Does anyone hate their job? #2

[Sheeeet]

Can I ask teachers a question? Do you ever consider a move to private schools? If not, is it a social conscious thing? I ask because I think it you give your all, and the system is broken, why not look out for yourself and use your training to find a different job in the private sector? Ditto medical staff, leave NHS and go into private practice? The system for these sectors is kaput.

I'm happy in my job since moving last year, but my equivalent private hospital job would be much less varied/interesting and pays significantly less. I'm interested to hear what the situation is for other non-clinical roles and for teachers!

 

[Moonflower]

Can I ask teachers a question? Do you ever consider a move to private schools? If not, is it a social conscious thing? I ask because I think it you give your all, and the system is broken, why not look out for yourself and use your training to find a different job in the private sector? Ditto medical staff, leave NHS and go into private practice? The system for these sectors is kaput.

I am not a teacher but do work in schools. I don't think private schools are necessarily seen as better places to work, they aren't an easier option by any means. Probably just different challenges, their workload is huge (my friend who works in one is expected to have parents evenings near enough weekly), expectations are incredibly high (not that they aren't in state schools but parents want to see results for their money), and parents can be incredibly entitled (because they are paying for a service).

They have the same levels of SEN and mental health problems, a lot of anxiety.

It's not even like the wages or hours are better either, I saw a non teaching role recently (pa to head I think) which was £30k for 7.30 -5.30 every day.

 

[Rxt156]

I completely agree with all the chat on behaviour in schools. It has become so bad so quickly that we can’t really cope with it as there’s so many bad things happening.
The job isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago.
I work on secondary and pupils are telling staff to duck off, not going to lessons, running away and climbing high fences to get out of school! Its making the job unbearable.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Can I ask teachers a question? Do you ever consider a move to private schools? If not, is it a social conscious thing? I ask because I think it you give your all, and the system is broken, why not look out for yourself and use your training to find a different job in the private sector? Ditto medical staff, leave NHS and go into private practice? The system for these sectors is kaput.

From an NHS perspective - private practice doesn't exist for my profession. I'm an AHP in a very niche field which also doesn't exist in private practice.

Private healthcare in the UK is basically cosmetic, musculo-skeletal and the odd bit of day surgery. Mental health has a lot more private practice and scope for my AHP sphere but I can't stand it, their treatment of patients is borderline abusive a lot of the time. I did a placement in a private inpatient unit during my course and it was disgusting. Far too many people being paid far too much money to basically house people rather than even attempt to rehab or reintroduce them to society.

Moving more to a private system for healthcare won't help anyone. Just look at dentistry. You cannot get an NHS funded appointment for dentistry in a 120 mile radius of where I live. What needs to happen is people wake up and elect a government that actually funds healthcare to be free and accessible at the point of access.
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I completely agree with all the chat on behaviour in schools. It has become so bad so quickly that we can’t really cope with it as there’s so many bad things happening.
The job isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago.
I work on secondary and pupils are telling staff to duck off, not going to lessons, running away and climbing high fences to get out of school! Its making the job unbearable.

BIB - same with the NHS. I've been qualified for 7 years and took a 3 year course, did some work experience before that so been in the sector about 11 years. The difference between the late 2010s NHS and now is absolutely massive.

 

[House of Tea]

I completely agree with all the chat on behaviour in schools. It has become so bad so quickly that we can’t really cope with it as there’s so many bad things happening.
The job isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago.
I work on secondary and pupils are telling staff to duck off, not going to lessons, running away and climbing high fences to get out of school! Its making the job unbearable.

You must have thick skins. If they wanted to climb a high fence to truant, I would give them a helping hand and tell them to duck off as well. I am not geared up to do a vocational role!

 

[nik1231]

Can I ask teachers a question? Do you ever consider a move to private schools? If not, is it a social conscious thing? I ask because I think it you give your all, and the system is broken, why not look out for yourself and use your training to find a different job in the private sector? Ditto medical staff, leave NHS and go into private practice? The system for these sectors is kaput.

