Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Leaving teaching

  • 03-08-2020 6:25pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭


    The current back to school reopening plan is giving me the push to change careers. I have years of teaching experience and a teaching degree. I have always been interested in trying out a different kinds of jobs and the current situation is making me think I should do it sooner rather than later. Are there any jobs that would value teaching experience and qualifications or do I need to qualify in something else? A lot of decent jobs advertised require very specific experience. Feeling a bit lost with it all and also a bit panicked as I don't want to spend a year in fear of picking up this virus working in an unsafe situation. Happy to learn new skills etc but have seen thar a lot of friends jobs are not thar closely linked to what they did in college so wonderkng if any work well with teaching experience.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 668 ✭✭✭Iscreamkone


    What subjects can you teach?


  • Registered Users Posts: 668 ✭✭✭Iscreamkone


    What subjects can you teach?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    I'm primary so no specific subjects.


  • Registered Users Posts: 44 repulsebay321


    You could open a creche/Montessori... You study for the GAMSAT and go to medical school next year if you got a 2:1


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    I'm primary so no specific subjects.

    What about working as an “education officer” for a charity?
    We get them in to talk to TY from the likes of focus Ireland etc. The last one I was talking to was a teacher on a career break.
    If you wanted to work abroad there are the European schools where you get seconded?
    I am a secondary school teacher and we have a staff member on secondment to the JCT. I am sure there are jobs like that for primary school teachers?


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,890 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Secondment to the civil service either.Dept of Education - not being ironic.
    If you play instruments or have an artistic leaning, then maybe offering art or music classes to tider you over for a bit?

    I would also recommend that you have someone look at your CV and your cover letter to give advise.Have an good answer prepared for "why do you want to leave teaching" if you get to interview stage - and don't let the focus of your response be because I don't want to catch a virus.

    And I suppose the only other thing to remember is that it may be a frying pan/fire situation - office jobs may not be what you are expecting if you leave teaching.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    Yeah in fairness I have always considered business particularly starting my own long before the virus. I feel for this I need more time to learn more and maybe gain experience so the virus and safety concerns are a push to do so now, but I probably would have been considering doing this anyway. Office job wise I feel the risks will never be what the teaching conditions are going to be like, but to be honest I'd be willing to work and gain experience in an environment where I'm not remote also. All I want really is to have a bit more safety and feel of there was a time to do this then it may be now. I may end up having to post pone till next year but I do want to figure out what to train up in and I also do feel that years of teaching experience hopefully will work in my favour in some jobs as its by no means an easy job and you need quite a varied skillset to work effectively as a teacher. Particularly you need good people skills. Education officer is very closely linked to teaching. I will look into it but know this sounds odd but though I do want my experience to be useful I don't really want to go into something very closely linked to teaching if I can avoid it. Not sure how the dept of education finds its employees but thanks I'll also look into that one.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    Yeah in fairness I have always considered business particularly starting my own long before the virus. I feel for this I need more time to learn more and maybe gain experience so the virus and safety concerns are a push to do so now, but I probably would have been considering doing this anyway. Office job wise I feel the risks will never be what the teaching conditions are going to be like, but to be honest I'd be willing to work and gain experience in an environment where I'm not remote also. All I want really is to have a bit more safety and feel of there was a time to do this then it may be now. I may end up having to post pone till next year but I do want to figure out what to train up in and I also do feel that years of teaching experience hopefully will work in my favour in some jobs as its by no means an easy job and you need quite a varied skillset to work effectively as a teacher. Particularly you need good people skills. Education officer is very closely linked to teaching. I will look into it but know this sounds odd but though I do want my experience to be useful I don't really want to go into something very closely linked to teaching if I can avoid it. Not sure how the dept of education finds its employees but thanks I'll also look into that one.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,890 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Yeah in fairness I have always considered business particularly starting my own long before the virus. I feel for this I need more time to learn more and maybe gain experience so the virus and safety concerns are a push to do so now, but I probably would have been considering doing this anyway. Office job wise I feel the risks will never be what the teaching conditions are going to be like, but to be honest I'd be willing to work and gain experience in an environment where I'm not remote also. All I want really is to have a bit more safety and feel of there was a time to do this then it may be now. I may end up having to post pone till next year but I do want to figure out what to train up in and I also do feel that years of teaching experience hopefully will work in my favour in some jobs as its by no means an easy job and you need quite a varied skillset to work effectively as a teacher. Particularly you need good people skills. Education officer is very closely linked to teaching. I will look into it but know this sounds odd but though I do want my experience to be useful I don't really want to go into something very closely linked to teaching if I can avoid it. Not sure how the dept of education finds its employees but thanks I'll also look into that one.




