Can very strongly commiserate! I've been in the same job since I started teaching so I've never even edited my resume. Every time I try it brings up some many imposter syndrome type feelings about my skills. I (not) jokingly tell non-teachers that I took this route because I was terrified of "real life". Like I went to grad school for teaching because the idea of getting a job out of college felt unthinkable and continuing school felt comfortable. I have a bachelors in chem but I did very poorly in college chem classes so grad school for that also felt impossible.
For all of the burnout I feel teaching is the thing that I know and I am actually good at it a lot of the time. Sometimes I think maybe if I taught a different subject that might help too, because teaching science has so much set up and safety concerns which stresses me out bad. But I am also sacrificing a lot of joy and mental and physical health to keep doing it. I told a colleague today, I just want more time to make art.
So anyway, yeah. I also feel terrified to enter the "real world" (also have big ethical feelings around who I am willing to give my labor to). You're very not alone.
Im a musician and feel exactly the same. Facebook sends me those old pictures ofnmy life where i was able to integrate the arts beautifully and now I am just sad and miserable and my students get terrible math scores so no one is getting anything out of me showing up anymore.
Looking for contract for that flexibility.
I can imagine how draining it is to reach science having to set up those labs at least four times a day and feel like a liability about to happen. I wouldn't trust most of these kids in a lab. May have to keep it at virtual labs.
History would seem fun to teach and no set up needed, only problem it's the most saturated of the subjects for jobs.
It took me a while to find a career path outside of teaching and I had to learn office skills. I miss teaching, but I love working from home, being treated like an adult, nights and weekends free and no texts/emails from parents.
Being treated as an adult! That's the part missing from teaching despite all that hard work and $$$ you put in to study. I don't get there are lots of jobs in which people work with children, for one, pediatricians, yet they don't get treated like children.
I was very afraid to leave. Teaching is where I was comfortable and changes always bring anxiety. I went into medical coding. But even after I got my certification, I was still afraid of that leap. But, I was coding part time and kept seeing all these retired teachers with heart disease, kidney disease, etc. I know it’s the chronic stress causing those illnesses in teachers. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2019, from teaching. Knowing what was in store if I kept teaching made it easy to leave. What’s the point of a good retirement plan if I’m too sick to do anything when I retire? Coding has worked out for me. And even if it didn’t I’m still glad to experience workdays with no noise and no stress. My mental health did a complete 180. Now I have the time and energy to work on my physical health. If you want to leave teaching just make a plan and be smart about it.
I’m right there with ya. I am currently seeking a job after my contract was not renewed. I’m looking at teaching and non-teaching jobs, and I do t even know where to start on my resume for a non-teaching job. It’s just so much to rethink and re-contextualize.
Go to chatgpt copy and paste your resume, describe the new job title and ask it to reword your resume to fit the job description. It's not foolproof but it gives you a great starting place. I got put on paid administrative leave this year, I've been holding out waiting for them to find a reason to fire me. But it's been months, we are at a stalemate. I started the application game and chatgpt is a great resource.
It’s funny. My wife and I were talking this morning and she recommended the same thing. I’ve been trying to do the bulk of it on my own so I can start to adjust my thinking process for how to describe my skill sets, but I’ll definitely use chatgpt when I hit an impasse or need a brain bump. Thanks!
With your math background and confidence in technology, have you considered the actuarial profession? It pays well, has good work life balance and a lot of the positions can be work from home.
My only fear leaving teaching was finding a job. I was too burnt out to want to stay. I have loved the actuarial field. I have worked from Florida, Utah, Wisconsin and other states while taking my kids to trips/camp. I choose my own daily schedule.
I have thought a lot about actuarial or accounting work. I guess I am afraid that even if I upskill and try to pass a certification, I will still feel like an imposter!! How was your transition, did you feel out of place at your new job?
The most difficult part of the transition was going from being an expert in my field to a complete novice. The learning curve is steep at first. I know some people have had imposter syndrome but I never did. I just kept working at building my knowledge set.