Having worked in both, I’d agree with other posters that the job isn’t easier, just different. Often more pressure from management, more observations, more paperwork and also more pressure from parents who are paying for the service. Also, you’d expect them to be well- resourced and in some ways they are, but most are a business first so a lot of the money goes back to the business owners rather than into the school, so funding isn’t always better too. I guess smaller class sizes in a bonus though, but even a class of 20 kids with high needs is tricky. Private schools are less selective than they used to be.
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Also, side note, my neighbour works from home and is always singing and seems happy. I definitely think there’s something to be said for that!

 

[Rxt156]

You must have thick skins. If they wanted to climb a high fence to truant, I would give them a helping hand and tell them to duck off as well. I am not geared up to do a vocational role!

What’s strange is they arrive to school e very single day just to duck around by not going to lessons. Surely if you were really determined to truant you just wouldn’t come in in my day people would just walk straight past school into the fields a few streets away. Theee kids have for 100% attendance coz they’re in every day but don’t go to lesson

 

[House of Tea]

What’s strange is they arrive to school e very single day just to duck around by not going to lessons. Surely if you were really determined to truant you just wouldn’t come in in my day people would just walk straight past school into the fields a few streets away. Theee kids have for 100% attendance coz they’re in every day but don’t go to lesson

Yeah, my truancy days, never went anywhere near the school.

 

[Rocket Queen]

I am not a teacher but do work in schools. I don't think private schools are necessarily seen as better places to work, they aren't an easier option by any means. Probably just different challenges, their workload is huge (my friend who works in one is expected to have parents evenings near enough weekly), expectations are incredibly high (not that they aren't in state schools but parents want to see results for their money), and parents can be incredibly entitled (because they are paying for a service).

They have the same levels of SEN and mental health problems, a lot of anxiety.

It's not even like the wages or hours are better either, I saw a non teaching role recently (pa to head I think) which was £30k for 7.30 -5.30 every day.

Absolutely agree. I’m a Manager in a large secondary comp. I’m non-teaching and I take my hat off to all the wonderful teachers as it is so hard. Where I am probably 95% of the children are lovely but it’s that 5% that are just feral - and so are their parents! I think private schools are just as hard but in a different way. We also have massively high levels of SEND children and children are coming in to year 7 with really low baselines - some of them are struggling to read / write. This of course impacts on teachers. You are all amazing

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Absolutely agree. I’m a Manager in a large secondary comp. I’m non-teaching and I take my hat off to all the wonderful teachers as it is so hard. Where I am probably 95% of the children are lovely but it’s that 5% that are just feral - and so are their parents! I think private schools are just as hard but in a different way. We also have massively high levels of SEND children and children are coming in to year 7 with really low baselines - some of them are struggling to read / write. This of course impacts on teachers. You are all amazing

I have a couple of teachers in the family and a couple of teaching assistants and at Christmas they were talking about how many SEND kids they have. One of them has 19 out of 30 kids in her classroom with an EHCP or adjustment provision - just a regular primary school, not a special needs one. She said they barely get through any lessons without at least three kids leaving the class room and now they don't have cupboards or offices, just break out spaces for these multitudes of kids who can't sit still and throw tables when they get something wrong.

 

[Moonflower]

This can't just be due to lockdown and covid though, surely? I can't fathom how it has got SO much worse, so quickly. Better diagnosis?

I could honestly weep at the state of our schools, and no one who has any influence gives a tit. Our buildings are literally crumbling, no money for anything except bloody PE, SEN through the roof as we've said. How does this get fixed? (Sorry, that's probably not for this thread!)

 

[Rocket Queen]

This can't just be due to lockdown and covid though, surely? I can't fathom how it has got SO much worse, so quickly. Better diagnosis?

I could honestly weep at the state of our schools, and no one who has any influence gives a tit. Our buildings are literally crumbling, no money for anything except bloody PE, SEN through the roof as we've said. How does this get fixed? (Sorry, that's probably not for this thread!)

I think better diagnosis is part of it - we probably move towards an EHCP earlier than we maybe would have a few years ago. COVID is part of it and catching up from that probably has caused the explosion we are seeing now but as you say, it can’t be all of it.
I totally agree about being underfunded and the state of our schools. We have a rolling plan of improvements ongoing to school buildings to try and ensure a good learning environment for our children but we are often having to take that money from other areas to pay for it as our funding just doesn’t cover it. I could weep too. Often do, in fact. Children get one shot at this so we need to make it the best it can be for every child x

 

[nik1231]

Since we’re hijacking the thread and clearly have lots to say about teaching, I’ve created a thread specifically for teachers if anybody is interested.