    This is where it would be very useful to get someone to review your CV and cover letter - to frame your experience in language that makes it relevant to the outside world, so to speak. Having come from a work setting that was very specific myself and moving across to another industry (albeit with the same qualifications) getting fresh eyes on my CV was very helpful, as the person was able to use different language to make my experience relevant to roles that I had no direct link to, really. Often someone who is outside the role can see how to frame it quicker than you yourself.


    Office-wise, while there mightn't be virus risks, there will be other risks around job security that wouldn't be the case in teaching (if you are permanent) and progression of salary and that, depending on what direction you go in. Also an employer may call you back into an office anyway in the coming months, and you wouldn't have any recourse against them if you want to keep your job. Badly ventilated offices with fellow workers smothered in some sickness or another is very normal, because they feel it reflects badly on them to call in sick, it's not just confined to teaching. Or the ones who come in and tell you how the WHOLE FAMILY is struck down with the vomiting bug except them, and isn't it amazing, they've escaped it....so far....:rolleyes:



    I am only mentioning that as something to keep in the back of your head, that's all. Probably the best first step is to look around at what's there in areas you might be interested in, and get your CV/Cover letter looked at.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    shesty wrote: »
    This is where it would be very useful to get someone to review your CV and cover letter - to frame your experience in language that makes it relevant to the outside world, so to speak. Having come from a work setting that was very specific myself and moving across to another industry (albeit with the same qualifications) getting fresh eyes on my CV was very helpful, as the person was able to use different language to make my experience relevant to roles that I had no direct link to, really. Often someone who is outside the role can see how to frame it quicker than you yourself.


    Office-wise, while there mightn't be virus risks, there will be other risks around job security that wouldn't be the case in teaching (if you are permanent) and progression of salary and that, depending on what direction you go in. Also an employer may call you back into an office anyway in the coming months, and you wouldn't have any recourse against them if you want to keep your job. Badly ventilated offices with fellow workers smothered in some sickness or another is very normal, because they feel it reflects badly on them to call in sick, it's not just confined to teaching. Or the ones who come in and tell you how the WHOLE FAMILY is struck down with the vomiting bug except them, and isn't it amazing, they've escaped it....so far....:rolleyes:



    I am only mentioning that as something to keep in the back of your head, that's all. Probably the best first step is to look around at what's there in areas you might be interested in, and get your CV/Cover letter looked at.

    There is also a lot to be said for being able to ring in and say my family have the vomiting bug and I need to mind them! 5 or 3 days a year and on full pay depending on the relationship.
    Not to mention sick leave, maternity leave, wedding leave etc on full pay. No worries re getting paid during covid.
    And I say this as a teacher :)
    OP I hear Russia are doing great work on a vaccine too so I wouldn’t be making any rash decisions. Unless you actually don’t want to teach in general.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    Millem wrote: »
    There is also a lot to be said for being able to ring in and say my family have the vomiting bug and I need to mind them! 5 or 3 days a year and on full pay depending on the relationship.
    Not to mention sick leave, maternity leave, wedding leave etc on full pay. No worries re getting paid during covid.
    And I say this as a teacher :)
    OP I hear Russia are doing great work on a vaccine too so I wouldn’t be making any rash decisions. Unless you actually don’t want to teach in general.

