Teaching - my job sucks!

Have you thought about applying for a different kind of teaching job? My friend is a behaviour support teacher who teaches one to one with more challenging kids? Or another friend has just applied for a job as a teacher working in a hospital?

Thanks for the reply.

I have thought about doing a different strand of teaching, but wonder if I will be giving myself a different sort of pressure? I wouldn't even know where to start with a change within teaching. It is definitely a thought.

I have been stuck up in Years 5 & 6 forever, so maybe I just need a phase change. I have never taught KS1.

I'm just so unhappy with my job - very rarely do I feel good about it, and have been feeling this way for a few years now.

Argh.

Its rubbish when you hate your job isn't it!

My friend who works in behaviour support says its easier than teaching in a classroom! But I guess it will come with its own pressures!

Sometimes a change will work just as well! But there are other totally different jobs out there for qualified teachers - I saw one the other day working for aim higher promoting higher education in primary schools! I work with young people at risk of offending and you could easily get into something like I do as well. I guess its just a case of keeping an eye out and seeing what comes up! It just always feels like such a risk changing jobs - you never know what you are getting into!!

Bless you, I am also a teacher but only just started my third year. Have you considered looking for a change of school as well as year group as I was desperately unhappy last year and very close to leaving teaching. I have just started in a new school and am much happier-it is very stressful but I am happier than I was!

I don't think this will help you but just wanted to say that it might be worth looking into!

At the end of the day just remember its only a job and whats the worse that can happen if you don't meet them???

Lifes too short to be unhappy!!

I hope things improve for you xx

I think a lot of people in teaching are feeling a similar way at the moment with the constant target setting, assessment etc.

I'm in Y2 and Im afraid it's not any better in KS1 !

LauraJaneRush- unfortunately in many schools these days your progression up the pay scale is linked to children making a certain amount of progress (set as performance management targets). You don't meet them, your pay doesn't improve.

I know they go with your pay but what I meant was that life is too short to spend time constantly worrying about them. At the end of the day all you can do is your best and as long as your are doing your job properly thats all you can do.

Thanks again ladies ?

I understand what you're saying.

I really love the staff I work with, head & deputy and the kids, so I can't imagine working anywhere else! Although, maybe it's an option I might have to consider. It might be best to make a fresh start. I just don't know what to do.

The minute I start relaxing about things & telling myself it's just a job, something happens which makes me think that I'm being slack or not doing my job properly. E.g. all of of my maths books being pulled in to be monitored, along with the other Y5 teacher, without any warning.

We have just had a big literacy book monitoring throughout the school (last week) and Big Writing, so it seems never ending.

Big sigh.

Sorry for the rant, but it's really really playing on my mind & getting me down. I need to speak to H (who is against me leaving the profession for the reasons I mentioned above) but I just don't know how much more I will be able to take, before I do something I might regret as a rash decision.

I gon maternity leave straight after Xmas with baby no. 2 and I don't see how things will get easier for me! Teaching just takes everything I've got to give, so I'm useless for the family I have (most of the time!)

Thanks for listening to me moan.

x

I know exactly how you feel, in fact I could have written your post word for word.

This is my sixth year and I have had enough - I also only work 3 days but feel that I do a full-time quota of work. It sucks. And communication is rubbish as well, everything seems to happen on the days I'm not in and I find out about them ages later, often too late. The staff are all lovely but I get the feeling that they look down on me & don't take my commitment to the job seriously anymore since I have gone part-time.

Can't help with any suggestions but just wanted you to know that you are not alone x

Ah thanks Babydreams. Really is good to hear I'm not alone in feeling this, because sometimes I actually think it is just me being a moaning old nag. Sometimes I think it's just me being lazy by not wanting to work!!!

Most of my friends at school feel the same, and lots are having babies just to go on maternity leave and have a break!!! Ha.

The lack of communication thing too drives me up the wall roo. I get in on a Monday and find that decisions have been made without me, tings have moved, books have been taken, etc, so I just think 'sod it - I'll just do what I have to do & go home'. But something else always crops up which sets me back.

I might talk to H about doing 2 days week & filling the other days doing something else? Or even going supply, but that doesn't look easy either.

