Student loan -at my age!

Allotrope

cms-help wrote: »

I'm not a new teacher but my school requires us to generate an awful lot of paperwork and I have a lazy TA (and I mean literally does nothing other than work with children in the class from 9 to 12 and leaves as soon as the children have gone for lunch). I had A LOT less to do in my first year at a different school. So I think it depends where you work.

What years do you teach Viola?

I find that despite qualifying 7 years ago, I still work similar hours to NQT as the government have changed the A-level and now the GCSE so I spend a lot of my time rewriting stuff instead of reusing resources. Most of the teachers o know find this overwhelming and many are trying to go part time in order to rejig the work life balance. I teach secondary science, can't really speak for other subjects!

So if you do have a semblance of a work life balance as a teacher, you're very lucky!

I love my job but am permanently exhausted...

zagubov

I don't understand where you get the idea that teaching restores any work/family balance. It's bureaucratic and intense, and subject to massive rates of change. The hours spent on the premises are short but the hours put in the rest of the time are onerous.

It's not a refuge, it's an arduous and demanding job. For somebody with a young family, you'll need lots of energy and organisational skills. I'd look into the idea of using statistics as a career path instead.

Gaz83

cms-help wrote: »

Don't become a teacher in the hope you will have lots of family time. I am a teacher. You will work evenings, most weekends and a lot of the "excessive" holidays (or so people tell me) we get!

Loans are payable into retirement but only if your pension exceeds the repayment limit. They are written off at a certain age. It's detailed here:

http://www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=93,6678715&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

I'm a teacher and rarely (if ever) bring home work to do in the evenings and weekends. Classes finish at half three, I usually stay until about half four and that's more than enough time to get everything done.

I usually find that teachers who work weekends and evenings are those who like to leave the building as soon as the bell goes, and aren't very good at time management.

cms-help

Gaz83 wrote: »

I'm a teacher and rarely (if ever) bring home work to do in the evenings and weekends. Classes finish at half three, I usually stay until about half four and that's more than enough time to get everything done.

I usually find that teachers who work weekends and evenings are those who like to leave the building as soon as the bell goes, and aren't very good at time management.

Rather a sweeping generalisation if I might say. I'm in 0800 to 1700 and am outstanding at time management.

If you'd read my other posts, it would seem the school I currently work at has onerous expectations of its staff (as we all work similar hours and those that aren't very good at time management are regularly off sick to "catch up" with their work). My previous school, same as you - I was wondering what to do with myself by 1630! The current marking policy that I have to adhere to, as an example, takes an hour to mark a set of literacy books (I teach KS1). Add another hour if they have written as part of topic work. The time soon goes. I never get lunch as am administering medication to a child so need to sit with them through lunch to see what they eat to judge how much medication they need. It just never seems to stop at the particular school I work at.

missbiggles1

MinnieCooper wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for the info. Yes, I have observed lessons in primary and secondary. I know quite a few teachers and some find it ok but others don't. I guess a lot depends on the school you work at.
I would prefer to build on my current experience within the NHS so public health (including statistics) but I am concerned about taking loans out at such a late stage. It does look like I could get a maintenance loan and tuition fees.

I am going to have a good look at a few universities and see what is out there.

Look at what is out there in the way of jobs and the qualifications required, then look at what courses are being offered.

Gaz83

cms-help wrote: »

Rather a sweeping generalisation if I might say. I'm in 0800 to 1700 and am outstanding at time management.

I'd say the sweeping generalisation is made by those who claim that without exception teaching will eat into your evenings and weekends and destroy your family time.

No wonder folk are being put off the profession.

elisebutt65

Don't forget that there is now a loan for Masters. I'm 51 and have taken out the maximum for my Ma. It's going to take me 3 years p/t at 1 day a week and cost £5000. Mines added onto my existing student loan of 26000, which keeps going up as I don't earn enough to pay off the interest.

I teach as well, in a FE college and I'm doing the Masters so I can get out of teaching. I'm on a 50% contract, yet thanks to the union's rubbish negotiating skills, we've all had our hours increased with no increase in pay, so I'm now working 3 days a week!

I had to argue (hard) so that my day off for uni falls on one of my days off and then spend the other day off planning and marking 4 courses. I use my weekends for Ma work.
I just want a normal 4 day 9-5 work week with no need for planning etc.

Chapuys

The red tape with teachers, especially primary school teachers only increases. People who says it depends on schools, it really isn't. Over the last few years it has increased very quickly. Look at this National Union of Teachers pie chart on workload increases.



My weekday!
Prep before morning lessons 8-8.50am
Work with children 8.50am to 12.15pm
Break 12:15pm to 12.45pm
Prep for PM 12.45pm-1.15pm
Work with children 1.15pm to 3:15pm
Wait for parents who decide not to pick their children up on time 3.15pm to 3.45pm
3.15/3.45pm-5.30pm Start marking 4 sets of 31 books used that day - up to 124 books - providing feedback, next steps, challenge work and marking previous feedback, checking the previous next steps and marking the previous challenge work.
5.30pm to 8pm kicked out of school, go home have dinner, 'relax' etc.
8pm to 11pm Complete any marking not completed. Create interventions for children who need extra support the next day. Create activities for upcoming lessons / interactive notebooks for presentation.
11pm sleep.

Pretty much my life as a teacher Monday to Friday and I lesson plan 12pm to 6pm Sundays. This doesn't include any other roles I may have in school like the School Council, History lead, Computing lead, EVC or Deputy Child Protection Officer which I have without extra pay or time.

I would never recommend anyone becomes a (primary) teacher unless you just want to be a rubbish teacher not working hard marking or assessing or just use generic things like off the shelf lesson plans without tailoring them to the needs of your class which will lead to you not meeting your ridiculously high targets and don't progress up the pay spine

ViolaLass

Chapuys wrote: »

The red tape with teachers, especially primary school teachers only increases. People who says it depends on schools, it really isn't.

It clearly does vary to some extent though as I haven't worked as hard as you describe since I was an NQT and I still get my pay rises every year.

crusty_toenail

I went back to uni when I was 37 last year, I took out a maintenance loan and loan to pay the tuition fees and got a maintenance grant and bursary.
I loved every minute of my fist year and am in final year now. I worried before I started how I would manage childcare for my daughters, have time for my hubby, housework etc.... but it was all okay, and I was off on student holidays more than I was in Uni, so it was actually easier than working full-time ( even though the degree was intense fast track)!!
All the best xox