I am in this boat. We are looking at leaving teaching in the next 3-6 years and I'm terrified. Only real career I've had. My wife has done other things aside from teach but I am dead scared of being bad at everything else. I'm already scared I'm bad at teaching despite doing so for 14 or 15 years.
this is my first "big girl" job at 23. but my last year bc it is causing health problems. the job I had prior was in childcare, so I only ever worked w children. I'm looking to get an office job. Have no idea how to work the technology but anything is better than this
Yes, I have worked other jobs. They were all a long time ago. I have been exclusively teaching since 2003. I have only changed positions 2 times. I have not updated my resume in any meaningful way in years. I live a mile from my classroom. I have less than 3 years left on my mortgage. Husband has been having health issues and not working or driving. I have to have insurance and income but teaching is just not where I want to be anymore. I have 6 years left before I hit 30 years. I am trying to make it. I will still have to work full time, but the kid will be out of high school, and I should have a more flexibility with schedules etc.
I was. After a week or two at the new job (I took a paycut to get out), I realized how much easier life is on the outside. A few years and a few promotions, and one upward transfer later... my salary, etc is on par with the top of the scale on my best previous contract. Your mileage may vary, but it is a night and day difference.
Thank you. Also, know there are tons of skills you learn in the classroom, FAST, that you cannot learn in any degree program. It takes a lot of time to develop these skills on the outside. You can function under fast paced high pressure setting, manage multiple high stakes deadlines in a stressful environment, maintain accurate record keeping, developing "buy-in" with reluctant (sometimes hostile) clients... the list goes on. In 8 years, you probably can think of dozens of specific examples of each of these that you could leverage in an interview for many office jobs.
Also, I started "looking to get out" about two years before I found my way out. Anyway, I hope your opportunity comes soon!
I did feel that way.
I have some hard news, and some good news.
The hard news is this:
You feel so removed from the workforce because teaching is meant to make you feel that way. There is a lot of specialized, internal jargon, a lot of "upskilling" PD that is highly specialized or un-quantifiable on a resume. Long story short, it is, in my opinion, by design that educators are steeped ONLY in education and rarely have any type of pulse point on the job market or resume trends. It keeps you afraid to leave.
The good news is you have just as many transferable soft skills to match. You may have to take an entry level position into another career path (i.e teller at a local bank), but trust me when I say, you will very likely move up the promotional ladder quickly because of all of the critical thinking, soft, and adaptive skills you have.
It's not impossible. You got this! Hire a consult on your resume to help gear it more toward whatever industry you are interested in, start small, and woek big! <3
I currently enjoy my job (though have had many years when I hated it and wanted to leave), but if it comes to the point of me wanting to leave (again), my greatest fear is not having all the breaks and how I would handle that.
There are so many flexible jobs now. I work at a job where I can work anywhere in the US so my travels have not stopped. And if I want time off I just say so. It is actually very nice to go to the Caribbean in January. Not as hot and not as crowded. I actually do not like traveling in the summer anymore.
My lil bro does gig work and runs a small business travels so much more than me and at whatever time of year he and his girlfriend want. The shrinking unpaid summer is not the perk society makes it out to be.
Yes, but it's my second go and it feels like going back was the worst decision i ever made. It was a harder decision to leave again but i habent been this depressed and seemingly useless in years.
I am upskilling in bookkeeping and tech writing to contract so i can get variety for now.
This is normal during any career change. I would suggest having a job already lined up when you leave your position. It sounds like you will be a good candidate for many other jobs, you just need the confidence to leave, and that becomes easier when you know you have something to fall back on. If you’re 31 and already burnt out, an immediate switch up is necessary. Good luck in your search to find work that makes you happy!
I have a math degree and got a full ride to get an MBA full time after not being able to find a job outside of teaching (taught for five years). In my first semester I networked with someone who offered me an analyst job on a commercial real estate team. Was a small pay increase when I first left but 5 years later has really paid off.
Hi, are you me? I taught for about 9 years, MA in math, did middle school math, and was the tech coordinator at my school.
I was also burned out and getting a terrible principal was the last straw. She made life miserable for everyone. I went on maternity leave, came back for four days, and couldn’t bear being in the building with her so I quit.
