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Advice: Become a teacher

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13567…13

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    #62
    Raconteuse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭Raconteuse


    It is certainly a good job, but obviously not an easy job. Even the tiniest bit of critical thinking would cause realisation of this. It's why I didn't opt for it.


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    #63
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    Zaph wrote: »
    All teachers are mentally weak? I've seen some nonsense in my many years on Boards, but that definitely ranks up there with some of the dumbest statements I've ever seen. Sounds like the teacher you went on the date with had a lucky escape if that's your opinion of them.

    Yep.

    "we have to deal with cranky parents."

    People on minimum wage in retail have to deal with just as bad if not worse cases. That's the thing I'm talking about, no real world experience.

    Teachers think they're the only ones faced with adversity. They think everyone getting on great without fuss is how things are expected to be and a parent complaining is some awful experience.

    Imagine the lads in Eir or Virgin media customer service and you'll know about difficult customers then.


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    #64
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,362 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    The op is has come up a slight riff on the theme of the grass is always greener/ a coping mechanism, namely fantasising about becoming a teacher and in their head its a paradise of a handy number combined with lots of money and time off.


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    #65
    optogirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,975 ✭✭✭optogirl


    99problems1 wrote: »
    Yep.

    "we have to deal with cranky parents."

    People on minimum wage in retail have to deal with just as bad if not worse cases. That's the thing I'm talking about, no real world experience.

    Teachers think they're the only ones faced with adversity. They think everyone getting on great without fuss is how things are expected to be and a parent complaining is some awful experience.

    Imagine the lads in Eir or Virgin media customer service and you'll know about difficult customers then.

    Teachers are not just dealing with cranky customers, they are dealing with people who expect their child to be given first class education as well as guidance which will help their wellbeing, friendships, self esteem and myriad other issues. Each child has their own unique foibles & issues, strengths and weaknesses and tailoring classes and support for circa 30 kids on a daily basis must be some slog. I used to think I'd like being a teacher but now that I have kids in primary school I can see that it really is a vocation and takes a special type of person to do it. I simply wouldn't have the patience or ability to go home and switch off that is required. I have nothing but respect for them and think they deserve good pay & good holidays.


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    #66
    Insect Overlord
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,857 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    And then you have parents who come in looking for polar opposites.

    One might think their child is doing great in Irish and maths, and say it'd be lovely if they could all do more Art or Drama instead. Another comes in the day after and says their little angel is getting far too much homework and can't cope with it. Then you get the parent who wants them all to get more written homework, more maths, more Irish.

    You can try different seating arrangements and differentiated goals for students or higher/lower abilities, and then another parent turns up and says they don't want their child sitting near another particular child.

    You might have to discipline a child for breaching their personalised behaviour plan, and someone on the other side of the room kicks off instead. You discipline them, and another parent comes in the next morning with concerns that the classroom atmosphere isn't pleasant and loving enough for their child.

    It's like a constant juggling act, except some are pins, some are balls, some are blades, and any one of them can catch fire without warning, and the parents expect you to perform the juggling act on a unicycle, balanced on a tightrope, and they can come in like wild animals to the circus ring whenever they think you're not entertaining enough.


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    #67
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    mariaalice wrote: »
    The op is has come up a slight riff on the theme of the grass is always greener/ a coping mechanism, namely fantasising about becoming a teacher and in their head its a paradise of a handy number combined with lots of money and time off.

    It is though.


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    #68
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    optogirl wrote: »
    Teachers are not just dealing with cranky customers, they are dealing with people who expect their child to be given first class education as well as guidance which will help their wellbeing, friendships, self esteem and myriad other issues. Each child has their own unique foibles & issues, strengths and weaknesses and tailoring classes and support for circa 30 kids on a daily basis must be some slog. I used to think I'd like being a teacher but now that I have kids in primary school I can see that it really is a vocation and takes a special type of person to do it. I simply wouldn't have the patience or ability to go home and switch off that is required. I have nothing but respect for them and think they deserve good pay & good holidays.

    You're falling for their propaganda.

    Majority of kids are average as the next.


