Teacher's workload

[sambob]

Hi,

I am currently doing my degree so that I can then go on to train to be a teacher. My problem is that I have no idea which age group to go for as they all have their pros and cons!!!

Please can someone help me with the following questions:

1) which age group gives best job satisfaction?
2) what is the work load for each age group, eg, planning etc?
3) Are the senior school aged kids as bad as the media make out?

Many thanks for any answers xx

[Physicsgirl]

Okay, will try to answer to the best of my knowledge.
1) All age groups give great job satisfaction but it depends on what you like. Are you willing to cope with bolshy teenagers? I'm an 11-18 teacher and love it, despite the challenges. Primary is a different matter - you have to help them a lot more and they can be more needy, but some people like this. I have done a little primary teaching and have friends who wouldn't do anything else.
2) My workload greatly depends on the time of year. Sometimes I hardly bring any work home, other times I can have 2-3 hours 4-5 times a week or a long Sunday session. The first year is very tough, but after that things get a little easier as you build up your own lesson plans, resources and tactics for dealing with more difficult areas. Primary teachers have a very different structure to their day, often having the same class with no free periods all day. Secondary teachers have some designated non contact time and see anything between 6-15 different classes per week (estimate!)
3) The students depend on the area you teach in. The pressure is the same at any school - more academic schools have a lot of pressure on getting results, less academic schools have more pressure on the classroom management side of things. Generally speaking, you have to always be firm, set boundaries, be human, have a sense of humour, talk on their wavelength, and bend the rules when necessary. There is no black and white. Get them on side and interested and the discipline more or less takes care of itself.
On bad days it's awful, but when it's good, you can't believe they pay you to do it.

any more questions, I'd be pleased to help

[aviator]

I'm a primary teacher and my workload is pretty heavy since im teaching all lessons all day every day (apart from PPA) time. However, It's all down to your planning on how much you do of a night or weekend. I probably do a couple of hours a night or just do it all on a sunday depending on whats on. You plan your long and medium term plans in advance and then just tweak them from day to day depending on the kids progression and understanding.
I wouldn't say primary kids are more or less needy than secondary but they have different needs. Personnaly i love teaching younger children, they have no preconcieved ideas and are willing to try anything. I'd say the best thing for you to do is organise some observation time at local primary, middle and high schools so you can decide where you would like to be. Most schools will be more than happy to have you come and look around, observe some lessons etc.
It's not an easy job and it's definitely not 9 til 3 with 12 weeks off but the job satisfaction is HUGE, i wouldn't do anything else (except be a billionaire laying on a beach in Cancun!)