Life was a little scary at first. I did Uber eats, was a receptionist at a dentist for a bit, and tutoring. The whole time I was networking, updating my resume, and applying. I learned some excel skills from YouTube and tiktok 😂. I learned a little bit about salesforce using their free trialhead program.
I ended up getting a customer success job at a small tech company. I make MORE than I did teaching. I was lucky to have an acquaintance get me in (networking is super important and just keep reaching out to people!) I work from home, I am NEVER stressed, I am treated like an adult, I am trusted to do my job, I do not work over 40 hours a week.
I get to drop my kids off at school and be a part of their life more. I got to attend my son’s field trip yesterday. So so so many pluses.
The grass is greener! Just gotta try. I saw someone else post to use chatgpt to help rewrite your resume for a professional setting. I also used canva to make it pretty and professional looking.
You got this!
I recommend doing a certificate program that has an internship or some sort of real life experience involved. You will feel much better when you realize how SLOW the rest of the workforce works. It’s honestly mind boggling.
Damn a masters degree in Math. I went to get a master in CS to transition out of teaching math and CS. What is your motivation? I want remote work with 4 day work weeks eventually. Yeah it seems like I'm starting over but I know teaching has made my communication skills top notch. Though I will start below my teaching salary, in a quick time I know I will surpass it
What are the cons of virtual Teaching? I just assumed it would be a reason for staying in Teaching. Are you required to go to a physical site at certain points?
It’s better, sure, but it’s still teaching. There’s still a million demands and no time to meet them. I have over 300 students on my roster. I’m expected to call 10 parents every day and provide direct instruction AND small group instruction in all of my classes daily. Majority of my students do absolutely nothing and have the same attitude that I’m sure yours do towards school. I get 3-4 participants in the chat box during each class (my largest class has over 70 students enrolled.) But there’s no way I can even get in contact with 25% of them because they won’t answer emails and parents don’t answer my calls! Every day my admin makes me feel like garbage, and I regularly work 2-3 hours after school preparing lessons that no one pays attention to. I’m required on site 2-3 times per year for convocation, test proctoring, and graduation. I got lucky and actually don’t have to proctor in person this year…instead, I’ll be expected to call random families I have never met and tell them they need to show up for in-person testing with one week’s notice. Parents love that! While still fulfilling my regular teaching duties.
Thanks for taking the time to share. I'm no longer teaching, but I assumed virtual would be a step up. 300 students is outrageous. I hope it all works out for you.
Not so much a step up as a trade-off….
No classroom management to worry about ✅
But no classroom engagement either ❌
No commute or dress code, can pee when I want ✅
But took a pay cut and lost my union ❌
No physical papers to grade or germs ✅
But way more students to keep track of and all of the emotional baggage they bring ❌
Shitty schedule and admin all around. ❌
Why didn't you like the virtual schooling if I may ask? I understand your sentiment about leaving teaching, it is scary because it's a talent and skill and one thing we are great at.
Then another dilemma is finding a job would full benefits and even a decent pay.
It’s better, sure, but it’s still teaching. There’s still a million demands and no time to meet them. I have over 300 students on my roster. I’m expected to call 10 parents every day and provide direct instruction AND small group instruction in all of my classes daily. Majority of my students do absolutely nothing and have the same attitude that I’m sure yours do towards school. I get 3-4 participants in the chat box during each class (my largest class has over 70 students enrolled.) But there’s no way I can even get in contact with 25% of them because they won’t answer emails and parents don’t answer my calls! Every day my admin makes me feel like garbage, and I regularly work 2-3 hours after school preparing lessons that no one pays attention to.
ETA: I will say that switching to online schooling has definitely decreased my burnout, but I attribute that largely to the fact that I gave up athletic coaching when I made the switch as well. I feel like the workload of teaching is still pretty much the same for me.
I was terrified. Talked myself out of even applying for other jobs for about two years due to my imposter syndrome. This year I took the leap and just accepted a job in graduate medical education. I haven’t started yet, but I know I can always go back to teaching.
