The Learning Curve
I knew it was time to leave the classroom when I stopped listening. I had always prided myself on being ahead of the curve-desperate to find and incorporate new and dynamic ways to improve my teaching. I wasn’t afraid to try new things. I made copious notes on INSET days, and I was one of those people who look visibly disappointed when the slides move on too soon. I asked questions. I was desperate to get back to the classroom and try things out.
Then one day, on one such training session, I realised, as it reached free sarnie lunchtime, that I hadn’t written a thing. Instead, my diary was full of doodles and shopping lists and to-do lists for home. This trend continued. I still gave my pupils 100%. I wasn’t miserable. I loved my school and my colleagues. My lessons were still fun and engaging. The kids were happy.
I Was No Longer Pushing Myself
I’d closed myself off to new ideas and ways of moving things forward. Where once I would have taken things in my stride as DHT and English lead, the prospect of implementing new policies, schemes and ideas now seemed mountainous and immediately made me feel tired. It was time for a change. Being a Head was the next natural step in my career timeline, but that wasn’t something that I knew with conviction wasn’t for me.
Looking back at that time, it’s clear to me now that I hadn’t fallen out of love with teaching but that I was completely overwhelmed, exhausted and changes needed to happen. I just wasn’t sure what those changes should be or how to go about starting the process.
In the end, they happened bit by bit. Like so many others on this blog, the idea of making those changes swirled around in my head for months. They would pop up every now and again and I’d batter them back down like a whack-a-mole in one of those arcade games because it just didn’t feel like the right time.
Then Covid Hit
Although Covid was absolutely awful on every imaginable level. For me and my family it put into motion a chain of events which eventually led to me handing my notice in and walking away from 15 years of classroom teaching. I know for many teachers leaving the profession it’s a quick and seamless process but for me it wasn’t. My two (and then three) children under 10, my substantial mortgage and my partner’s own career challenges all had to take priority.
I think it’s important that my story reflects a real barrier that many teachers face. Often, we are the main or most consistent breadwinner. Frequently, due to our working hours, we are the primary caregivers. Chatting to teacher friends, there are always two barriers that come up time and time again. “Where can I find something that pays the equivalent wage AND gives me the holidays I need to care for my children?” In my opinion, there isn’t a straightforward answer to that question. As this blog proves, it all depends on who you are, the skills you have or want to develop and the reasons you are considering leaving teaching in the first place.
Nothing Happened Over Night
Here’s my timeline. As you can see, nothing happened overnight, and I did have to compromise on the frequently asked question above. I will use bullet points for this bit to avoid you having to skim and scan for the good stuff.
- April 2020: Husband furloughed from job working in an independent tax consultancy 2 hours from where we live.
- September 2020: Husband is made redundant from consultancy firm.
- December 2020: We decide that now husband is focused on finding work closer to home, time is right to try and have third (and long discussed) baby.
- January 2021: Husband starts up his own tax advisory firm ‘The Tax Faculty LLP’ while I continue to work full time in teaching and annihilate those ‘moles’. I fall pregnant.
- September 2022: Maternity leave starts and me and my partner have a series of conversations about me changing my career. I complete some virtual and in person training to develop my ICT and record-keeping skills. 20th September baby number 3 arrives.
- December 2021: The conversations continue, and we dabble with the idea of me returning to my teaching role full-time, part-time and not at all.
- April 2022: Time is running out on my maternity leave, and we decide to take a leap of faith. I hand in my notice of resignation.
- September 2022: I complete the necessary training to become Office Manager for the Tax Faculty LLP.
I Can Sense The Disappointment
Now, I can sense the disappointment from some of you… “Deputy Headteacher to Office Manager?” I hear you bemoan “Really? “I know that it’s hardly the most dynamic career shift in history. Perhaps I should have retrained as a volcanologist or rollercoaster designer instead. But to me, it’s a massive change. My role entails client correspondence, filing of tax returns, writing reports, invoicing and managing the company’s social media accounts. As well as this, I spend my time exploring new avenues for business development and client acquisition.
It is totally different to what I’m used to but I’m really, really enjoying it. My days are busy, but I feel like my time is mine to manage again. Plus, I’m fortunate to have a fantastic boss who I am really proud to work alongside. He has a clear vision for our business and isn’t afraid to work hard to make it as amazing as it can be. Whilst it has been hard to adjust to the idea of not having a consistent wage coming into my bank account monthly, I know that I am contributing to our business in a significant way and a way which is of great financial benefit to our family.
I Haven’t Completely Left Teaching Behind
And I haven’t completely left teaching behind. I now work for our local Education Health Care team and work 1:1 to teach students from both primary and secondary who are unable to access mainstream education. I am contracted just 100 hours a year. Within this intervention teaching role, you can choose your own hours and manage your own diary. For me, the best part of teaching was always pupil interaction and I feel this role allows me to preserve the part of teaching that I never lost my passion for.
Making these changes has made me brave. It’s made me realise that I can apply my teaching skills to many things and that I am able to develop brand new skills that I never even thought I would need. I no longer feel sick or exhausted at the idea of trying new ideas and doing new things and I think I’m really listening again.
There is such a massive variety in terms of the experiences and backgrounds on ‘Did Teach’ and I have read through the other blogs with interest and amazement, finding both comfort in the parallels between our experience of teaching, as well as curiosity in the many different skills and talents we each bring to the table. One of the reasons I reached out to Katie Stickley (CEO & Co-Founder of Did Teach) and asked if I could add my own blog, was for that very reason. From being a full-time teaching deputy for over a decade to full-time office manager, part-time EHN intervention teacher and constant toddler whisperer, I wanted my story to be a part of this tapestry of experiences, hoping that someone reading it, might find something in it that resonates with them.
Teachers Deserve Support
Sites like this one are so important for people in this profession. Teachers deserve support and celebration no matter what stage they are at in their career. They also deserve options.
If you’re a teacher and you’re reading this: you are amazing, your potential is as limitless as that of your students, and you deserve to be happy.
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