h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Recently I've been thinking about becoming a teacher. I'm putting a lot of serious thought into it and am asking a lot of people about their experiences. I'm concerned that 99% of feedbacks from teachers are negative.

Is the life of a teacher really bad? If so, why are teachers teachers?

v.

Because we are bossy,overbearing knowalls who just can't resist telling others what to do?


Look here.Teaching is a stressful job.Not in the way being a policeman or firefighter or soldier is.Not in the way being a paramedic,doctor or nurse is.But it does have it's own particular stresses and it is not for the feint hearted or those of nervous disposition.You have to be tough mentally and physically(no not in a Bruce Willis manner,more in the I can drag myself to work because my year 11 need to get the latest course marks before they begin the next piece of work manner).Schools are hotbeds of every germ going and the students are guaranteed to cough everyone of them over you because their parents won't let them stay home.You have to keep ahead of some pretty intellegent and devious minds(and that is only the Staffroom)to survive.You will need also to have an ability to look as if you are paying extreme interest in the minutes of the last meeting(of thousands of meetings in a lifetime)and of managing to look awake when in fact you are catnapping and to know when to wake up in time to inform the head of all the details you have been asked to find and bring on behalf of your department to the meeting(s)


But joking aside if you think you can cope with the rigours of teaching please go for it.The profession needs dedicated,intelligent,hardworking,committed staff who can relate to those in their charge and maintain their professionalism when dealing with those who are less than thrilled with the National Curriculum as it pertains to them.Above all we need ENTHUSIASTIC teachers because in a survey or two done on this site(and elsewhere) the consensus was that the best feature of a teacher needed to be enthusiasm.You also need to be calm,practical,down to earth and extremely patient.

If we seem cynical as a breed I can only say in our defence that we don't want anyone who won't last even 5 years which seems to be the point at which many younger staff leave the profession.We point out the drawbacks because we want only the truly committed to become teachers.

Finally you WILL NEED a sense of humour.It will help you in times of crisis(and there will be lots of those)and stress.If you cannot laugh at yourself,the other staff,the students then you will lose all will to live.Depression is a common ailment of teachers and it can lead to some staff having to give up the profession altogether.

Oh and can I suggest that you make a friend of ALL the staff in a school.The office staff,the site staff,the catering staff and the Special Needs Assistants are there to help the staff and pupils do their respective parts in the equation.It really makes me boil when staff look down on these people.

I hope this hasn't been too negative.

Incog celebrating her 31st year in teaching.

My wife has been a high school maths teacher for 23 years now and, judging from what she and our teacher friends are saying, what you're hearing from that 99% is the result of teachers' morale hitting rock-bottom after 15 years of governments messing them about in a vain attempt to appear in control of the education system. When I was at school in the Fifties and Sixties teaching was regarded as a Profession and there was virtually no control over what teachers did in the classroom - I well remember psychopathic teachers who shouldn't have been left in charge of children and my parents would never have even thought of telling teachers how to do their job. The situation now is completely reversed. Teaching is not regarded as a profession (a process started by Thatcher's war against professions she disliked) and everyone thinks they know more about the job than the teachers. If the pupils don't like what the teachers are saying or doing they threaten to bring in their lawyers (yes, this really does happen regularly) - very reminiscent of the Sixties Cultural Revolution in China.

So, why do they still carry on? Well, a lot of them don't - the ones that can negotiate an early retirement package do. My wife, being a (rare) maths teacher, can't. But the majority (in my experience) of teachers still care very strongly about children and education; they see themselves as being on the side of children, against management and governments, and get depressed when children and parents don't recognise it.

Teachers actually work very long hours - my wife often works till midnight marking homework, writng exam papers, making up courses (because the department's budget doesn't stretch to buying sufficient books for all the pupils) and generally trying to keep track of all the paper work and admin. stuff that they are obliged to do now.

£28,000 a year might sound like a reasonable wage but I don't know any teacher keeping their family on just one income.

Having said all that please don't reconsider your decision - we need all the teachers we can get. Just go into the job with your eyes open!

Chris

wot gcse's do you need to be a teacher?

Thank you very much for the opinions. Its always useful to hear from people at the coal face.