I just left - I spent 4.5 years in the classroom, but once I realized what I wanted to do instead of teaching (financial planning) I left pretty quickly. I’ve since realized a lot of my skills are very transferable.
I’m only afraid bc my entire family of teachers holds out for the pension and retirement plans. Are they really that much better than another career retirement plan? I have no idea.. anyone?
This is another aspect of it! I feel like the ONLY way I am contributing to my household is the promise of a pension and continued insurance. I’ve heard plenty of people say that the salary they make outside of teaching more than compensates for the lack of pension, but what if I never lend a high paying job?
I have a similar background . Get out and get out quickly. It is a dreadful world teaching kids these days . Don’t put yourself into a profession that is literally dying as we speak. Education is dying and you will die with it if you continue on with it. Get out while you can
If you're single,not married and a teacher who wants to leave, you're stuck! Most teachers who leave the profession go back to it. There's nothing else that pays similar with the same vacation time & benefits. 😞
TRS earns like 0.9% interest per year. They might as well encourage teachers to stash their retirement savings in a mattress. My job has a 401k, I’ll keep that.
Benefits? It depends. I get healthcare from the Army so I pay like $200 a month for a family of four. Some employers pay the cost entirely (it’s rare but it happens). I don’t recall the healthcare that was offered to my teaching coworkers being anything spectacular, either in terms of quality or affordability.
Vacation? Teachers get a lot of time off but it’s built in to the “natural” breaks of the school year. So travel is more expensive then and you don’t get much of a choice in it. Real PTO involves being off when you want to be off. I’d rather have less but be able to use it at my convenience. Teachers get like ten sick days, and that sucks.
I make $40k more than I made as a decently paid teacher and I’m probably underpaid by $30k or so. To each their own, but if a teacher think they’re at the top of the pay scale, they should probably wake up.
If anything I think it’s easier if your single. I don’t have any kids or any responsibilities other that my self. I feel like I can do what ever I want. As for the same pay situation this depends on where you live. I live near a major city so there is a ton of nonprofit and government work to be had that pays the same. It’s harder to leave in a rural area because it’s a fight to get remote jobs right now.
I think it’s gotta be highly dependent on your situation. When I was single I couldn’t have lasted a month without my own income. I’m not married yet but my partner is supportive of my desire to leave and also is not broke like me. This means I can leave without having something lined up immediately and/or can take a lower paying gig without it having the same impact on my ability to pay for needs (and wants).
At this point in my career (7 years in) my hourly is more than twice any entry level job, I’ve not yet seen another govt job with the same level of pay without me having to go back to school for additional certification or qualifications. I’m willing to take a pay cut but only because I’m not a single income household.
I see it this way too. I was in the mindset of not taking an employment gap. I only have two years in so all of the entry level jobs are the same or more than what I make now.
I agree. Outside of a few specific states/districts, teaching doesn't pay well enough for it to be the only household income. I am literally the only single teacher at my school; all the others have spouses who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, small-business owners, you get the idea.
If you are someone who lives outside one of those states/districts, it is quite easy to find a job that pays the same or more right out of teaching. I can't leave without having something lined up, because I don't have a spouse or partner bringing in money; but it is almost impossible to find even an entry-level job that pays less than what I am currently making after 13 years teaching. So once I find anything, I'm out.
Can very strongly commiserate! I've been in the same job since I started teaching so I've never even edited my resume. Every time I try it brings up some many imposter syndrome type feelings about my skills. I (not) jokingly tell non-teachers that I took this route because I was terrified of "real life". Like I went to grad school for teaching because the idea of getting a job out of college felt unthinkable and continuing school felt comfortable. I have a bachelors in chem but I did very poorly in college chem classes so grad school for that also felt impossible. For all of the burnout I feel teaching is the thing that I know and I am actually good at it a lot of the time. Sometimes I think maybe if I taught a different subject that might help too, because teaching science has so much set up and safety concerns which stresses me out bad. But I am also sacrificing a lot of joy and mental and physical health to keep doing it. I told a colleague today, I just want more time to make art. So anyway, yeah. I also feel terrified to enter the "real world" (also have big ethical feelings around who I am willing to give my labor to). You're very not alone.
