Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you thought it was bad then….

This! Definitely spend some time in the school system before applying for a full-time position. It’s so different than when I started in 2004.

I don’t have time for my own family or my own needs. I’m either at work, grading/planning at home, or thinking about problems at work. No matter what I do, I can’t get any work/life balance. The exhaustion is driving me to quit.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote: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 wrote: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 wrote:If you thought it was bad then….

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote:What about tutoring? It doesn’t have the same retirement benefits but hourly rate is good, seems less stressful than whole classes, and you’d have omtrol over your sheduke.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote: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.