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    #69
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,108 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    I SO want this to be true and the OP to come back when qualified and tell us all about their adventures getting a full-time position in teaching.


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    #70
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,108 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    99problems1 wrote: »

    Imagine the lads in Eir or Virgin media customer service and you'll know about difficult customers then.

    Do the customers punch them in the face and spit at them?


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    #71
    optogirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,975 ✭✭✭optogirl


    99problems1 wrote: »
    You're falling for their propaganda.

    Majority of kids are average as the next.

    what propaganda? Christ, a birthday party with 10 of them is pain enough in the hoop


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    #72
    Raconteuse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭Raconteuse


    I think people should stop engaging now, because they are only trying to get a rise out of people and why give them exactly what they want?


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    #73
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,393 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    The grass is always greener on the other side.

    There are no doubt, lots of benefits to being a teacher, there are also lots of negatives. Same with every profession really.


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    #74
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,393 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    99problems1 wrote: »
    You're falling for their propaganda.

    Majority of kids are average as the next.

    As a matter of interest, do you have kids?


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    #75
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    spurious wrote: »
    Do the customers punch them in the face and spit at them?

    I would say it's as common as teaching yes.

    How many teachers would get spit on and punched? Never heard of any example of this happening from my experience ever.

    Working in a bar would run a bigger risk of this, or working in a bookies that gets robbed.


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    #76
    The Tetrarch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,092 ✭✭✭The Tetrarch


    99problems1 wrote: »
    Below is a post from yesterday. One person "exhausted" already after a week back at school.
    Most teachers wouldn't survive in the private sector.
    Years back my sister told me of a teacher who wanted to quit and work in business.
    He did. He joined an Irish multinational. Six months later he was out of a job.


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    #77
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    kippy wrote: »
    As a matter of interest, do you have kids?

    No but I was a kid once. No special attention or "specific guidance".

    Like ffs, if a career guidance teacher whose only role is to specifically give advice on what career someone should do can't even give specific advice, what can you expect a teacher to do? A career guidance teacher told a girl in my year she suggest science courses in college because she said she liked doing experiments. The girl failed chemistry in the LC and never did Bio or Physics....girl got into the course and dropped out after a year.


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    #78
    optogirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,975 ✭✭✭optogirl


    99problems1 wrote: »
    No but I was a kid once. No special attention or "specific guidance".

    Like ffs, if a career guidance teacher whose only role is to specifically give advice on what career someone should do can't even give specific advice, what can you expect a teacher to do? A career guidance teacher told a girl in my year she suggest science courses in college because she said she liked doing experiments. The girl failed chemistry in the LC and never did Bio or Physics....girl got into the course and dropped out after a year.

    Well I guess standards of education have improved since you were a kid and aren't we lucky.


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    #79
    99problems1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 391 ✭✭99problems1


    optogirl wrote: »
    Well I guess standards of education have improved since you were a kid and aren't we lucky.

    They can't have improved that much!


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    #80
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,393 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    99problems1 wrote: »
    No but I was a kid once. No special attention or "specific guidance".

    Like ffs, if a career guidance teacher whose only role is to specifically give advice on what career someone should do can't even give specific advice, what can you expect a teacher to do? A career guidance teacher told a girl in my year she suggest science courses in college because she said she liked doing experiments. The girl failed chemistry in the LC and never did Bio or Physics....girl got into the course and dropped out after a year.

    Sure were't we all kids once.

    Kids think being an astronaut was a realistic and handy profession.
    Everyone thinks teaching is a handy number yet for some reason, I don't see everyone actually wanting to be a teacher.


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    #81
    handlemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Pay is awful. It got worse during the recession and never recovered. My friend started recently enough and he's barely able to make ends meet living in Dublin.

    your friend didnt he their homework salaries are well published. The salaries are among the highest in europe. If they dont like the salary dont train for the job.


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    #82
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    I don't begrudge teachers, gardai, nurses, childcare workers etc whatever they make or their time off as I think they are professions that are intrinsically meaningful to society.

    I certainly am happy to do a relatively easier and far less stressful profession for my living.