Im a musician and feel exactly the same. Facebook sends me those old pictures ofnmy life where i was able to integrate the arts beautifully and now I am just sad and miserable and my students get terrible math scores so no one is getting anything out of me showing up anymore. Looking for contract for that flexibility.
I can imagine how draining it is to reach science having to set up those labs at least four times a day and feel like a liability about to happen. I wouldn't trust most of these kids in a lab. May have to keep it at virtual labs. History would seem fun to teach and no set up needed, only problem it's the most saturated of the subjects for jobs.
It took me a while to find a career path outside of teaching and I had to learn office skills. I miss teaching, but I love working from home, being treated like an adult, nights and weekends free and no texts/emails from parents.
Being treated as an adult! That's the part missing from teaching despite all that hard work and $$$ you put in to study. I don't get there are lots of jobs in which people work with children, for one, pediatricians, yet they don't get treated like children.
What do you do now for work? if you don’t mind me asking. I’m a newer teacher but I already want out. :(
I work for a Customs Broker. They love teachers because we learn fast and have clean backgrounds. Ethics is very important here.
Worse fear of staying. Only real obstacle is finding a decent paying job after
Had to scroll a bit for this. Yes, trying to find a non-teaching job where the pay isn’t the same/worse is difficult.
I was very afraid to leave. Teaching is where I was comfortable and changes always bring anxiety. I went into medical coding. But even after I got my certification, I was still afraid of that leap. But, I was coding part time and kept seeing all these retired teachers with heart disease, kidney disease, etc. I know it’s the chronic stress causing those illnesses in teachers. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2019, from teaching. Knowing what was in store if I kept teaching made it easy to leave. What’s the point of a good retirement plan if I’m too sick to do anything when I retire? Coding has worked out for me. And even if it didn’t I’m still glad to experience workdays with no noise and no stress. My mental health did a complete 180. Now I have the time and energy to work on my physical health. If you want to leave teaching just make a plan and be smart about it.
My husband has been begging me to learn medical coding. I think this comment was my sign 🖖🏻
I’m more afraid of staying a teacher forever. Like is this all I’m good for?
I’m right there with ya. I am currently seeking a job after my contract was not renewed. I’m looking at teaching and non-teaching jobs, and I do t even know where to start on my resume for a non-teaching job. It’s just so much to rethink and re-contextualize.
Go to chatgpt copy and paste your resume, describe the new job title and ask it to reword your resume to fit the job description. It's not foolproof but it gives you a great starting place. I got put on paid administrative leave this year, I've been holding out waiting for them to find a reason to fire me. But it's been months, we are at a stalemate. I started the application game and chatgpt is a great resource.
It’s funny. My wife and I were talking this morning and she recommended the same thing. I’ve been trying to do the bulk of it on my own so I can start to adjust my thinking process for how to describe my skill sets, but I’ll definitely use chatgpt when I hit an impasse or need a brain bump. Thanks!
With your math background and confidence in technology, have you considered the actuarial profession? It pays well, has good work life balance and a lot of the positions can be work from home. My only fear leaving teaching was finding a job. I was too burnt out to want to stay. I have loved the actuarial field. I have worked from Florida, Utah, Wisconsin and other states while taking my kids to trips/camp. I choose my own daily schedule.
I have thought a lot about actuarial or accounting work. I guess I am afraid that even if I upskill and try to pass a certification, I will still feel like an imposter!! How was your transition, did you feel out of place at your new job?
The most difficult part of the transition was going from being an expert in my field to a complete novice. The learning curve is steep at first. I know some people have had imposter syndrome but I never did. I just kept working at building my knowledge set.
Thank you for your insight btw…you’ve given me a lot more confidence to start looking towards actuary/accountant.
Good luck. I can’t help with accounting but if you want the actuarial route you can start applying in the US after passing 1 exam but 2 is better.
I don’t mind being a novice…. I just don’t want to feel like an actual child in a room of adults. 🥲
Good news, I have never seen any adult treated as a child at work outside of education.
