Do you remember your enthusiasm when you started your first teaching job, the excitement and anticipation for a future career designed to make a real difference, influencing the future of bright young people?
But that was then, youthful exuberance seems to have been replaced with hard fought grit and determination just to make it to the school bell. If you’ve started to feel like this about your current teaching job then it might just be time to update your CV (check out these Professional CV Templates for added inspiration) and get yourself in the job market.
5 signs that it might be time to move teaching jobs...
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1. Every day feels like the same
You got into teaching for the variety, you were promised that "no two days would ever be the same", but this doesn't ring true anymore. The freedom and autonomy you once had to plan your own lessons and experiment with content has gone, consumed by a set of systems and processes impressed from above. Not all teaching jobs are like this - bring the variety back!
2. You’re teaching the wrong year group
It’s good to build a broad teaching experience across the different year groups, however, it’s goes without saying, some Teachers are just best suited to certain groups.
If you’ve discovered the role that best suits you and one you really thrive within then it is only natural for you to want to teach this full time. Try and address this issue internally via traditional channels first, but if your requests fall on deaf ears then it might just be time to move on.
3. The staff room feels like a morgue
Where did the fun times go? The staff room used to be a lively hub of productive activity, friendly chat and practical jokes. But now, it’s an uninspiring room, where people come and go without comment and walls are adorned with endless lists of instructions, deadlines and diaries. Negativity is contagious, it’s time to bring the camaraderie back.
4. Politics not Passion
There is a well-known saying in teaching “Happy staff make a happy school” and this is so true. If your school suffers from an epidemic of internal politics and staff infighting it’s time to move on. First and foremost a good school will always champion the happiness and performance of pupils, if this mantra takes a backseat to internal nonsense then it might be time to cut those ties.
5. Every lesson feels like a battleground
When your passion and enthusiasm for teaching leaves you it can make every lesson feel like a battleground. Students thrive off engaged, happy and passionate teachers, if (for whatever reason) you’re unhappy at work this will rub off on your class and needs to be addressed.
The key here is to recapture your passion and enthusiasm, this can be achieved by moving schools, moving year groups or even moving countries (teaching abroad is a growing trend amongst UK teachers). If your passion leaves you then mix things up – try something different!
The views expressed are the views of the author and not of Eteach.
About the author
Suzie Finch
Founder of The Career Improvement Club, Suzie Finch combines extensive experience in HR and CV Writing to help job seekers. Her advice and beautiful CV Designs have helped thousands of teaching professionals secure brilliant career moves.
