession so require a lot of support and training.
Also, love of children probably doesn’t translate like you think it would- teaching 30 at a time is a different ball game. Plus people think it’s nursery rhymes and colouring with sweet little kids when in reality you can expect to be teaching algebra and past progressive tense to children that have zero desire to be there, even in primary. I’d speak to as many existing teachers as you can before deciding but it’s not something to commit to lightly and don’t go in blind.
I’m an ex-teacher. Loved working with kids, even with the more ‘challenging’ ones I never really had a problem. My main issue was other adults around me and the constant pressures from continual assessment, box-ticking and targets, at the expense of actually teaching the kids stuff and helping them develop. While things remain the same, I wouldn’t go back or encourage anyone else to enter what should be a fulfilling and worthwhile career.
I’m an ex-teacher and I really wouldn’t recommend it. Teaching kids is completely different to looking after your own kids. You have all the pastoral responsibility but without really being able to influence basic things in their lives like what they eat and making sure they sleep well. The emotional burden of safeguarding and handling kids who were getting utterly failed by their parents and social services, it’s heartbreaking. And that’s just a tiny part of it, you have to actually teach them things as well.
Go into my comment history, I wrote a long comment yesterday about what my day to day was like as a primary school teacher.
Controversial opinion but I became a secondary teacher 3 years ago for the holidays and pay leaving behind a job were I was under valued, constantly stressed and I didn’t enjoy. I love my job now it is tough the behaviour and work load is a constant battle but my days are quick and varied, for every bad moment there is a good one, I might be lucky that I have a great school but I don’t work more than 45 hours a week I work one day each holiday. yes I get frustrated, yes I moan a lot but I earn 10k more than I did in my previous job and actually like what I do.
A teacher I know left last year for a 9-5 job (still child based) because they wanted the reduced hours a 9-5 would bring. They often wouldn’t get home till after their kid was in bed, and still had marking etc to do at weekends.
They were SENCo as well as teaching which wouldn’t have helped.
Teachers I’ve known over the years have always loved the teaching aspect but hated the red tape, the teaching to test and sometimes the parents.
Primary school teaching seems to be more competitive than senior school.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Good teachers are under rated and always needed.
Lots of my colleagues with children have left because they felt like they were putting all of their time and energy into other people’s children and didn’t have enough left to give to their own children. I love being a teacher but can certainly see how this might be true if I had my own kids.
It’s definitely a good idea to get some (state) experience as PGCE courses will require this anyway. Why not try something like volunteering for Bookmark – it’s online and 1hr a week – working with primary school aged children to support their reading. It will give you a DBS which you can then use to do work experience – I’d recommend going for a full week rather than just one day (when baby is older) as this will be more helpful to the school and give you a broader experience. Or volunteer to run a extra-curricular club/hear children read for a term for mutual benefit.
Have you also considered TA-ing? I know the money isn’t as good but you might be able to continue with your copywriting if you’re freelance? You will have less of a workload than a main classroom teacher and it’s a rewarding job with lots of opportunity to train in specialisms like SEND. A good TA is a godsend.
It is very true that all teachers hate their jobs. I once knew a girl who’s routine was drive to work cry for 15 minutes in a car park. Put her make up on. Face the day. On the way home pulled into a spot. Cried for 15 mins. Clean face. Makeup. Went home. Rinse and repeat for 2 years.