Teaching - the good, the bad, the ugly

Since teachers seem to have taken over the ‘I hate my job’ thread I thought I’d start a thread specifically for us teachers to rant, support or occasionally celebrate. This may also be a good place for those who have left teaching to share other career opportunities so we can escape too 😂

tattle.life

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Got a rejection email today from the non-NHS job I was really hopeful about. Really bummed about it tbh. I understand why - it's vastly different to what I do and what experience I have - but equally I thought I put myself and my teachability/adaptability across as well as you can in these application forms.

I'm still waiting to hear what job I'll get when I return from mat leave as I've turned down the one they offered me and they've dissolved my original post.

There is a band 7 post out in an area that I like (I'm currently a band 6) but it's part time (which I want), and they're looking for someone who can:
- work clinically as a senior AHP which means being the final say in difficult complex patients, picking up the slack when things go bits up, organising who sees what and when
- manage a team of around 12 people =/- a few students every month that works across two sites
- cover two sites and four wards
- attend senior staff meetings fortnightly
- complete rotas/annual leave requests/HR meetings etc. for the team

This is from the advert -
To deliver therapeutic intervention, acting as a highly specialist clinician within the [redacted team], by using the principles of [AHP profession] in an integrated and client-centred way supported by the trust Competency Framework. [Redacted] team management skills including supervision, annual appraisal, training and general support.

- To operationally manage [AHP] staff working within the [team], including supervision, annual appraisal, training and general support.

- As a senior clinical decision maker, support the managerial and operational leadership for the [AHP] team members in [team] ranging from band 2 to band 6. To ensure an effective and evidence based service through assessing, planning and implementing treatment programmes in line with national guidance and local systems.

On paper it sounds pretty nice but I know from experience of this team that it is a huge job, there's at least 3 people in the team who are tricky to manage if you approach them wrong (though I get on with them fairly well), it's split across two sites which both have very different 'flavours' and ward teams who can be very difficult and disrespectful at times. I also am... not a trouble maker, but certainly opinionated and fairly vocal about how the trust manages things and I think a lot of the senior team that I'd be working with find that difficult at times.

But on the other hand if I went for it, it's only a year fixed term which is do-able on 3 days a week, I wouldn't have to do weekend working anymore as our band 7s aren't on the weekend rota (though I could be if I wanted extra cash), if we chose to have another baby in 2025 it would mean my maternity pay would be awarded on band 7 pay which is about 10k a year gross than I make as a band 6, and I do get on well with the team.

ETA - I actually don't know how my maternity leave/return to work would be affected if I took this job and then went on maternity leave towards the end of it/after it finished as it would be a new contract and not a secondment.

 

[hehehe]

Any real life stories from people who left the finance industry and 1. didn't have to take a paycut or salary freeze, and 2. are much happier elsewhere?

 

[Amym2020]

Any real life stories from people who left the finance industry and 1. didn't have to take a paycut or salary freeze, and 2. are much happier elsewhere?

Sorry I am a lurker… I am interested to hear this too! Also work in finance, I hate my job it sucks the life out of me but I don’t want to take a pay cut or any more stress on from a new place. I can’t win really but know deep down I would be much happier elsewhere. Just not sure if I am willing to give up remote working either

 

[House of Tea]

I feel like my job is slowly killing me. My health is suffering, mentally and physically. I am sure my physical ailments stem from stress.

 

[Likkleone]

I feel like my job is slowly killing me. My health is suffering, mentally and physically. I am sure my physical ailments stem from stress.

I feel this. This is exactly how I feel. I look in the mirror and don’t recognise myself, just a shell of who I used to be!

Have you tried speaking to HR? I’ve started that journey but I don’t feel it will ever be resolved.

 

[House of Tea]

I feel this. This is exactly how I feel. I look in the mirror and don’t recognise myself, just a shell of who I used to be!

Have you tried speaking to HR? I’ve started that journey but I don’t feel it will ever be resolved.

HR are a bunch of gossips in my place unfortunately. In any case HR exists to protect employers, not employees.

 

[Lico]

So, I had to do a training course yesterday with a fella who bullied me previously. I'm still not over it this morning. Life can be really unfair.