I made the decision a while ago to take a close look and have applied for a 3 day 'taster' where you spend time in a school. A valuable opportunity if it comes off. But even this will be biased against the positive. I think in general, if you really want to do it you will get something out. If you want to earn a wage you probably won't survive. I do the later now and don't find a pay check enough.

Thanks again.

Info about becoming a teacher www.canteach.gov.uk

Spending time in a school should be a really decision-making experience for you. It was one piece of advice I took with a pinch of salt before doing my PGCE, but fortunately it all worked OK anyway.

As Incog said, it can be an extremely stressful job, but - in my thus far limited experience it can be exceptionally rewarding. Examples include - watching your pastoral group develop in maturer and responsible human beings; higher-than-expected exam results; actually watching your efforts have an effect as and when they take place; lots of good staffroom friendships; an almost unlimited promotion scale (last I looked the teachers & headteachers payspine had something like 75 grades on it); and meeting Mrs. Smith at parents evening and telling her exactly what you think of her little brat.

Useful requirements include: a high degree of organisation and planning; an ability to stick to routine; top-notch time management (unless you want no social life); a voice with a big sliding-scale of dynamics (from 'quiet word behind pupil's back' to 'shut up you noisy buggers') and - my redeeming feature - tonnes and tonnes of enthusiasm.

OK, so I've only been a qualified teacher for a couple of weeks, but I'd heartily recommend it already.

B

"wot gcse's do you need"

A degree in something first! Followed by the post graduate teacher training 1 year course (PGCE)

Am I right in thinking it's an all-degree profession now? Or can you still do a teaching qualification after A-levels?

Oh, and I suspect an ability to use correct English when appropriate would come in handy

Me - I gave up after a term. I found I was losng my temper every day, and I didnt want to do that for the rest of my life. So I have the highest regard and adminration for those extraordinairy individuals who can hack it

When I was in school we were told by our civics teacher that being a teacher is so bad that she would kill any of us who became a teacher. I'm not sure what the logic behind what she said was, but it was enough to keep me out of teaching.

"So I have the highest regard and adminration for those extraordinairy individuals who can hack it"

Aw...thanks.

I quite enjoy losing my temper, mind you. I suppose it's because I've done it so little in the last 24 years.

B

If you aren't a natural teacher, then I suspect you'd be better doing anything else. I'm not. I did it for five weeks, forty years ago, without any real pressure, since I was filling in before I moved thankfully to a job for which I was better suited; but I still have nightmares.

Anyone who has the capacity to be a good teacher, not qualifications as such, but numeracy, literacy, the ability to express themselves and to influence people who aren't automatically disposed to listen, and some other qualities that as a non-teacher I can't even define, such a person is very likely to be successful in many careers. Why should they become a teacher unless that is really what they want?

My Missus has just started teaching and she LOVES it. Then again, she student-taught in a really rough school and hated it. So it depends I suppose. When I teach undergrads I really enjoy it, but that might be because they're older...

Frankly if your heart is not in it don't do it.I've often wondered what else I could do but somehow I just can'tthink of one that would suit me.The thought of working in retail or an office seems very unattractive to me.Even after 30 years I just can't imagine myself doing anything else but what I'mdoing now.I do worry about burnout though.I'm about due to reach it about now.

Thank you to all with your opinions. It is really great to hear from both teachers and partners (I think they have an interesting perspective). I will still give the 3 day trial a go but will be armed with some valuable info.

FYI, I think I'm moving towards the NO camp because of the part about really needing to have your heart in it. Although I'm still not sure you can tell unless you've at least had a taste.

Thanks
v.

I'm not a teacher, but I think passions can grow. I'm infinatly more passionate about my career now, than when I decided I wanted to do it.

I found out I really enjoyed working in the STI clinic, when I decided I wanted to be a doctor I didn't even know how babies were made.

(I was about 7, and rather naive)

What Incog said in #2. I love my job, even after 20+ years, for quite a lot of the reasons that might put people off if they aren't sure.

"..I don't know any teacher keeping their family on just one income." Pleased to meet you, Chris Morris! I've been doing just that for several years.

*waves to Coely*

My family brought four kids up on considerably less than a teachers income!

volcanoman,

My wife didn't have her heart in it *until* she started her new job. It was a career choice based upon practical reality rather than a passion for teaching small human beings. She dreaded it at one point, hated her student teaching position (in a rough area of Long Beach, over the river from Compton!), but now absolutely loves it.

Go for it.