    I guess as well I just find it hard to get too worked up about what other people choose to do for a living, especially if I have no interest in doing it myself.


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    #83
    handlemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    andekwarhola wrote: »
    I don't begrudge teachers, gardai, nurses, childcare workers etc whatever they make or their time off as I think they are orofessions that are intrinsically meaningful to society.

    I certainly am happy to do a relatively easier and far less stressful profession for my living.

    I guess as well I just find it hard to get too worked up about what other people choose to do for a living, especially if I have no interest in doing it myself.

    agreed , Whou would train for a job that they want to do , sign a contract with the terms for that job then start complaining about the job and the conditions. Thats just not smart.


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    #84
    Moomoomacshoe
    Registered Users Posts: 104 ✭✭Moomoomacshoe


    enricoh wrote: »
    Define awful?
    38k starting salary on day one seems generous to me

    It's the taxes ..the imaginary pension funds so you pay for imaginary things..thats why the pay is woeful. Add in all the kids with additional meeds and no help in the classroom. Do it for a week see how you go..I know because my friends are exhausted. Its different kind of work


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    #85
    handlemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    Moomoomacshoe wrote: »
    enricoh wrote: »
    Define awful?
    38k starting salary on day one seems generous to me

    It's the taxes ..the imaginary pension funds so you pay for imaginary things..thats why the pay is woeful. Add in all the kids with additional meeds and no help in the classroom. Do it for a week see how you go..I know because my friends are exhausted. Its different kind of work


    Did they not look at what the job entailed before starting training ? Is there any personal left in this country


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    #86
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,362 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Be a great job except for the 30 children in the class you have to deal with, or even worse the 30 teenagers.


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    #87
    moycullen14
    Registered Users Posts: 869 ✭✭✭moycullen14


    Deleted User wrote: »
    If you wanna talk about work shy, work in IT. If I wanted to, I could probably work from home for a week, spoof my daily meetings, make up that I'm having issues with my development environment so I have to reinstall everything and watch netflix for the week.

    This is so true. You have a cohort of managers that literally have no clue what developers are doing 'Ah, I have to reinstall the sprigot factory persistence engine, probably take a few days...'

    And the old favourite.....

    'Just waiting for a build....'

    Of course, the fact that a huge percentage of those working in IT are useless doesn't help'

    It's a great job, Specially if you can swing working from home (hah)


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    #88
    El Tarangu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,615 ✭✭✭El Tarangu


    Teaching is a hard job, but it is also a very well-paid job.

    As part of my job, I sometimes work in schools, and find dealing with kids exhausting, I don't know how teachers manage it (though I suppose the holidays help a bit).

    Teachers are also always playing the poor mouth - I remember the last time that teachers were threatening to strike for more pay, it was around mid-term break, and my instagram feed was filled with posts from teachers who had gone to Dubai for the week...


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    #89
    mloc123
    Registered Users Posts: 9,454 ✭✭✭mloc123


    Pay is pretty poor, maximum you will ever earn is only 70k?


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    #90
    CrankyHaus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭CrankyHaus


    Like anyone else in Ireland who has it good Teachers are great at playing the poor mouth.

    We pay them relatively well and give them good conditions.

    However this is probably for the best as it keeps standards up. Of all the public sector organisations I deal with through work schools are the most impressive in terms of consistently efficient, professional management and staff. Exceptions to this are rare. A lot of the rest of the Public and Private Sector is miles behind.

    So yeah, we pay a lot but you get what you pay for, unlike say in Banking where high remuneration brought us clowns who crashed the economy.


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    #91
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,231 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    mloc123 wrote: »
    Pay is pretty poor, maximum you will ever earn is only 70k?

    The pay is grand, depending on your circumstances. I’m one of those the OP was probably complaining about. I’ve a handy timetable, (practically) zero stress hours, I never have to take work home or do corrections, have a very nice defined benefit pension, and plenty of time for a second career. I’m few and far between though. I wouldn’t swop places with any of my colleagues teaching in mainstream if you offered me double the pay and holidays. Never actually intended to be a teacher. Accidentally ended up as one about 20 years ago when I agreed to cover some ESL classes for a neighbour....


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