    All this is true but no office would be squashed in a room the size of a class room with 20 to 30 people so it would still be safer. I suppose the issue is the next the months. Peoole with kids have options such as parental leave and all those other types of leave you mention but people without kids don't really have any freedom to take any leave. If the situation we were going back to was safer I would wait another year and try do some courses and see if it is something I want to do. As it stands I suppose I may need to go back in but its pretty ****ty having to choose between your job or your health and It does feel like that's what is happening. I could survive on less money especially in tbe short term but losing tbr sevurity it a big issue along with what happens to the pension ive paid a fortune into for years.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    All this is true but no office would be squashed in a room the size of a class room with 20 to 30 people so it would still be safer. I suppose the issue is the next the months. Peoole with kids have options such as parental leave and all those other types of leave you mention but people without kids don't really have any freedom to take any leave. If the situation we were going back to was safer I would wait another year and try do some courses and see if it is something I want to do. As it stands I suppose I may need to go back in but its pretty ****ty having to choose between your job or your health and It does feel like that's what is happening. I could survive on less money especially in tbe short term but losing tbr sevurity it a big issue along with what happens to the pension ive paid a fortune into for years.

    Are you in a very high risk category?


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,890 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Millem wrote: »
    There is also a lot to be said for being able to ring in and say my family have the vomiting bug and I need to mind them! 5 or 3 days a year and on full pay depending on the relationship.
    Not to mention sick leave, maternity leave, wedding leave etc on full pay. No worries re getting paid during covid.
    And I say this as a teacher :)
    OP I hear Russia are doing great work on a vaccine too so I wouldn’t be making any rash decisions. Unless you actually don’t want to teach in general.

    Tbh Millem, I have a parent who is a primary teacher and I chose not do teaching for these exact reasons.Great holidays but zero flexibility, to my mind.Everybody only sees the holidays, they don't see the other sides of it, and while it is nice to have your parent home at holidays, it would have been nice to have them there to pick us up from school a day a week (we didn't go to the school they taught in), or be able to contact them when we were sick, and a few other things.....to be fair it was the 80s & 90s so no mobile phones, but that parent was basically totally unavailable during the working day and never took sick leave.It wasn't what I wanted for my kids, I prefer to be partially available all year, with flexibikity around my hours and my working week, rather than totally unavailable for chunks of the year.

    I guess I am only making a couple of points for the OP to consider, just frying pan/fire kind of thing.I have spent most of my life observing the teaching profession close up, but working in other professions, and like anything the grass is always greener, I suppose.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    shesty wrote: »
    Tbh Millem, I have a parent who is a primary teacher and I chose not do teaching for these exact reasons.Great holidays but zero flexibility, to my mind.Everybody only sees the holidays, they don't see the other sides of it, and while it is nice to have your parent home at holidays, it would have been nice to have them there to pick us up from school a day a week (we didn't go to the school they taught in), or be able to contact them when we were sick, and a few other things.....to be fair it was the 80s & 90s so no mobile phones, but that parent was basically totally unavailable during the working day and never took sick leave.It wasn't what I wanted for my kids, I prefer to be partially available all year, with flexibikity around my hours and my working week, rather than totally unavailable for chunks of the year.

    I guess I am only making a couple of points for the OP to consider, just frying pan/fire kind of thing.I have spent most of my life observing the teaching profession close up, but working in other professions, and like anything the grass is always greener, I suppose.

    I don’t know what it was like then but I do know what it is like now as I am a teacher myself. There are circulars for everything; breastfeeding breaks, parental leave, illness of a family member, self certified sick days, certified sick leave, job share, paid personal day and unpaid personal days etc etc. The list goes on. I very much doubt anyone in the private sector is that protected. The reality is you can call your union for advice.
    If a teacher needs leave for whatever reason they should educate themselves on what they are entitled too. There is no point being a martyr.
    Obviously you would have to like teaching to get into it otherwise it would be pure torture for everyone!!!


  • Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Just a quick comment here. You cannot choose to work in Dept of Education as a civil servant, you just apply for a clerical officer role when they run their recruitment campaign. You could get placed in Agriculture, Justice, Environment, Revenue etc...you don’t get a choice.

    I work in this area and we have been working throughout Covid ......there are still an awful lot of us at work in offices. I am 60. Yes initially we felt a bit nervous, now we just get on with work. There have been no clusters and no outbreaks. There has been 6 months of scaremongering about teachers as they see the very last sector to return to work. Remember the worries about hairdressing ?? It died down in about 2 days after they opened . Likewise , hardwares, restaurants , shops etc. there have been no outbreaks AT ALL from any of the above .

    I would advise caution about jumping ship from teaching, certainty until you see how the opening few months pan out. Huge damage is being caused by months and months of media speculation and hysteria, while the rest of us have been working away all the time.......with dozens of other colleagues every day !

    (Obviously if you don’t like teaching anyway look for another job )


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    Just a quick comment here. You cannot choose to work in Dept of Education as a civil servant, you just apply for a clerical officer role when they run their recruitment campaign. You could get placed in Agriculture, Justice, Environment, Revenue etc...you don’t get a choice.

    I work in this area and we have been working throughout Covid ......there are still an awful lot of us at work in offices. I am 60. Yes initially we felt a bit nervous, now we just get on with work. There have been no clusters and no outbreaks. There has been 6 months of scaremongering about teachers as they see the very last sector to return to work. Remember the worries about hairdressing ?? It died down in about 2 days after they opened . Likewise , hardwares, restaurants , shops etc. there have been no outbreaks AT ALL from any of the above .

    I would advise caution about jumping ship from teaching, certainty until you see how the opening few months pan out. Huge damage is being caused by months and months of media speculation and hysteria, while the rest of us have been working away all the time.......with dozens of other colleagues every day !

    (Obviously if you don’t like teaching anyway look for another job )


    I don't really feel spaced out offices are comparing like for like. I think the reason teachers are so worried is because they know how likely it is for this virus to spread with the current arrangements. I'm not technically high risk though but like most people if I work in thsi environment I will have to make some difficult choices and possibly not even see my family due to risk. Hairdressers are back in a very cautious way. Charges for extra ppe gear, coats not allowed, masks obligatory so it again is not comparing like for like. Anyways I don't really mind about working specifically for the department to be honest as I'm looking into all options. I really feel that people in offices cannot say they're in the same boat unless their office has jammed in 30 people to a small sized room of people very unlikely to follow covid hygiene rules. Anyway this post is about other career options and it does seem that retraining or working in a job which is not well paid temporarily could be the best option.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,962 ✭✭✭r93kaey5p2izun


    There's a facebook page "transitioning out of teaching". You might get some advice there.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    There's a facebook page "transitioning out of teaching". You might get some advice there.

    Thanks I'll have a look!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    What about a different career but still in school? like a liaison officer or guidance?

    also unless you are high risk I wouldn't let the worry of covid make me change careers.. all these restrictions and the last few months have been so people can get back to work safely.. this virus will be around forever most likely and we will all have to live with it, like the cold/flu.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    What about a different career but still in school? like a liaison officer or guidance?

    also unless you are high risk I wouldn't let the worry of covid make me change careers.. all these restrictions and the last few months have been so people can get back to work safely.. this virus will be around forever most likely and we will all have to live with it, like the cold/flu.


    Thanks but its also the fear of passing it on to family. I think the way the government conditioned us to fear it so much at the start didn't help but realistically it is a very real fear and it is a very serious illness for many. Maybe something like that could work I'm not sufe what qualifications would be needed.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,962 ✭✭✭r93kaey5p2izun


    Thanks I'll have a look!