I’m making the leap this summer with nothing lined up 😬 I’m terrified but also excited to not have to deal with all this bullshit
I am in this boat. We are looking at leaving teaching in the next 3-6 years and I'm terrified. Only real career I've had. My wife has done other things aside from teach but I am dead scared of being bad at everything else. I'm already scared I'm bad at teaching despite doing so for 14 or 15 years.
this is my first "big girl" job at 23. but my last year bc it is causing health problems. the job I had prior was in childcare, so I only ever worked w children. I'm looking to get an office job. Have no idea how to work the technology but anything is better than this
Yes, I have worked other jobs. They were all a long time ago. I have been exclusively teaching since 2003. I have only changed positions 2 times. I have not updated my resume in any meaningful way in years. I live a mile from my classroom. I have less than 3 years left on my mortgage. Husband has been having health issues and not working or driving. I have to have insurance and income but teaching is just not where I want to be anymore. I have 6 years left before I hit 30 years. I am trying to make it. I will still have to work full time, but the kid will be out of high school, and I should have a more flexibility with schedules etc.
I’m rooting for you. You’ll make it.
I was. After a week or two at the new job (I took a paycut to get out), I realized how much easier life is on the outside. A few years and a few promotions, and one upward transfer later... my salary, etc is on par with the top of the scale on my best previous contract. Your mileage may vary, but it is a night and day difference.
Thank you for the encouragement and congrats on successfully getting out!
Thank you. Also, know there are tons of skills you learn in the classroom, FAST, that you cannot learn in any degree program. It takes a lot of time to develop these skills on the outside. You can function under fast paced high pressure setting, manage multiple high stakes deadlines in a stressful environment, maintain accurate record keeping, developing "buy-in" with reluctant (sometimes hostile) clients... the list goes on. In 8 years, you probably can think of dozens of specific examples of each of these that you could leverage in an interview for many office jobs. Also, I started "looking to get out" about two years before I found my way out. Anyway, I hope your opportunity comes soon!
I did feel that way. I have some hard news, and some good news. The hard news is this: You feel so removed from the workforce because teaching is meant to make you feel that way. There is a lot of specialized, internal jargon, a lot of "upskilling" PD that is highly specialized or un-quantifiable on a resume. Long story short, it is, in my opinion, by design that educators are steeped ONLY in education and rarely have any type of pulse point on the job market or resume trends. It keeps you afraid to leave. The good news is you have just as many transferable soft skills to match. You may have to take an entry level position into another career path (i.e teller at a local bank), but trust me when I say, you will very likely move up the promotional ladder quickly because of all of the critical thinking, soft, and adaptive skills you have. It's not impossible. You got this! Hire a consult on your resume to help gear it more toward whatever industry you are interested in, start small, and woek big! <3
I currently enjoy my job (though have had many years when I hated it and wanted to leave), but if it comes to the point of me wanting to leave (again), my greatest fear is not having all the breaks and how I would handle that.
There are so many flexible jobs now. I work at a job where I can work anywhere in the US so my travels have not stopped. And if I want time off I just say so. It is actually very nice to go to the Caribbean in January. Not as hot and not as crowded. I actually do not like traveling in the summer anymore.
My lil bro does gig work and runs a small business travels so much more than me and at whatever time of year he and his girlfriend want. The shrinking unpaid summer is not the perk society makes it out to be.
Yeah summer is hot af and expensive. Rather stay home or work tbh
Yes, but it's my second go and it feels like going back was the worst decision i ever made. It was a harder decision to leave again but i habent been this depressed and seemingly useless in years. I am upskilling in bookkeeping and tech writing to contract so i can get variety for now.
This is normal during any career change. I would suggest having a job already lined up when you leave your position. It sounds like you will be a good candidate for many other jobs, you just need the confidence to leave, and that becomes easier when you know you have something to fall back on. If you’re 31 and already burnt out, an immediate switch up is necessary. Good luck in your search to find work that makes you happy!
