Wanting to quit teaching - any experience or advice?

El_spectre

Hi there,

I'm in my 8th year of teaching English at a very good, suburban secondary school, and feel that I've had enough. I've always found teaching hard and exhausting (as are many jobs), but the rewards don't seem to be enough any more: I feel like there is less and less autonomy in the job due to curriculum changes, and more and more "spoon-feeding" of the children in order to meet targets.

I've looked at changing schools, but because my school is so "outstanding" (behaviour isn't much of an issue), I've never felt like the atmosphere at other schools is very nice, and I know from my teacher friends that the workload is similar across the sector.

Unfortunately, I'm at the point where that workload has become intolerable to me, and I'm sick of putting off my life until the holidays.

I keep seeing articles with statistics detailing the high number of trained teachers who are no longer doing the job, and I was wondering if any of them might be around here? Or if there were others who feel as I do and have managed to formulate a plan to do something else?

All advice and experience would be most welcome! Thanks in advance.

speakingofart

There certainly is at least one! I moved from teaching history and geography into HR almost 2 years ago now and haven't EVER regretted it or looked back; I'm just about to qualify and whilst it's been hard work and a lot to learn, it's been absolutely brilliant. I have a supportive line manager, don't have to jump through ridiculous hoops to please SMT, don't get shouted/ sworn at on a daily basis and can drink/ eat/ go to the toilet whenever I please.

I've remained involved in youth work on a voluntary basis, so have the joy of interacting with young people without the stress, hassle and misery of teaching. I would definitely say jump; realistically, it's only going to get worse, isn't it?

El_spectre

Thanks for that positive feedback - very good to know! Did you have a hankering for work in that particular area before you quit, and did you have a training place lined up before you handed in your resignation?

My need to leave is only going to get worse, definitely. The hoop-jumping you mention is genuinely horrendous.

melloecastro

Never made it to NQT. Did 3/4 of a PGCE and was really not enjoying it. I quit which was a hard decision at the time and went by chance into a sales job using my language skills and am in a high level job that I love now for the last 11 years. Follow your gut and maybe see what's out there? A lot on my course quit during the PGCE. I realised teaching was a vocation maybe not for me and the passion I had for working with kids would be best channelled into volunteering which I did for a while. Good luck!

El_spectre

Thanks!

I nearly dropped out of my PGCE on two occasions, and of course I now wish I had. I do feel very trapped and very scared of leaving a good salary and secure job - I'd probably need to find something that paid around £22k to make ends meet - but I don't have any dependents as yet, or a mortgage, so I think now is the time to jump.

My main problem now is knowing what else to do: I ended up in teaching in the first place because of that!

pinkshoes

I'm in my second year of teaching after 10 years in engineering.

The engineering job, although stressful and high pressure, was a walk in the park compared to teaching!

Saying that, teaching is far more compatible with having a child, and I get so much more quality time with my son that a career in engineering would have allowed.

I do miss having a life, and although I work in a good school, there are so many teachers that are looking to leave the teaching profession.

pavlovs_dog

I'm in my 6th year at the chalk face, and the past 2 years in particular have made me think more seriously about my exit strategies should I reach the point where I wanted to leave the profession.

Would you consider going part time as a bridging measure? Or maybe supply might be an option whilst you investigate your options.

maginot

Hi

I've been teaching for 10 years and the amount of teachers wanting to leave the profession, this year in particular, is very worrying. Personally, I have thought about leaving.

Often, from feedback I receive from teachers leaving, it is a case of how SLT/SMT deal with staff rather than the actual pressures. Those pressures in teaching will always be there, but some senior leaders often turn this pressure into stress that can cause illness. (Not to mention ofsted who change their criteria every 6 months )

I would perhaps try working somewhere else before leaving, as I know of staff who found it hard, only achieved RIs, moved school and then receive outstanding in their new school.

If not, there are other jobs. You are a graduate, with many transferable skills gained in teaching, it completely depends on what you want to do and what you will enjoy.

El_spectre

Thanks, pinkshoes - it's always interesting to know how teaching stacks up against other jobs! I know people think teachers are lazy whingers, but I actually enjoy working hard . . . just not on marking 32 sets of books/essays/etc and having to teach a restricted syllabus.

Hi pavlovs_dog - hilariously, I'm already part-time: in my 5th year, I started an MA and dropped down. I've made up more hours, though, and this year I'm doing just under 80%. My A-Level class has 21 students in it though, and I always have two GCSE classes, and it's those classes that stress me out. Or, rather, the pressure put on me by the KS4 manager to get certain levels of progress out of the kids stresses me out.

Hi maginot, I've wondered about changing school, but those I've looked round also feel wrong to me, and my friends in other places are also stressed out and unhappy. The two mates I know who've escaped have completely relocated (to Australia and Turkey), which isn't the move for me! I've been rated outstanding by members of SLT every time I've been observed, so I'm not unhappy in my ability to do the job well (when I have the time to prep!) - it's the constant exhaustion and lack of life that is really troubling me. The way I got through last year was my doctor putting me on antidepressants and undergoing a CBT course. At the end of the year I felt really good, but I started getting very depressed again by November (though I didn't go back on antidepressants).

I do feel like I've gained many skills by doing the job for this length of time, but I'm at a loss as to how to do the transferring. Every time I do a job search I feel a bit more hopeless about escaping - job requirements are so specific now. I'm not even sure I could get a higher level teaching assistant job because I haven't got an NVQ level 3!

speakingofart

No, actually I had neither - I jumped ship at the end of the Easter term (straw that broke the camel's back was, I kid you not, a member of SMT physically blocking me in their office so they could shout at me) without a job to go to, did supply for a couple of weeks and applied for anything that looked interesting, got a HR admin position which turned into sponsorship for my CIPD and it all went from there.

I will say it was the most terrifying thing I've ever done, because I'm someone who loves a plan and had wanted to be a teacher since I was about 10, but the minute I walked out the gates it was like I had me back and in the end, it only took about a month to find a job, so not too bad at all.

El_spectre

That's very comforting to hear! When you said that you "had me back", I almost felt a shiver - I don't think "me" exists during school terms.

Very pleased it worked out so well for you!