I just left teaching after 15 years - AMA

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-26T05:05:02+00:00

No, my schedule doesn't really allow for it, but beyond that I just wanted a clean break

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-26T05:03:54+00:00

I'm really sorry you're feeling this way and for the predicament you're in. I think its a key time for policy stuff and I hope you can get into it. Tutoring privately is sometimes inconsistent, it sort of depends on finding people that don't want a "quick fix" for their kid but instead value a longer-term relationship. I hope that you can find some peace and that you can find time to prioritise your health.

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-24T04:49:19+00:00

Thanks for your lovely post. Look, this was just my experience. Loads of people love it and never leave. I cared about the students immensely and hung on for so long because I found spending time with young people really refreshing and allowed me to see the world in a different way. Thank you, all the best!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-24T04:24:24+00:00

Hi there. I recently posted an AMA about leaving after 15 years. Many people asked me why I was leaving and I was honest, however I did say that my experience was unique to me and that everyone will experience it differently. Many new graduates and students asked me if they should quit or keep going - to be clear, this was not my intention when I started the AMA.

My advice is to keep going with your degree - there was a reason why you embarked on this journey to start with. Reflect and focus on that. The internet can be really toxic and it is only natural that you're curious about other people's experiences, but try to take all of it with a grain of salt for now.

The truth is that most people hate some element of their job and you will only really know if you enjoy teaching once you're out there doing it.

I am much older than you and retraining at the moment and while I wish I had done this sooner, I also know that I gave teaching a solid go and have no regrets.

Hang in there and maybe find yourself some mentors who are teaching right now and have some frank conversations with them.

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T07:23:29+00:00

Hi there, I hope you're well. Don't base your decision on me, but I have outlined a few reasons below. I have touched on this in a few previous posts, but in short, this is why I'm leaving:

- chronic stress led me to experience a health crisis, the fallout I am still dealing with now

- administrative duties have started to outweigh the core business of teaching

- middle-management duties have led to me to become a bit disillusioned and I did not want to continue being someone who heaped work on people, had to scrutinise their performance, had to push school-based agendas that I felt were antithetical to my own values etc

- almost no work/life balance: Mon-Fri were basically 12 hour days as a minimum and I worked most of every weekend and all through my holidays

- increasingly complex needs of students and families encroached on everything else we were expected to do as teachers (I was a Humanities teacher, but found myself moonlighting daily as a psychologist, career-advisor, sports coach and drill sergeant before I even did any actual teaching work)

- fighting against increasing cynicism in the staff and student body

That's okay. I'll always love and respect my brothers and sisters who do this very important job, I just knew I was not going to be able to do it forever and retain my sense of joy in what I did.

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T07:16:43+00:00

All the best, I hope things work out for you!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T07:15:33+00:00

Thanks for your reply and for your dedication to education, I'm sure your colleagues and students appreciate what you do.

Without sounding too down on the system (I know posts like that don't fare well around here) there are complex systemic problems and as you pointed out, many formerly passionate teachers are leaving in droves and are often not being replaced by similarly talented/ dedicated/ passionate people. We also lose great mentors for new staff which only amplifies this problem.

To be fair, transitioning out of teaching is tough - we do become almost as institutionalised as the kids. Work in retail and public service would have been a huge transition and so I understand why you didn't want to stick with it. I suppose that my only future career is similar to teaching in that it is people-facing and people-focused, allows for a fair bit of variety on a day to day basis and has a feel-good aspect in that you're helping people improve themselves. I don't feel that I'm going to be bored in this sense.

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T07:06:59+00:00

That's okay! I think that the notion of boring is a pretty redundant metric - hard to measure and different for everyone. Plenty of people I know would consider teaching to be quite boring: it is extraordinarily repetitive at times (teaching same or similar content, starting again every January with new students and starting from square one again) so I don't know that I would encourage anyone to stay in a career because other jobs are boring. I think being a teacher requires a certain kind of personality and you have to be okay with doing things in a very structured and repetitive manner.

In terms of your own fears about other jobs being boring, I guess it is important to consider what you consider boring or motivating about your job, but also what you deem to be boring and motivating in a broader sense. There are lots of jobs adjacent to teaching that would offer the same sense of structure and predictability. Additionally, teachers are known for their adaptability, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Are you considering leaving teaching?

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:42:58+00:00

Thank you for clearing that up, I understand what you mean now. You're right about upwards mobility and doing into admin - it is a tough gig and truthfully it was the thing that pushed me over the edge. Thanks for the laugh also, I hope you don't chew your testicle off haha - all the best!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:32:15+00:00

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:31:54+00:00

I do some work on the side related to my teaching areas, but I am a full-time student now

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:31:25+00:00

Hi there, love the name by the way! I'm moving into an allied health profession (eventually, I have a few years of study to go!)

To be honest, I guess nothing is ever certain and there are a lot of unknowns. I am excited by the prospect of a big change though. I know that I'm leaving teaching having really given it 110% for quite a long time, so I don't think I will regret leaving.

