Losing my job; thinking of going to London; worried

sitstill

So this is something that has been on my mind for a while now and while I've spoken to my friends, family, flatmate etc - I just need more advice/opinions.

Basically I was told that I'm losing my job. But not till May (I'm a teacher). I have been working on crappy temporary and substitute contracts for 6 years and its really soul destroying. There are little to no full time contracts going for teachers at the moment and to have any chance of getting made permanent, you have to be in the same school for 4 years. I just don't see this happening the way things are here and at 27 now, I'm just sick of it. I'm still living the kind of lifestyle I did when I was a student in college - sharing flats with strangers, getting dole or shop jobs in Summer. I'm just sick of it.

So since my principal told me that he will have no hours for me next year, I was thinking that my only chance to get a full-time or permanent job is to leave the country.

It feels almost like I'm being forced out of the country after doing my best to contribute and give something back to it. I trained as a teacher and thats the job I want to do and the job that I feel I am talented at, but I don't think Ireland needs me.

The UK, and especially London, is always looking for teachers though, and it seems relatively easy to get a full-time job there. So I am thinking of moving for September.

This is the problem though. It makes me excited - new city, new adventure etc. I know a guy from college who is there and I've been loads but it also makes me literally sick with worry. My Dad told me not to worry and just to focus on it being a great adventure.

But what if I hate it or feel homesick or miss my family? Anyone that's moved already, what were your experiences? Is 27 too old to make friends etc? How much would I need, in general to have saved to get set-up with a flatshare etc?

I know this is long, but i just dunno who to talk to and I'm feeling depressed now.

Shelga

Hi there. I really think you should move- being blunt, there is nothing here for a huge number of the population, especially if you're in your twenties.

I graduated in 2010 and spent a mentally exhausting, frustrating and saddening year trying to find full-time work in Ireland that related to my degree. I was adamant that I didn't want to live in England, that if I had to emigrate then it would be to Australia or Canada.

As luck would have it, one of the very few jobs I applied for in the UK was offered to me- I took it and haven't looked back since. I absolutely love living over there and have no regrets whatsoever. My self-esteem has improved hugely, I've made some great friends and the opportunities I have in terms of my career would never happen in a million years in Ireland. I have no idea why I waited so long to leave.

No way is 27 too old to move- I'd be saying the same thing if you were 57! Do it and do it soon would be my advice.

LegacyUser

Hey there!

Not gonna lie...you may feel a bit homesick from time to time...but it passes.
London is a short flight or boat ride away if you need to spend some time at home.
The longer you're there the easier it gets.
You're definitely not too old at 27!
There's a London forum on boards that holds regular social meet ups and has great info on living in London from folks who actually live there. Might be worth a look.

Give it a try...you can always come back if you hate it.

Kevin Duffy

A - it's only London. It's an about an hour of cheap flying away from any airport in Ireland . If you moved to Waterford from Donegal you'd take longer getting home for weekends.

B- it's London! One of the great cities of the world, with loads to see and do, full of life and excitement. I envy you, I'd move back if I could

Eve_Dublin

Hey OP...just to say that I lived in London for 2 years and am tempted to go back again. It's only when you leave and live elsewhere that you realise what an exciting city it is to live in. It takes a while to settle into such a big city, so don't expect everything to happen for you immediately but it's great you already know someone there and you'll make friends with the teachers in your school.

Money-wise, well I lived there in 2006/2007 and I paid in and around 400 pounds for my rent in 3 different flat shares. I chose location over quality of accomodation though, so the 3 places I lived in weren't great. I didn't have a sitting room in two of them, or example and the final one had a small one but again, that because I chose to live in a "trendy" area close to the centre. Finding decent accomodation in London is tricky, so give yourself some time for that. The further out of the centre you are, the better and cheaper it will be (that's obvious though).

Perhaps see if any of the teachers are looking for somewhere to live and you coould find your own place?

London is great though. It opened my mind up no end and the variety of people you'll come across is mind-blowing and it becomes the norm for you. And you'll never be bored there...so much to do. I only left because I broke up with someone and the whole city reminded me of him (hilarious now when I look back).

It can be a lonely place though sometimes but then cities in general can be. You'll feel homesick on occasion but you get used to that and in theory, you could come home every weekend if you wanted to.

Good luck with it all, OP. I've friends living there who moved there when I did and now they can never see themselves leaving the place.....

maggie_cork

hey, happy new year..

I would tell you go!! I did it was the best decision I made.

I am currently working abroad. Teacher aswell.
Graduated in 2010 and was the chances of me getting a job were slim to none. So I plucked up the courage and jumped at the first chance to get a good job, great experience, new adventure and I dont regret it one bit.
Im currently teaching in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. When I left ireland i said I would only go for 1year, now I am there 2years. I am 23.

It will be hard to go, but you will settle.. It took me awhile because my dad died the month I was to leave. But I went because he would have wanted me to and I know he would be proud of me.

Also Skype is amazing for when you might get homesick.. I speak to home alot using it. so it will be a help for when you might go.

best of luck with what ever you decide to do.

LegacyUser

Teachers haven't got even half the respect in British society as they have here. Pay is unbelievably poor when you think of what many other professions in London who contribute incomparably less to British society are getting to live in that ridiculously expensive city.