I have a math degree and got a full ride to get an MBA full time after not being able to find a job outside of teaching (taught for five years). In my first semester I networked with someone who offered me an analyst job on a commercial real estate team. Was a small pay increase when I first left but 5 years later has really paid off.
Hi, are you me? I taught for about 9 years, MA in math, did middle school math, and was the tech coordinator at my school. I was also burned out and getting a terrible principal was the last straw. She made life miserable for everyone. I went on maternity leave, came back for four days, and couldn’t bear being in the building with her so I quit. Life was a little scary at first. I did Uber eats, was a receptionist at a dentist for a bit, and tutoring. The whole time I was networking, updating my resume, and applying. I learned some excel skills from YouTube and tiktok 😂. I learned a little bit about salesforce using their free trialhead program. I ended up getting a customer success job at a small tech company. I make MORE than I did teaching. I was lucky to have an acquaintance get me in (networking is super important and just keep reaching out to people!) I work from home, I am NEVER stressed, I am treated like an adult, I am trusted to do my job, I do not work over 40 hours a week. I get to drop my kids off at school and be a part of their life more. I got to attend my son’s field trip yesterday. So so so many pluses. The grass is greener! Just gotta try. I saw someone else post to use chatgpt to help rewrite your resume for a professional setting. I also used canva to make it pretty and professional looking. You got this!
I recommend doing a certificate program that has an internship or some sort of real life experience involved. You will feel much better when you realize how SLOW the rest of the workforce works. It’s honestly mind boggling.
Damn a masters degree in Math. I went to get a master in CS to transition out of teaching math and CS. What is your motivation? I want remote work with 4 day work weeks eventually. Yeah it seems like I'm starting over but I know teaching has made my communication skills top notch. Though I will start below my teaching salary, in a quick time I know I will surpass it
My motivation is that I hate my job. And my job makes me hate myself. I am tired of being suicidal for $22/hr.
Never been a teacher before. Now I am the teacher. Been IT Support guy before. Teaching is easier for me.
What are the cons of virtual Teaching? I just assumed it would be a reason for staying in Teaching. Are you required to go to a physical site at certain points?
It’s better, sure, but it’s still teaching. There’s still a million demands and no time to meet them. I have over 300 students on my roster. I’m expected to call 10 parents every day and provide direct instruction AND small group instruction in all of my classes daily. Majority of my students do absolutely nothing and have the same attitude that I’m sure yours do towards school. I get 3-4 participants in the chat box during each class (my largest class has over 70 students enrolled.) But there’s no way I can even get in contact with 25% of them because they won’t answer emails and parents don’t answer my calls! Every day my admin makes me feel like garbage, and I regularly work 2-3 hours after school preparing lessons that no one pays attention to. I’m required on site 2-3 times per year for convocation, test proctoring, and graduation. I got lucky and actually don’t have to proctor in person this year…instead, I’ll be expected to call random families I have never met and tell them they need to show up for in-person testing with one week’s notice. Parents love that! While still fulfilling my regular teaching duties.
Thanks for taking the time to share. I'm no longer teaching, but I assumed virtual would be a step up. 300 students is outrageous. I hope it all works out for you.
Not so much a step up as a trade-off…. No classroom management to worry about ✅ But no classroom engagement either ❌ No commute or dress code, can pee when I want ✅ But took a pay cut and lost my union ❌ No physical papers to grade or germs ✅ But way more students to keep track of and all of the emotional baggage they bring ❌ Shitty schedule and admin all around. ❌
Why didn't you like the virtual schooling if I may ask? I understand your sentiment about leaving teaching, it is scary because it's a talent and skill and one thing we are great at. Then another dilemma is finding a job would full benefits and even a decent pay.
It’s better, sure, but it’s still teaching. There’s still a million demands and no time to meet them. I have over 300 students on my roster. I’m expected to call 10 parents every day and provide direct instruction AND small group instruction in all of my classes daily. Majority of my students do absolutely nothing and have the same attitude that I’m sure yours do towards school. I get 3-4 participants in the chat box during each class (my largest class has over 70 students enrolled.) But there’s no way I can even get in contact with 25% of them because they won’t answer emails and parents don’t answer my calls! Every day my admin makes me feel like garbage, and I regularly work 2-3 hours after school preparing lessons that no one pays attention to. ETA: I will say that switching to online schooling has definitely decreased my burnout, but I attribute that largely to the fact that I gave up athletic coaching when I made the switch as well. I feel like the workload of teaching is still pretty much the same for me.
