Considering going back to full-time teaching

[Anonymous]

I am a former elementary teacher who left teaching when DC was born. I've been working part-time, and occasionally even full-time since then, but at a very low-paying job (not teaching). That was ok when DC was young, but he's in high school now and I have a lot more freedom and time. Looking at the high salaries for teachers right now, and the high demand, I'm considering going back. Financially, I think it would really help with college expenses. Plus, I'm worried that I have no retirement savings or plan, since I only worked a few years before DC was born. My husband says we're OK and I don't need to work, but I worry about it.

The thing is, I really hated teaching. I loved the kids and the actual teaching part, but the stress and the disrespect from parents and administrators was horrible. It was really detrimental to my physical and emotional health, to the point of anxiety attacks and actually needing therapy. Plus, I worked so many hours - usually about 60 hours in a normal week, and sometimes more. So I'm torn between how much money I could be making and how much I don't want to go back to working so many hours and being so stressed out and unhappy all the time.

Of course, part of me wonders if I'm just being lazy or selfish. Has anyone faced this choice - going back to a well-paying but hated job after a few years off? I'm not sure if I should give it a try, maybe a different school will be better, or maybe high school instead of elementary, or a different district (I was in FCPS). Or maybe just try to get some other kind of job. I guess in a way I feel kind of stressed every time I even think about a "real" job, remembering how stressful it was before. Any thoughts from those who have gone back under similar circumstances?

[Anonymous]

Have you thought about either private school or a public para?

[Anonymous]

Is your credential even current anymore? If you're even considering this I would sub first. A lot has changed in education over the last 15 years. A LOT. If you hated it then, I don't think you're going to love it now...

[Anonymous]

I agree with the previous poster. You should definitely sub for a year before you make a decision.

The good thing about subbing is that you can take jobs everyday or skip a week when you’re busy. It’s a great way to have if you want to go back to teaching full time.

[Anonymous]

Subbing also lets you get a feel for different schools and administrators.

[Anonymous]

Parents are the worst. I don’t blame you for worrying about that.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat OP.
I know it would be good for me to save a bit more for retirement and have my own income for a while, but all I read are horror stories. I'm on a FB group for teachers who are leaving the profession and the number of people who post every day that they are just DONE is overwhelming and depressing.
I am volunteering in my kids classes later this week which I hadn't done since before Covid, so I'm interested to get a feel for things.
I did apply to be a sub but the pay is terrible- $19 an hour. I do agree that's a good thing to do for a year, but for that pay, it's depressing.

[Anonymous]

I went back when my kids were older after a long stint in a different industry and then SAHM for awhile. So much has changed and not necessarily for the better. It’s been a sharp learning curve. I enjoy working with the kids but there is so much else piled on. 60 hour weeks are pretty common. My plan was to hang in there until my youngest was through college but I’m not sure that will happen.

[Anonymous]

The thing about teaching is this: to be a good one you have to feel like it’s a vocation vs. it being a job. I think deep down you know it’s not. You are not called to do it, are not excited about it, or maybe you need to be in a different setting than public. Now might be a good time to think about doing something adjacent - maybe something in admin, setting up tutoring services, etc. problem is you’ll have to work summers. A friend of mine got out and learned how to do UX design and is so much happier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the previous poster. You should definitely sub for a year before you make a decision.

The good thing about subbing is that you can take jobs everyday or skip a week when you’re busy. It’s a great way to have if you want to go back to teaching full time.

+1 You could sub as often or as little as you like, and take a break if it becomes overwhelming. There are opportunities for long-term subbing too. I would sub before going back full-time.

[Anonymous]

Don't do it. I worked at school when finishing my MA. It was a good fit for only a few teachers.
There a better things you could be doing with your time like babysit on a short notice, learn to flip furniture, or work lunch shifts at a restaurant.
I work at a restaurant and we make $35-$50 an hour right now. It has never been so busy and I have been working in service business since 1997. I'd like to retire, but we cannot find workers.
It only takes a week to train someone for server, 5 minutes for hostess. The hours are flexible, the parking is often free, the food is free, you get to exercise, you don't take your work home, and yes, you can give tables away when it's too much for you. It's ok to call in sick. Others will simply run faster.
I know waiting on tables in snot for everyone, but more people should give it a go specially now that the money is good.
I made my money in stock market and will not be teaching. Restaurant is lovely. I go there to socialize and help out.

[Anonymous]

I think you have to be a full out zen Buddhist master to be a teacher these days and not be completely taken down by the environment. It's gotten so much worse. I hate it for our kids, but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you thought about either private school or a public para?

I was actually offered a private school job. I didn't take it because the hours were just as intense as public school, and the parents way more demanding. The atmosphere was much better, though, and not as demeaning as public school. But the pay was the deal-breaker. It was SO low.

[Anonymous]

Public para. No grading; no planning; no meetings. Just the kids. It pays a lot less, but it’s by the clock- you show up, work with the kids, go home. The end.

Work at a mid-SES school. High SES and the parents are insane. Low SES and the kids are difficult bc they have already survived a lot and it can get depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the same boat OP.
I know it would be good for me to save a bit more for retirement and have my own income for a while, but all I read are horror stories. I'm on a FB group for teachers who are leaving the profession and the number of people who post every day that they are just DONE is overwhelming and depressing.
I am volunteering in my kids classes later this week which I hadn't done since before Covid, so I'm interested to get a feel for things.
I did apply to be a sub but the pay is terrible- $19 an hour. I do agree that's a good thing to do for a year, but for that pay, it's depressing.

OP here, I agree the sub pay is pathetic. Before becoming a teacher many years ago, I subbed first. It was deceiving, to be honest. Everything seemed great and I loved the school, and then as soon as I was hired full-time the admin changed, half the teachers left, and it became a nightmarish workplace. And I couldn't leave - every year, I tried to apply to different schools, but the principal would call and tell them they wanted to keep me where I was (I was a hard-to-staff specialist), and the job offer would disappear. So I wouldn't trust what I saw as a sub in any case, and don't want to give up my current job for something that pays even worse.