The British teaching culture is also extremely bureaucratic with far too much paperwork for a vocation like teaching and you have to stay on the school premises for the entire day. A lot of the fun is taken out of teaching because of this culture. You will also get about two months fewer holidays per year and no account is taken of any postgrad you may have when they calculate your pay; I would have started on £22,000 there, but €38,000 here.
After much looking, it was clear that financially London was the worst place to go over there, even when the London bonus is taken into account. I would have had to live in a dive in London, but have got a decent place in the countryside where society is generally more integrated and stable.

The reason I couldn't get a job here was primarily my subjects - one of the two was a joke subject (CSPE). England would have been a doddle as they frequently offer posts with a single subject. There is an army of (well-paid) recruiters looking to recruit cheap Irish teachers. Going to England was my last resort. I kept applying for jobs here and finally got one in a tough school in Dublin. I'm only on 12 hours per week but I'm doing a more employable degree subject (54 credits) at night so in 18 months time I'll have two subjects recorded with the Teaching Council. I suspect your subjects are also your problem. If this is so, you could get the required 54 credits at night and qualify here. It's tough but worth it in the long run.

Things are tough here now, but culturally this is still a great place to bring up a family in and worth fighting for, and so far a more integrated place in which to teach. Would you not try Switzerland? Or Germany? Or Australia? Or Canada? All of these countries would generally give you better working conditions as a teacher than you'll generally get in England.

* 27 is not old at all.

* If you go, you will still get experience and this will stand to you if you want to come home

* If you go, make sure you choose your school very carefully. I went for an interview for one fee-paying school and they were offering subsidised accommodation as well as a top-up on the salary I'd have received in a London state school, even though this school was in rural England. It made much more financial sense, when the lower cost of living in rural England was taken into account.

sitstill

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think that deep down, I would actually like to go for a while, for the experience but I need to build-up the courage.

Múinteoireile, you have definitely given me a lot of food for thought there. My subjects are English and Gaeilge and I'm also qualified in RE so I don't think having bad subjects such as say, CSPE is my problem. Obviously in the UK, I'd probably be looking at jobs in English and possibly RE. In terms of extra paperwork etc over there, I don't mind that as I feel that's the direction that teaching here is moving in anyway. However, at 22,000 as the starting off rate of pay, that's a surprise to me! I knew pay in the UK was lower than here, but that would be difficult to live on in London.

LegacyUser

sitstill wrote: »

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think that deep down, I would actually like to go for a while, for the experience but I need to build-up the courage.

Then go for it! Any travel opens your mind to new ways of doing things and thinking. Plenty of people come home again and get jobs here because of that teaching experience.

sitstill wrote: »

Múinteoireile, you have definitely given me a lot of food for thought there. My subjects are English and Gaeilge and I'm also qualified in RE so I don't think having bad subjects such as say, CSPE is my problem. Obviously in the UK, I'd probably be looking at jobs in English and possibly RE. In terms of extra paperwork etc over there, I don't mind that as I feel that's the direction that teaching here is moving in anyway. However, at 22,000 as the starting off rate of pay, that's a surprise to me! I knew pay in the UK was lower than here, but that would be difficult to live on in London.

Gaeilge is a very good subject to have, probably the best. Just looking at educationposts and educationcareers it is easily the most sought-after teaching subject; even today Clare VEC is looking for somebody with precisely your English-Irish subject combination (application deadline: 4 January). I'm teaching first years Irish now without having a full degree because the principal couldn't find somebody to take them. Every principal without exception whom I've spoken to said to return and get the necessary degree credits in Irish, hence I'm doing 2nd and 3rd year of the BA in Irish at night now.

For that matter, and much more importantly, there will be an exodus of teachers retiring in February. 20% of the teachers in our school, including the Irish teacher for the past 35 years, will be leaving in February. That high percentage probably reflects the higher age profile here, but all schools will have vacancies this February. I asked the retiring teachers why they won't stay on until June when their exam classes are finished and they said that if they stay beyond February their salary reverts to the first point of the salary scale again (€27,814 from @ €65,000). So this is their two fingers to the Department of Education: they're leaving in February and the school principal is understandably not happy.

Apply for everything that appears, even if it hasn't your subject combination. Because there will be more than one teacher leaving in each school, principals will be able to juggle around the subjects that bit more to suit you if you do well in the interview.

PS: Here's the teaching pay scales for England from September 2011:
TEACHERS’ PAY FROM SEPTEMBER 2011

PPS: Jersey and Guernsey have much better pay than English schools. As do the schools in the islands off northern Scotland.

AngryBollix

London and similarly large cities can be lonely places at the best of times. My experience was that I went too young and went there alone.

Everyones experience is different but my advice would be to go to a city where you at least know some people to help you settle a little quicker and always have an escape route if things dont work out. London can be a great place to live but can be overwhelming and isn't for everyone.

cafecolour

I don't know if you've considered it, but if you get a CELT certification (takes about a month), you can basically go teach English as a foreign language almost anywhere in the world, esp. with an existing English teaching degree. It's generally not a well paying gig, but if you're looking for a bit of an adventure, it can be worth the while.

BraziliaNZ

London is an hour away! You wont get homesick. Take note though, you say you're fed up with sharing flats etc, well people do that here throughout their whole working lives, I know people in their 50s etc sharing flats, so don't think that'll change on a teacher's salary! Realistically if you want to live in a decent area with good transport you're looking at min 500 quid rent excluding bills these days, and rents are going up and up as no one is buying as much anymore.
It is a great city though, extremely busy and the tube can do your head in sometimes but if you can get some experience out of it you may be able to work again in Dublin some day. Good luck and PM if you need any info.

sitstill

Thanks for the advice everyone.