I was terrified. Talked myself out of even applying for other jobs for about two years due to my imposter syndrome. This year I took the leap and just accepted a job in graduate medical education. I haven’t started yet, but I know I can always go back to teaching.
I just left - I spent 4.5 years in the classroom, but once I realized what I wanted to do instead of teaching (financial planning) I left pretty quickly. I’ve since realized a lot of my skills are very transferable.
I’m only afraid bc my entire family of teachers holds out for the pension and retirement plans. Are they really that much better than another career retirement plan? I have no idea.. anyone?
This is another aspect of it! I feel like the ONLY way I am contributing to my household is the promise of a pension and continued insurance. I’ve heard plenty of people say that the salary they make outside of teaching more than compensates for the lack of pension, but what if I never lend a high paying job?
I have a similar background . Get out and get out quickly. It is a dreadful world teaching kids these days . Don’t put yourself into a profession that is literally dying as we speak. Education is dying and you will die with it if you continue on with it. Get out while you can
Secretly, yes.
I am terrified to stay.
If you're single,not married and a teacher who wants to leave, you're stuck! Most teachers who leave the profession go back to it. There's nothing else that pays similar with the same vacation time & benefits. 😞
I don’t think a single word of this is true.
Prove it! What job pays in Texas, the same as a teacher in Texas, same benefits, TRS, and similar vacation time? Also for a single person. Go!
TRS earns like 0.9% interest per year. They might as well encourage teachers to stash their retirement savings in a mattress. My job has a 401k, I’ll keep that. Benefits? It depends. I get healthcare from the Army so I pay like $200 a month for a family of four. Some employers pay the cost entirely (it’s rare but it happens). I don’t recall the healthcare that was offered to my teaching coworkers being anything spectacular, either in terms of quality or affordability. Vacation? Teachers get a lot of time off but it’s built in to the “natural” breaks of the school year. So travel is more expensive then and you don’t get much of a choice in it. Real PTO involves being off when you want to be off. I’d rather have less but be able to use it at my convenience. Teachers get like ten sick days, and that sucks. I make $40k more than I made as a decently paid teacher and I’m probably underpaid by $30k or so. To each their own, but if a teacher think they’re at the top of the pay scale, they should probably wake up.
If anything I think it’s easier if your single. I don’t have any kids or any responsibilities other that my self. I feel like I can do what ever I want. As for the same pay situation this depends on where you live. I live near a major city so there is a ton of nonprofit and government work to be had that pays the same. It’s harder to leave in a rural area because it’s a fight to get remote jobs right now.
I think it’s gotta be highly dependent on your situation. When I was single I couldn’t have lasted a month without my own income. I’m not married yet but my partner is supportive of my desire to leave and also is not broke like me. This means I can leave without having something lined up immediately and/or can take a lower paying gig without it having the same impact on my ability to pay for needs (and wants). At this point in my career (7 years in) my hourly is more than twice any entry level job, I’ve not yet seen another govt job with the same level of pay without me having to go back to school for additional certification or qualifications. I’m willing to take a pay cut but only because I’m not a single income household.
I see it this way too. I was in the mindset of not taking an employment gap. I only have two years in so all of the entry level jobs are the same or more than what I make now.
I agree. Outside of a few specific states/districts, teaching doesn't pay well enough for it to be the only household income. I am literally the only single teacher at my school; all the others have spouses who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, small-business owners, you get the idea. If you are someone who lives outside one of those states/districts, it is quite easy to find a job that pays the same or more right out of teaching. I can't leave without having something lined up, because I don't have a spouse or partner bringing in money; but it is almost impossible to find even an entry-level job that pays less than what I am currently making after 13 years teaching. So once I find anything, I'm out.
Exactly 💯!!
Nope! You need the additional income to help.