A question for any teachers and student teachers out there.

I have recently received an unconditional offer to study for a PGDE (Secondary) at Strathclyde University. I’m 37 with a wife and two kids. I mountain bike and climb as often as I can just now but not as much as I’d like to!

I’m keen to teach for a variety of reasons and I’ve obviously done plenty of research into the profession and spent time observing in schools etc. It is obvious from this that teachers work extremely hard and often undertake long hours to complete all their planning and marking etc. I would be keen to hear the views of any teachers on here with regards to their work/life balance. Can you carry out the role effectively and still have time for a quality family life whilst maintaining a mountain biking and climbing addiction? I know this is quite a subjective issue but I’d be keen to hear people’s views.

Cheers,
Matt

I can only give a viewpoint from England – I know the Scottish system is different. I presume the workload etc is the same.

The pluses – working with young people is great – they always surprise you. You get lots of holiday at the same time as your own kids.

The issues – education is relentless at the moment (as I’m sure other jobs are!). Yes you get the holiday but you will probably be working some of it. I’m on half-term now, and have worked for 3 days of it (2 at home, 1 in school) and will work Sun afternoon/eve too. There is no flexibility in work time – for example I want to do SSUK in Yorkshire in September, but it’s a 5 hr drive after work – I can’t take the Friday off as mates can.

I’m in work for 7.30, generally leave by 5.30 (unless a parent’s evening) and do 1-2 hours work Mon-Thurs evenings, 3-4 hours every Sun.

Maintaining own activities/family life/teaching is a constant struggle. I probably sound quite negative…

I think it depends slightly on your subject and ‘crucial exam classes’ loading of your timetable.

I teach science and work life balance is very tough + the turn over of freshly trained NQTs – many quitting because of their messed up WLB is very telling / tiring.

At the start work life will be awful, and to be blunt, if it isn’t you are probably doing a shit job, I know I was after I completed a PGCE five years into teaching in the private sector.

As time progress’s it will get better, but then your risk stagnating, and getting into a rut, which is fine for some, but soul destroying for others.

So you look for further challenges, or responsibilities, which mount up and then your work life balance is out the window again.

This is my 12th year in education now, I’m in the administration side of things fully these days, in the international sector and my work-life balance is better this year than the last two years and certainly better than the early days.

To put things in perspective: When I started out in the private schools, I worked 7am-7pm 5-6 days a week. My only worry was teaching. Holidays were spent thinking about work, or working, long holidays were spent tiding up the year, and preparing for the next.

Two years ago, I was teaching a 100% timetable in a start-up school, while working as the head of secondary, preparing for accreditation and getting the school off the ground, whilst going through an economic downturn. My days were 6am-12am generally a Sat morning off to go shopping with the family. It was relentless, but needed doing.

The PGCE/PGDE time will be tough, when I completed mine, I set aside a year, and mentally wrote it off. There was very little down time but there was always an end in sight.

I was lazy after completing it, and was a shit teacher until I got my head together and sorted my act out. One of those was to get out of the UK again, and overseas so at least if I was going to deal with bureaucracy and bullshit, I was better paid for it.

Its a good profession to be in, there are great opportunities if you want to take them and nothing quite beats that feeling of when the kids really get something and you can see it.

It depends what you teach, and in what school you teach

it is harder at the start, but workload can be managed

the difficulty is if you want to progress you will find you have to take on more, which in turn gives you less time.

It’s ironic given the shit teachers get for having an easy life with lots of holidays, that it’s largely this issue which put me off when I looked into it seriously. I know a couple of qualified teachers working as teaching assistants mainly because they get to stop at the end of the school day.

My wife a primary school teacher.
I would say she works very hard, her week is 7:30-6 Monday – Friday and a 1-3 hours of work once home 3 nights a week. Also half a weekend day. Holidays a day or 2 a week are spent on planing and sorting out her room.
This does not included any training or extra qualifications.