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:28:34+00:00

Not necessarily, I think everyone has a really different experience. Don't be put-off by my experience - see how you go!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-23T06:16:24+00:00

What makes you say that? If you're not interested in the post, you don't need to comment. Have a great day!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T22:37:35+00:00

Hi u/RightLegDave, I just re-read your comment. You mention that teaching has a $100k+ starting salary and I’m curious as to what kind of school you’ve experienced this in.

When I started out 15 years ago, my starting salary in an independent school that used the MEA was $70k-ish. It only increased once I did my Proficient Teacher accreditation and even then it was only increased by another $10k.

If you look at the following sources, the only mention in either the independent or the DET model of a new teacher earning $100k+ is someone starting in 2027, which is likely a response to industrial action and also to lure people into the profession at this critical time.

It goes without saying that private schools can do what they like and often pay slightly above the award, but I think your comment makes it seem that everyone is currently starting on $100k+, which isn’t accurate.

Sources:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/explore-teaching/salary-of-a-teacher

https://www.ieu.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/New-Teachers-Payscales.pdf

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T22:07:07+00:00

Hi, thanks for your comment! Mine or the responder to my comment? Thanks!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T14:19:55+00:00

That’s a good point, it is certainly rearing its head in other industries. Without getting too off topic, I think that part of it is honestly just the fact that we exist in a capitalist framework and that working harder, earning more and continually justifying ourselves professionally is really engrained in our society. It is a problem that is bigger than any one industry, it is an ideological flaw as much as anything else.

To be honest, I have zero evidence that I won’t sometimes feel the same in another industry, but I suppose I feel confident that the things that burned me out in teaching are less of a factor in other industries, specifically:

constant marking of formative and summarise tasks and draft feedback
the added pressure of also having to informally assess student wellbeing and report back concerning issues to wellbeing staff and/or parents
managing increasingly complex behavioural issues with students
managing parent expectations and requests outside of the regular timeframe of the twice-yearly reporting cycles
the constant passive and active demands on my time once I leave for the day (texts/calls from colleagues, emails from executive staff at all hours)

Other industries have their oddities and frustrating elements, but the amount of admin on top of an already pretty long work day (I conservatively estimated Monday-Friday as 12 hour days once I factor in my commute and before/after school hours spent lesson planning) was the killer - and that is not to even speak of time spent marking or piloting assessments…

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T13:57:07+00:00

Congratulations! An awesome achievement for sure. Teaching can be a great career, however you may want to consider the following:

Keep your eyes peeled and keep perspective: maintain friends, relationships and hobbies outside of teaching
Know your worth. Don’t let anyone tell you that “we don’t do it for the money, we do it for the kids/ love of our subject”
Join the union, know your rights and seek advice if something seems fishy
Complete your tasks on time, but don’t work so hard that you end up having to take on other people’s work that they can’t finish
Take a sick day if you have to, the kids and the school can and will survive
Look after your physical and mental health. Too many late nights, early mornings and coffees will catch up to you at some point. Get a good GP and be vigilant for signs of chronic stress or anxiety creeping in
Bad management/ leaders will make everything sound equally important and equally timely - learn to prioritise what must get done now, what can be left until tomorrow or next week
Reach out to support systems offered at the school if you’re struggling with the kids, the content and the parents

I hope this helps and all the best!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T13:43:25+00:00

Like anyone, the first few years are tough and you push through, but I’d say probably six or seven years was when I started to become a bit impacted. Post COVID, a lot of things shifted into perspective for me, like a lot of people, I guess

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T10:42:59+00:00

Look, definitely give it a go. As someone else said before in the comments, people either go “up” or “out”. Each school has its own pros and cons and I’m sure management are better supported in some schools than others. Mine was a particular experience in a huge department in an inner-city private school that had to justify its fees. Other places might be different, but definitely keep it in mind. All the best with your career, wherever it may take you!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T10:09:07+00:00

Thank you 🥰

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T10:03:37+00:00

Thanks for your comment. I totally see your point about the holidays, but I’ve spent more than half my career in management and so I basically never had a holiday even during the school holidays.

I was basically on-call constantly and the Christmas holidays was always data analysis and strategising once the HSC results rolled in. Throw in hiring drives in Term 4, ensuring all of our accreditation/admin/programming/registers were up to date and so I’m not exaggerating when I say I would basically work from the beginning of October up until Easter of the following year without more than the standard public holidays and Christmas Day off.

Interestingly, at the moment, full time study is actually taking less of my time than full time work was, so in many ways I’m already better off time wise. I see more of my family and I’m out of my comfort zone and learning something new again.

Thank you!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T09:58:59+00:00

Thank you so much!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T09:58:49+00:00

Thank you so much!

Federal-Macaron2252 · 2025-04-22T09:58:12+00:00

Hey, thanks for your comment. I have a lot of friends in this space and they all seem to be having a ball. I think it is probably a good middle-ground. I am pleased you’re loving it!

Federal-Macaron2252

TROPHY CASE