Are you a parent thinking of becoming a teacher?

Teaching is not something I ever dreamt of doing before I became a parent. After I became a dad however, I discovered children are fun to be with and I started to think that Primary School teaching might be a suitable job for me. I am now teaching Grade Prep in my fifth year as a school teacher and I love it. If you’re a parent with young school aged children like me then being a Primary School teacher may be an ideal job for you. Here’s a few reasons why:

·        Job satisfaction can be very high in teaching. Young children especially are like sponges with the amount of information they soak up. Trying to give children the best possible start in their early schooling life is not easy but it is extremely rewarding.

·        Job security – Teachers aren’t made redundant just because there is a recession or a GFC. As long as there are plenty of children in our society teachers will always be in demand. In fact they’ll be plenty of teachers retiring over the next decade or so, so if you’re a dedicated, professional teacher with a permanent position then chances are you’re job is quite secure.

·        You can live and work nearly anywhere – Teachers are needed nearly everywhere. You can easily move to the country or overseas and still find work. For me I like living in the outer suburbs – the housing is cheaper, it’s close to friends and family and it’s close to where I like to go bushwalking. My previous job involved a long commute into the city, but now that I’m a teacher my workplace is not too far away.

·        School holidays – Many parents stress about how they will look after their children during the school holidays. For me however, every school holiday means rest, relaxation and time with my family. Wanting to spend time with my own children while they are growing up was an important consideration in becoming a school teacher.

·        Working in a room full of children is not as hard as you might think it is. In some ways being a teacher of 20 plus children is easier than being a parent of 3 children. My own children at home are hardest to deal with when you can’t give them 100% of your attention. You maybe trying to clean the house, or cook the dinner or talk on the telephone or trying to relax reading the newspaper. At school it’s different. Giving the children 100% of my attention is my job and because the children are given this attention they are generally settled and happy.

On the downside there are a few negatives that may prevent some parents from becoming a teacher. The main ones are:

·        Teaching is not for everyone. Teaching is something you need to enjoy and be passionate about. It is hard work and not everyone would find it matches their own skills, talents or passion. For me, I have passion for education and working with people (young or old) so teaching suits me well.

·        Going back to University for two years fulltime (like I did) when you have a young family to support can be a stressful experience. In some cases it can be impossible depending on your financial commitments.

·        The teacher’s salary is OK but it’s not as good as some jobs. In my previous line of work I received a similar amount of money but also had a company car with free fuel. I’ve never heard of a teacher with a company car. At the same time I’ve done plenty of jobs that are paid a lot worse than a teacher’s wage.

·        Teaching is intense work. If you’ve ever done regular public speaking you’ll know it takes quite a bit of concentration and energy. Teaching in some ways is a mixture of non-stop listening and public speaking all day everyday.

Having said all of this I still have days when I wonder whether there is an easier way to earn a living. At these moments I look back to jobs that I did previously and ask myself where would I rather be. Every time I’ve asked myself that question I have no hesitation in answering it – I’d rather be in the classroom.