Disillusioned teacher changing career

emilymemily

I dont know what to do with my life in terms of job/career.

Im a trained teacher, im only recently qualified and I have an arts undergrad. When I decided to become a teacher the hdip was still one year and about 6 grand cheaper than it is now, teachers had secure employment, a livable wage and had an overall better quality of working life.
Since qualifying I havnt had much luck with getting a job, I took the only job offer I got, a temporary sick leave cover which turned into casual subbing, the school messed me around constantly. I was covering a mix of different subjects, all of which id never taught before and im not qualified in.

I was rarely told what classes I was taking the day before, if I asked they told me they didnt know themselves, the following day they would dump me in a class unprepared where id then have to deal with SNA's and other staff members treating me like a terrible teacher because I had no classes prepared.

I was told I had two weeks full time work, I went in to school to be told they double booked subs and they didnt need me. I had a phone call on a random Thursday morning from the secretary asking where I was and why I hadn't come in? I hadn't been informed that they needed me in that day but somehow it was my fault?
The secretary constantly forgot to put my days into payroll so I often had weeks and months at a time with no pay.

Theres also been issues with the department and revenue over taxing subs, not paying subs, under paying subs. Im missing weeks of pay, there are months where im payed half the hourly rate and im now paying into a spouse and a child tax - I dont have a spouse or child, there has been no pay going into my own pension but pay is going towards a non existent spouse and child.
As ive been working as a casual sub my hours are limited so my pay is unlivable. I may get paid 100 euro next pay day, I may not get paid anything. Ive tried to sign on for the days im not working but ive been informed that my hourly rate is too high to get any support, even though that hourly rate may be the only hour I work in 2 weeks.

I was expecting the school to call me this morning to come in but they didnt ring, I dont know if they will call me again.

Ive applied to every teaching job im qualified for for months, not that there's been many to apply to.

Simply put im done with this profession, its not feasible to live like this, I have friends on social welfare that have a better quality of life than me and have more financial security than I do. To say I regret my decision to become a teacher and wasting 6 years and thousands of euros would be an understatement. My entire decade of my twenties was spent working towards this profession, im now early 30's and I want to do something else with my life, not because I don't love teaching, I love the students I work with but because the system is broken.

I just dont know what else I could do with my life? All ive ever wanted to do was teach but now I have to consider another direction and at my age and my financial instability, I wouldnt know where or how to start mapping out a new journey for myself.
Can anyone offer some guidance?

HelgaWard

Could you establish yourself as a grinds teacher? these would obviously be outside school hours & weekends. This would provide you with an income and ease the pressure while you try to get into a good school to teach the subjects you are trained to teach.

shenanagans

Would you go England for a year? That would open up other possibilities like UAE. What are your subjects?

emilymemily

To be perfectly honest im just so fed up with being messed around by schools, the department, and revenue. I have heard from teachers who are still in my position 5 years after qualifying and are still casually subbing or covering sick leaves and maternity leaves. I dont want to do this for another year, if I go to England or UAE, what am I coming back to? More unemployment and im back at square one.

.......

Yeah - tbh its been like this for a long time for teachers. I have friends in their early 40s who experienced what you are experiencing for years after they first graduated.

You havent wasted 6 years though. You have a degree - so thats a good start.

Why dont you trawl through the job sites looking for entry level graduate jobs in areas you are interested in and see what you find to apply to?

LegacyUser

I'm not a teacher but I was also messed around in a career I always wanted to do. I'm doing a springboard course. These are part time courses and free if it's at a level 6. So you can consider retraining for something else.

shenanagans

Look up Springboard. Start upskilling in an area you're interested in. There's a lot of computing and IT options if you've a degree. Many courses are about €750 (10%) for a Higher Diploma course rather than full cost (7-8k) as they are funded (high demand but shortage of qualified people) if your employed or free if you unemployed. Lots of software or data analytics options if that would interest you?

Forget teaching. Upskill. Get motivated. Move on.

emilymemily

Thanks for the replies, I have looked into Springboard a few times but all of their courses are in subjects like data, pharmaceuticals, stem, that kind of thing, those subjects really arent for me, I would be bored out of my mind and im also bad at maths, I dont think they would be jobs id be very good at.

Ive looked at the graduate websites and graduate jobs but similarly they are all in the same area, mostly nursing, accounting and stem.

I dont know what to do. I have made an appointment with a career guidance counselor who im hoping can help me.

Xterminator

would you not just go abroad? full time jobs in uk beckon. As do UAE etc.

your young, whats tying you to this country. take your skills and hone them where you are wanted.

HelgaWard

What about becoming a trainer, as in for a software company, or general training company, who are hired in by other companies to train their staff. You obviously would have a lot of the skills required.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b

What subjects did you do for your degree, OP?

banoffe2

Hi OP
Don't forget that you have a professional qualification combined with 6 years varied and diverse teaching experience in a variety of subjects.

You don't know what is around the corner
Polish up that CV and start applying for jobs, like maternity leave etc, your age will also help and you have developed good teaching and classroom management skills. Wishing you the very best of luck , keep in touch

Payton

My son is nearly finished his masters and is getting a few classes in the secondary school he was taught in plus some other schools and yes he has gotten messed around with rota's and pay. He has been offered a full time position but has turn it down, the reasons being that he has seen just how broken the system is, the attitude of some of the staff and how bitter they are towards the whole system and each other. As a pair of fresh eyes seeing this it's not for him in this country. We talked about what was best for him before he made his mind up on what he wanted. He has no real ties here, yes he has family and friends but no loans, girlfriend or mortgage etc so he goes to Italy for the summer and works with young kids in a summer camp and loves it..he's off again this summer as he was asked to come back and is making plans to teach abroad next year but not sure yet but has done a number of Skype interviews. He has been offered a couple of places, researched them and the feedback is good with pay and conditions etc.
Your a young enough person, maybe take a year or 2 out and experience teaching abroad, your highly qualified and sound as if your tired of the system here.

Where I live has a lot of teachers from Ireland and the UK who hated it there but love it here.

Consider international schools around the world. Basically, go private.

JustAThought

Sorry you have been utterly messed around by some ditso secretary and your first job. I doubt that she is leaving her job because she os bad at it - its a pity you are giving up on a career because of one bad employer and yiur projections that this will last forever. No doubt thinking that this short term type of living is unstainable foee a lifetime & a nightmare is getting you down but think of how you worked to achieve yiur qualification and eveeything that you are good at and enjoy in it. If you had a full time regular teaching job & a steady paycheque would this improve your perspective on teaching ss a career? Hold your course -keep the school sweet as clearly they like you and are willing to give you hours which you need to break into the industry. Can you help the secretary along by finding out what day or date she submits yur timesheeys and hours for payroll snd calling her and emailing her a backup of your hours for thst time - it will help her and sot out your payment frustrations while not alienating her. You can keep looking for something more solid or permanent while trying your best in a not great and unpredictable situation. The school knows the subject issue is not ideal eithr but at least yhey are allocating these hours and days to you & not someone else - no doubt it is nonsensicsl and frustrating but the old give me a textbook snd what page are you on is a well known mantra & one you can continue without huge difficulty. Commercial life may not be any kinder and has no permanent or pension promises and far more hours and no months off.

You have worked really hard for this -dont throw it all away because of your first jobs experience.

Terri26

Everyone pays spouse ad children whether they have a partner or child or not.
Teaching has been like this for the last 10 years so was still the case when the H.Dip was just a year. What are tour subjects? Are you prepared to teach somewhere you have to move to. Experience in the UK or UAE is a good idea as a lot of schools in Ireland like this type of experience.