She loves her job. But it does talk over your life

My mum is a teacher and a few of my mates are teachers. Its no easier or harder than any other ‘profesional job’ out there. Its not 9-5, and plenty of work to take home, but thats unfortunately the same in many industries.

I don’t think it’s all that bad. I’ve been doing it for 15 years and it’s okay; no better, no worse than other jobs in terms of work life balance. In fact, I’ve always thought it’s a good job for people who like doing other things. It’s currently half term and I haven’t done any work this week, it was a bit manic before we broke up but nothing too dramatic.

I love the holidays but I teach in a particularly deprived area of a big city and the students can be very draining. The plus is I can leave at 3.30 when I want (if I plan it properly) and ride home for 2hrs or I can work till 5 and whizz home the quick way. I don’t really mark at home either, try to get most of it done in school. Planning is done in blocks so tends to be done for a half term or longer.

Bit rambling but sometimes it’s made to sound like unpaid work in a gulag when it’s really not like that if you don’t get all wound up about it.

My partner is a Teacher and finds it easy she leaves at 7:45 am every Morning is home by 3:30pm most days. She doesn’t bring marking, assessments or any other paperwork home with her it’s all done during the day.

She’s been a teacher for 20 years now, part of her job now is to train up PGCE students. A word of warning from her is that you’ll spend your first qualified year feeling as though you’re drowning under the workload and the second and third realising you had more time in your first year for all the marking and assessing you have to do.

Thanks for all the replies folks – really useful. Keep them coming!

After 8 years teaching in state schools I switched to the independent sector and have now done 9 years here. I prefer the job I’m doing now but wish I still did my old ‘cushy’ state school hours. I was a national level competitive triathlete whilst a state school teacher and gave that up when I switched as I couldn’t train consistently anymore. The hours I do now are daft (it’s a boarding school) – lessons are 0825-1730 but you are contractually obliged to do evening activities until 9pm twice a week as well as assemblies and tutor time etc which are all in the evenings and various ‘all-in’ weekends where you teach Saturday afternoon and all Sunday too. We also teach Saturday mornings until 1pm every week. As I live onsite I’m also on the boarding houses until 11.30pm three times a week and do duty weekends 1 in 3. When I go back to work tomorrow afternoon I’ll be working to next 20 days straight through. I have a colleague who too a trip away this half term who will end up doing 47 days straight through which is tough. All the inset is in the extra holidays rather than term time and there are entrance exam weeks in the holidays to staff too so effectively the holidays are shorter.

All that said I plan to stay doing what I’m doing until I burn out so the job must have its rewards.

My work life balance is much better since switching from A level ICT to physics. With a coursework subject, the weekends and holidays (and evenings) were almost entirely taken up with coursework marking. Now, I have a bit more flexibility on when (and if) I mark work done. Still spent a few days of this half term holidays marking though.

With a coursework subject, the weekends and holidays (and evenings) were almost entirely taken up with coursework marking.

This is true. Having said that, I wouldn’t switch places with a colleague teaching a popular (i.e. big classes) A level essay based subject. Ours are expected to mark an essay per student per class per week to a pretty high standard with copious notes. Fortunately only a bit of my teaching is essay based.

As others have said it depends a lot on what school you end up in. I treat it as a 8-5 job with the occasional early or late finish. I spend a couple of evenings a week doing some planning but only for about an hour or so – no real chore. Tend to spend a hour max on weekends planning for Monday and do no work during holidays – which for me is the big draw having three kids under 10 as it means it is 100% family focused. I do know some teachers who work a a lot more during holidays but I struggle to see how they spend that time wisely not really knowing how the net term is going to pan out. You really have to be able to work smarter not harder

My hours are OK. But that’s after 20 years and knowing the job. Also not too much course work to mark

But although I enjoy teaching I find it draining.

Lots of teachers have genuine crippling hours. The ones with better hours are often to embarrassed to talk about it

If you won’t be responsible for your own kids child care in the holidays then you’ll probably still get out a fair bit.

rjj has it.

Although still depends hugely on your subject, sector, school and experience.

