Leaving teaching - would appreciate some advice.

turns30

Hi all

Thanks for taking the time to read this...i'll try not to ramble on too much! This is my first post, a friend said I should try posting here to try and get some advice help with my career change.

In a nutshell...I've been teaching for nearly 5 years and want out! I only started my most recent teaching job in september and whilst the school, staff are OK (primary school), I just want my life back. I'll happily trade in the longer xmas/summer holidays for midweek nights and weekends back! I genuinely enjoy the classroom part of the job but can no longer take the constant planning, marking, target setting etc etc... part of the job.

Here's the thing...I don't really know what I want to change to! I have a BSc in Business, NVQ Level 3 in customer management, I've taken the Myers-briggs (I'm an ISFP) and used a skills health check from the national careers service website. It suggested jobs within social services/sports, leisure and tourism. It also identified that my strengths are persuading, communicating and working with others. I don't want to 'pigeon hole' myself into only the suggested positions of these tests though.

What I do know what I want from a new job/career is:

- Work/life balance - I have no problem putting in a hard days graft but when i'm done for the day/week, that's it. i want to be done. I want to be able to go home and relax and not have to think about work until the next day. I don't mind ocassionally doing extra work but not every day like I do currently.

- Variety - A job with variety is important to me, something with an outdoors element would be a bonus.

- Chances of progression - It's not essential for me to lead/manage people but something where I can progress within my career would be essential...something to keep working for (whilst earning more as well!)

I'm not unrealistic as to think I won't need re-training/further study but I financially can't afford to go back to full-time studying. I'd need to do something part-time whilst gaining some sort of income (i'd like at least £20,000 a year) but know this may have to be negotiated to what job/career I chose to change to but I definitely want out of teaching - part-time just isn't an option for me anymore.

My current plan is to hand in my notice soon (March 2014) and leave teaching at the end of the academic year (July 2014) and then begin my new chosen path.

The whole point of this post is to get any possible career/job suggestions plus any other advice/pointers...maybe even from former teachers who have left the profession (I know there are more and more these days!) - I'm 30 years old and feel that I must get this decision right as the next 10 years of my working life are crucial.

Many Thanks!

AP007

Have you thought about HR or Training roles?

pleasedelete

You describe a job not a career. Any career involves hard work and long hours to begin with. Also you don't sound like you want a graduate role (again hard work and high expectation).

I see you did L3 qualifications- did you find the academic side of education harder? What do friends who didn't go to uni do? - is that the kind of job you are looking for? Are they the people with more life/work balance whose lifestyle you are wanting?

Where do you live (roughly?) as options will be much more limited in the North than the South.

gellerbing

you said you enjoyed the classroom part of the job, have you considered learning support? that way you'll still be in the classroom but you don't have to do any planning etc for the next day

marlot

PE teacher?

Careers or school counsellor?

turns30

Thanks for the comments so far...

Pleasedelete: I have no problem working hard and longer hours, I agree that any career involves both. Before teaching I was a manager in Environmental services and regular worked outside my normal hours. Teaching is completely different though. Have you ever taught?
Nearly all my friends went to uni, you almost come across in your message as a bit condescending with 'What do friends who didn't go to uni do? - is that the kind of job you are looking for? Are they the people with more life/work balance whose lifestyle you are wanting?' Apologies if you didn't intend to. I think you can have a career with a healthy work/life balance whilst working hard. Do you not agree?

AP007: Looked at various other training roles within organisations but I think its the planning/assessing side of any teaching that's put me off.

pleasedelete

It wasnt meant to be condescending. You sound as if you want a 9-5 no weekend job. That is unlikely to be a graduate job- certainly for the first few years. So that was why I was asking. Do you have friends whose lifestyle you would like to have? What kinds of jobs do they have? That would be a good starting point. A 9-5 job isnt easy to get even at £20,000 in some parts of the country.

jackyann

People with teaching skills are often in demand for jobs at places like museums, outdoor skills places, country parks, organisations like English Heritage / National Trust. There are jobs associated with charities where teaching skills & experience with children is useful . However, I have a feeling that almost all worthwhile jobs demand time on top of 9-5.
It is also the case that a number of these kind of jobs are casual / short term contracts. Would you be able to give up the job, sign on to an agency to do supply work to pay the bills, and look for such jobs to come your way?
Looking for & applying for jobs also eats into your time though.

I would also ponder this: do you mean that you really need a job where you down tools at the allotted time and don't think about it until you clock in next day? Or do you mean that you are fed up with teaching?
Whatever you decide, I would make sure that you stay on your professional register (I don't know how it works in teaching) so you can pick it up again if need be.

silverwhistle

pleasedelete wrote: »

You sound as if you want a 9-5 no weekend job.

That's not the impression I took from the post. As somebody with 25 years in industry who then became a part-time teacher of languages and has recently been working abroad I'd say that the problem with teaching is that there is no limit to the time one can spend on the job.

When I was made redundant some years ago I did various bits of work including on the phones for the ONS Labour Force Survey. During the telephone interviews I often guessed the teachers, partly from the sheer number of hours they had worked in the previous week.

As a very part-time freelance I haven't suffered, although it's been easy to spend many, many hours which don't yield an income, but mainstream teachers have been subject to constant change, undermining by the press, and an education minister who frankly is a f**kwit.

[Deleted User]

My advice would be for you not to give in your notice to your current job until you have a clear plan in place and another job to go to.

turns30

silverwhistle wrote: »

I'd say that the problem with teaching is that there is no limit to the time one can spend on the job.

That's exactly it.

I think I may of been misunderstood in my original post. I'm not just looking for a 9-5 no weekend job. I want a career but a career with a better work/life balance than teaching.