Hope you manage to sort something for yourself. I actually feel better just having made a small decision in my head to try & do something about my unhappiness. Whatever that be...

xxx

I really sympathise I felt the same when I was a secondary school teacher. I trained to teach as I was blown away by studying religious studies at A level. I found the daily slog of trying to engage uninterested teenagers really hard work. I had a few years out (after 10 years of giving it a chance!!) to look after my kids. I went back as a TA (to my old school) as I wanted to work in special needs as my son is autistic so I wanted to balance home life with something meaningful. I am now studying for a post grad in developmental disorders and hoping to specialise in dyslexia. Luckily I am able to afford the poor pay of a TA as my husbands job is reasonably well paid. But you need to decide if you like the school environment or if you want to get out of school. I found that I like being in school and love the kids but don't like the formality of teaching RE. As others have said then maybe there is a school based job you could move in to that is different from what you are doing now ie behaviour support. Hope you find your niche - it can be a hard job when it isn't right.

hth

L x

Oh honey, I understand what you are saying. I am a primary teacher and am feeling unbelievably stressed at the moment. I have been working 6.45am till 6pm each night because of all the monitoring and book scrutiny, so I can understand how down you are feeling about it. I do think it is alwyas difficult at the start of the year but it will get easier as this autumn term draws to a close. There are also the (I believe to be ) unrealistic targets been set with the impending sense of doom if they are not acheived and I am, like you, feeling like it is all about targets and less about teaching children, but please don't get too down hearted. Lets face it, a teacher's wage is quite good and we do get 13 weeks off a year so it fits in well with childcare but we do have an extraordinarily large workload, but if you go for TA or BSW or even learning mentor positions in school you will not get the financial rewards you do as a teacher. But supply is good. I think I read in your earlier post that supply is hard....it's not! It's fab! I did it for ages and loved it, the only drawback is not having the security of knowing you get a monthly wage, but if you work 3 days a week now, you could easily get 3 days supplt work a week. Having said that, people are clambering for secure posts in teaching at the moment and would think twice about giving up a permanent contract in school. Anyhoo, I hope you don't get too depressed about it becuase ultimately it's the small moments in teaching where you get something back from a really difficult child and realise and think....'that's why I do this job!'.

Take care hun

MelB x

Don't do supply you'll sit at home in all the holidays with no pay!

I think I will stick at it unless things get atrociously bad, but I need to get through that thought that I'm just doing the bare minimum to get by and that's it - I didn't use to be like that and it's not the sort of teacher I want to be. Having said that, it may take a while for me to get that back because I will now once again have a pregnant full-of-blubber useless brain and probably talk double dutch to the poor kids anyway hahaaaaaaaaa god help them x

I know how you feel - I was ready to quit teaching after 5 years but got a job as a support teacher for deaf children and am now training to be a teacher of the deaf. The difference it has made to my life is huge and I love what I do now. Not being a class teacher may well be the way forward for you. Yes it has different stresses and pressure but for me, they are not in the same league as being a class teacher and I have managed to achieve a much more healthy work-life balance in the new role. I now work in a primary school supporting deaf pupils and their class teachers. I have just started maternity leave but am anticipating that it will also be a good role to return to on a part time basis. Specialists teachers are needed in many different areas - hearing/visual impairment, physical disabilities, dyslexia etc etc.

There should be lots of different opportunities out there if you have a look. When I was going to quit, I looked at a job with Macmillan Cancer Research as an educational officer going into schools to talk about the work of the charity. I would also second the idea of moving schools - a different school could have a completely different feel to it and make a huge difference for you.

Hope that gives you some ideas and maybe a bit of hope!

Katy

Thanks guys.

Sorry for late reply - I have been away.

There's so much food for thought - I just can't shake the dread feeling I'm getting about returning on Monday.

I will definitely be weighing up my options from now on and will talk to my Head to see if I can do some sort of inservice SEN training or maybe the prospect of dropping to 2 days a week (I'll quite happily clean toilets for the rest of the time for a bit of extra cash!)

Thanks again x

SOrry to hear this as well but can only sympathise! There could well be other better more fulfilling teaching jobs in your area. you really should look into it as it may spur you on no end - even just to think there's a light in the tunnel... also may help mgt appreciate you more if they think they could lose you and help to restructure your current role..?

You know you fecking hate your teaching job when, like i am this week, you even hate your job and cannot sleep for the stress of it in the middle of half term. I cannot bear to see the days ticking away until I have to go back. I find myself fantasising about dreadful situations that will keep me off work still on pay! How bad is that?

