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I started in the mining industry, then academia, then teaching Design & Technology - called CDT at the time, and the name change accurately indicates the shift in emphasis.
The first ten years were great - I enjoyed what I did, and so did (most of) my pupils.
The next ten years were a downhill slide, largely due to DfE 'initiatives' and OFSTED demands related to unrealistic targets.
The last five years seemed like hell, and everything suffered, including all aspects of my health. Having the all the main exam boards wholly owned by various publishing houses screwed the curriculum to the point where coding was deemed a wholly acceptable alternative to D&T, and most of the things I thought valuable were rejected as irrelevant.
Obsessive testing marking and feedback, inadequate management, demanding and sometimes vindictive parents (not all, but they are the ones I remember most) and 12 hour days rising to 15 around this time of year proved too much, so I retired before it ruined me.
TL;DR it's a young person's game, and it can be much worse than banal admin and management. YMMV.
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MrE
Anyone gone into secondary school teaching later in their career?
I'm looking to leave my relatively well paid cushy job in a uni to go into teaching because I think kids are ace and people need to do more for them. Anyone done this and regretted it? Could it be worse than banal admin and management?