    Best of luck. I left post primary 2 years ago but I went back to what I did before teaching. No amount of money would make me go into a classroom this year. I have done some subbing and Further Ed classes previously, but no way now. I had been avoiding a break in service to keep my options open re pension, but it's not worth the risks for me now so I'll give it up fully this year.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Purplewaters


    Best of luck. I left post primary 2 years ago but I went back to what I did before teaching. No amount of money would make me go into a classroom this year. I have done some subbing and Further Ed classes previously, but no way now. I had been avoiding a break in service to keep my options open re pension, but it's not worth the risks for me now so I'll give it up fully this year.

    The whole break in service thing is a lot of pressure. I figure it would come down to a few days subbign if I really had to. Not sure if maybe I should go back and see how it is before deciding. Don't want to leave anyone in the lurch but no job is worth risking your health or family's health. Thanks for the advice. It's such a hard decision.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Thanks but its also the fear of passing it on to family. I think the way the government conditioned us to fear it so much at the start didn't help but realistically it is a very real fear and it is a very serious illness for many. Maybe something like that could work I'm not sufe what qualifications would be needed.

    Yeah I suppose, yeah they really did put the fear of god into people about it..

    I'm not sure, I know my aunt was/is a teacher for higher education and also secondary school at one point and she is now a liaison officer within the school instead of direct teaching, dealing more hands on with certain pupils/families and their issues etc.
    She was qualified as an English/PE teacher.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭s1ippy


    I think you're doing the exact right thing, although I'm biased because I left teaching a while ago. I really miss the kids and seeing the huge progress over the course of the year. I miss supporting the families as well, I had really good relationships with a lot of the parents of kids I taught and I'm still friendly with a lot of them. But I won't miss the pathetic office politics, strict yet nonsensical rules and the bullsh!t hierarchies I noticed in all of the schools I taught in. I guess in a job where your only scope for promotion (besides actually running the place) is doing loads of extra work for hardly any pay increase, it can get a bit cut-throat. People who will put up with the difficult and often overwhelming conditions are very strong but often become callous to the point of being a sociopath. I don't know how the humans among them continue to manage, I couldn't.

    There are hiring campaigns on www.publicjobs.ie for which you may need a teaching qualification. They don't come up too often but it's worth keeping an eye there, you could get lucky like I was and something might fall into your lap.

    On the covid situation, you know nobody will thank you for just sucking it up and going in. You seem like you're in a position where you can take a risk and go for it. If you see a job you want more than the others, instead of just sending a generic CV and letter, put time and thought into your application; really tailor your strengths to show that you have what they're looking for. Did you ever do anything like what they'll probably require of you? Can you use something you've organised and overseen to completion (even from teaching) to give them a concrete example of how you could achieve the same outcomes for them?

    https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/education-jobs-cork?trk=homepage-jobseeker_suggested-search&position=1&pageNum=0

    There might be something that piques your interest here. Also think about your friends and family; are any in industries that might be hiring?

    That Transitioning out of Teaching page is a bit of a gimmick, the wan who set it up doesn't appear to really have transitioned into anything. They're doing some sort of life coaching bs and appear to have a rich partner who supports their hobby. I didn't find it awfully helpful, it seemed to be just a lot of teachers saying that they hate their jobs with no actual help or advice. But you'll make it out - just focus your mind to the challenge for the next month and invest time and energy in it and believe that you can do it.

    Also if you're in a permanent job, you might want to think about handing in your notice soon because a lot of schools are going to be pretty strict about seeing out your three months notice with the shortage of teachers that they're going to be facing into.

    I wish you the best of luck!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,962 ✭✭✭r93kaey5p2izun


    Yeah I suppose, yeah they really did put the fear of god into people about it..

    I'm not sure, I know my aunt was/is a teacher for higher education and also secondary school at one point and she is now a liaison officer within the school instead of direct teaching, dealing more hands on with certain pupils/families and their issues etc.
    She was qualified as an English/PE teacher.

    Only DEIS schools have liaison teachers (HSCL). They are appointed from among existing teachers and the position is rotated every 5 years (in recent times - those appointed years ago may have an indefinite contract for the role). It's not really an option you can choose as a long term career.


Advertisement