I work 7-30 to 5ish each weekday with no lunch break. Plus obvious late nights like Parents’ Evenings etc. Occasional hour or two of an evening at pinch points. Usually do a Sunday morning (three hours or so) each week too. So probably a 50 hour week on average. Manage to ride to/from school once a week (decent proportion off-road), one evening/night ride with the club, and a longer ride at some point over the weekend so riding isn’t really compromised.

During holidays I try to keep things clear of school, but there’s usually something needs doing at some point, especially at the end of the summer break ready for the new year.

Overall, it’s hard work during term time but if you can keep holidays clear the WLB pans out pretty good over the year.

Great job to have on balance.

Great replies – thanks. I wonder if there is a difference between Scottish and English systems in this respect?

Varies by subject and level. My sister is a primary school teacher and spent a lot of time when she started planning, but the marking load was lower given she teaches year one and they don’t write a lot. Her brother is a secondary maths teacher. His prep and marking load is lower as it’s maths and there is a simple right answer for every question, and a textbook to work through.

the teachers who i know who are cyclists are all really good cyclists because they get to ride a lot.

They dont appear to be working long hours as they are getting to commute to work and still hit the chain gang twice a week and get plenty of rides in after work with the rest of us.

dont know if its the individual, the school the subject or what.

It’s great to hear some positive replies to this. I guess a lot depends on the school you work in and the management style of the senior figures in the school.

Mrs BigJohn is a primary school teacher. Work life balance means she has about 2 full days a week to herself.

But that’s during the holidays.

In term time she has Friday evening and Sunday afternoon to herself. Most evenings working till after midnight.

I wonder why there is such a big discrepancy between the free time of someone like BigJohn’s Mrs and that of Sancho’s mates?

as we’ve said it depends on the subject and location as to what is expected.

it is however a job that is VERY difficult to switch off from.
Stress illnesses are amongst the highest of any job, mainly due to having very little control over your workload and time

some people are betting at dealing with this than others

I would be teaching English somewhere in central Scotland. I have worked in stressful jobs in the past and have always managed to switch off from work when required. I hope this would continue with teaching.

This documentary might help

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1awgPA-SP4&spfreload=10[/video]

Just wrote a long post that was deleted when an ad crashed the page.

Gist of it was: it will probably be ok after the first year or 2 as long as you make WLB a priority and realise that there will always be more that you can do if you let the job take over. I became a much better teacher when I decided that it’s just a job, not a life sentence.

Thanks for the reply Stevious. I guess as a teacher it will take the first few years to develop a way of working that also allows time for family and cycling/climbing. I will be in it for the long term though so I will work hard to ensure it is a sustainable way of life for both myself and my family.

I think a lot of it depends on what you want out of it. I don’t really want promotions (good job really!), I want time. I’m head of a small dept. That gives me a degree of control and a bit of extra cash but I can still keep training properly. Some guys work crazy hours and the job is never really finished. They don’t always get better results though, maybe it’s possible to work smart and not (too) hard?

Right now may be a good time to enter the profession in Scotland due to new qualifications just being offered and teachers near retiral age takign the golden handshake due to the level of change.

These work in your favour, and may create more job opportunities!

If you are serious, do a week or fortnight as “work experience” before you pull the trigger – there are schools at polar ends of the spectrum in central scotland!

Thanks Properbikeco. I have spoken to a few teachers who have also said that it is a good time to enter the profession for the reasons you state. I have spent time observing classes already. I am also aware of the diversity of schools in the area. I was a police officer in Glasgow for ten years so I have spent my fair share of time in the more challenging ones! I would look forward to working in different schools throughout my career.

Thanks again for all the input folks. It has been very useful. It’s great to hear from people in the job just now who do manage to maintain a healthy balance of work, family and leisure time!

Another wee tip as a probationer mentor/somebody who did his probation 11 years ago;mooch all the resources you can on EVERY placement. Some of the the long hours are making up lessons,why reinvent the wheel? Any questions,email in profile.

I’m currently on a Schools direct PGCE doing secondary design and technology education.