I hate everyone i work with, hate my conditions, I devote maybe 15% of my energy to teaching and the rest to admin and tail chasing. My office is a quagmire of paperwork and i get / send up to 80 emails a day dealing with stuff like budgets, trips away, and fucking theatre maintenance. Yep, i have to do it all myself and for no extra money. In the middle of this half term i discover that the leckies didn't turn up to re do my lights this half term (i actually have had NO normal working lighting in my theatre) and SMT have asked ME to chase them in my holidays. So i have to teach in a classroom with no lights other than theatre lights which are hot and expensive.

The other day, 4 stage lamps blew and i had to send THIRTEEN emails to get it sorted and eventually had to come in on a sat to fit them myself up a 20 foot scaff tower. I *** YOU NOT. THey couldn't even change a lightbulb for me, and having fought for 8 years to get normal lights fitted in the room so i don't have to melt under stage lights or grope about in the half light, the sparks haven't turned up and i am back to darkness in the winter months again.

ARGH(*I)*&*"&^*"()!#sh*t i hate hate hate hate hate hate my job.

Worse still i know for a fact there is no other school whatsoever where i would be better off.

Keep watching the news; you will soon hear about a theatre studies teacher in jersey who went completely apeshit in the staffroom, punched someone, swore a lot, and was carted out by a fleet of medical professionals sporting a blow dart.

sorry. where did that all come from.

Hahahaha Hubble!! Thanks for making me (unintentionally!) laugh out loud!

I hear you on the no sleeping thing too. I was wide awake at 4am this morning, turning school stuff over in my head. All that time wasted thinking about the job, and now I can't even remember waht the hell I thought about! Such a waste of thinking time & sleep time!

xx

I am not enjoying my job either.....been teaching for 7 years. I am Lit coord of a big school and I hate it all soooooo much. Am dreading Monday.

I am sure the job has contributed to my depression/anxiety; am now on ADs and having CBT.

Cant help much but wanted to say -i'm another one in the same boat, so you're defo not alone. Been teaching 10 years now, I now work 4 days a week (may aswell be 5!) , and I'm resigning my TLR post at christmas. It's just sh*t, and I'm looking for a way out.

Polo, are you resigning from your TLR post and staying at the same school as a 'normal' classroon teacher? What is your TLR post?

Just asking as I think this is what I need to do.

Sparkletoes-

I have a tlr for foundation stage(Sometimes referrred to as foundation stage co-ordinator, or early years foundation stage leade....prob come up with some new title next week.......!) When I went to discuss giving up this part of my role I was bricking it that the head would say, well its part of your job, so you cant quit that without quitting your teaching role too........fortunately we are taking on more staff in jan as we're increasing pupil no.s, so they are going to advertise for a new eyfs leader person, and advertise the tlr post internally aswell, of course.

I'll continue my role as a nursery teacher, in the same school and perhaps be able to do the job justice again.

Another perspective here. I'm in my 15th year as a teacher and I currently work in a large (1400 kids + 6th form) secondary school. We are under notice to improve and are a National Challenge school, and so the pressure is REALLY on. However, most of my stresses come from internal politics rather than the kids or the actual doing of the job - they're actually the saving graces on the most challenging days. HOWEVER, in my 7th year I went through exactly the same as you are going through - it's a bit like a 7-year itch I think. I changed schools (to where I am now) and felt all the better for having a fresh start. A few years later I had a particularly hideous timetable with some complete toe-rags of children, and thought seriously about leaving the profession. I think what I'm saying is that if these are feelings that you've had for a while, it may be time to move. If they're new feelings, then suck it and see, things might settle down. Hubble, I don't know how you haven't killed someone at your place and left them to rot under the stage. There's no way I could work there.

Sacred - have you thought about doing 1:1 tuition government scheme? That might be an idea for supplementing income if you are thinking of going down to 2 days. Just a thought. Think the pay for it is £29 an hour and you are paid 12 hours for each child (10 hours tuition and 2 hours planning)

I hated my job when I was in the second year of teaching. When I went on mat leave the HOD left and now I enjoy it. Even though I like my job I totally agree with how **** all the pressure we are put under re targets and student progress. Most of the time I feel like teachers are made to feel like it is all our fault if students don't make any progress. Like others have said I think most of the stress comes from politics rather than the kids.

Hope things improve for you soon. xx

Forgot to add, my friend across the road taught year 4 and this year has changed to reception and loves it!

poloAddict - my friend also used to have a tlr and gave it up as it just wasn't worth it