The first three/ four months were insane, your PGCE will be at masters level, I found this difficult because I hadn’t written for a long time. So you have assignments, reading, lesson planning, lesson evaluations, subject knowledge, epic PDP documents to fill out as well as a whole host of other things to consider. I went from having a job in manufacturing (45 hours a week) to PGCE, other trainees at the same school haven’t worked a proper day in their life and it shows.

Planning took me a long time to begin with, now I have a (very little) bit of practice at it- it takes me a little less time, however I am only teaching a 14 hour timetable. I still have a lot to learn. All the NQT’s at the school I am training at are really struggling, other NQT’s I know at other schools seem a little more relaxed. I haven’t secured a job yet- another issue burning away at the back of your mind constantly!

I have found it also really depends on what you are teaching and at what level. Having a timetable based around three year 7 classes (and others) will be a lot easier than a timetable with (for example) a gcse class and as/ a level classes. I am by no means qualified to say how you will or will not cope- I was doing 12+ day, sometimes 12 hours in school and then working at home. It seems to be a little less these days. I also found myself going into school on a Saturday.

Another thing to consider is the department you work in, some teachers will provide you with resources/ loose lesson plans/ schemes of work. Others will not, you will be expected to create it all yourself, I guess with this comes a certain level of professionalism, do you really want to be using crap hand-outs and be under prepared? It does feel like you are re-inventing the wheel sometimes.

I’m sure what I’m saying isn’t anything new, and lots of people may disagree! I did the first 2 months bike free, just to be totally on top of the game. I’m building it back in as part of my routine. It great fun and I would totally recommend it ( he says only half way through!)

I can only give a viewpoint from England – I know the Scottish system is different. I presume the workload etc is the same.

I think it can vary widely. My girlfriend went to uni @ St Andrews and her best friend teaches in Falkirk, get in just before school starts leaves straight after school and is done working at home most days by about 17:30-18:00 by her own admission. My girlfriend work Mornington Crescent, get to work 07:3 leaves @ 18:00 – 19:00 plus potential extra evening work. Both been teaching about 8 -10 years.

duckman – Member

Another wee tip as a probationer mentor/somebody who did his probation 11 years ago;mooch all the resources you can on EVERY placement. Some of the the long hours are making up lessons,why reinvent the wheel? Any questions,email in profile. Friend of my sister is currently doing his NQT year – got given some teaching resources by the subject head. Did a few classes and went back to ask did she have some that were any good?
He’s now in danger of failing his NQT year, on the grounds of being an arsehole. His teaching is apparently fine. Seems a bit unfair, really, that a personal clash like that could jeopardise your qualification.

beamishblue

if you are happy to treat it as a 9-5 job (or 8-4) I’m sure you will get on fine as you seem to be approaching it for the right reasons and have done your research

It is a job you very quickly find out if you can do or not! If you do go for it be aware you can gain extra points on the salary scale for relevant experience – I’d be investigating how to go about this as your salary as a probationer is likely to be a lot less than you are used to

Thanks properbikeco – great reply. My friends who are teachers echo what you are saying.

Cheers,
Matt

just remember the grass is not always greener

I keep looking out, only because I have became complacent with what I have

best of luck, follow your gut instinct is the best advice I can give 😉

Both of my parents were teachers, My dad was a department head for classics, taught french and ran the “Resource centre” (Library and IT) , so he actually had quite a bit of responsibility without ever bothering to go for a senior position (as far as It know. My Mum taught maths and sociology at GCSE and A level.

They both retired and couple of years ago, Clink’s first response summed it up perfectly IMO. Long days, lots of evevenings given over to marking and planning. My Dad even gave up big chunks of his Summer holidays to oversee Library building and renovation work…

And then there’s the parents. Some lovely of course, others with serious authority issueswhich got projected onto teaching staff.

Nah, my parents careers were rewarding but persuaded me to look for something else to do with my life.

The switching off is the hardest part for me. Running a boarding school, and living on site, I very rarely get the option to just switch off. Longer holidays are about it.