My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

So which teachers worki the hardest...

65 replies

mnistooaddictive · 29/06/2010 10:40

I have ruffled a few feathers on aniother thread by suggesting that RE teachers DO NOT have the biggest workload! I am sure they work hard but don't all teachers? I am a Maths teacher myself and although I often ended up doiung extra classes every day of the week I would never dare to suggest I work the hardest.

My vote goes for Drama/Dance/music teachers. They have the same issues as RE teacghers with huge numbers of classes meaning huge numbers of reports but they have crippling extra curricular demands. Those amazing school productions/choirs/orchestras take hours of time including evenings weekends and often precious sleep time. I just want to say I appreciate you!
Anyone else want to have a vote?

OP posts:
Report
PixieOnaLeaf · 29/06/2010 10:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

islandofsodor · 29/06/2010 10:55

Another vote for music teachers (dh is one!) though I do know an incredibly lazy music teacher who does the bare minimum then leaves his Head of Department to pick up the slack.

I never see dh at Christmas due to shows/concerts etc.

Report
FranSanDisco · 29/06/2010 10:58

I think primary school teachers work harder than secondary school teachers.

Report
mnistooaddictive · 29/06/2010 11:01

In your dreams FranSanDisco!

OP posts:
Report
FranSanDisco · 29/06/2010 11:04

No in reality

Report
elliepac · 29/06/2010 11:09

I am going to be controversial here. I am a secondary school teacher but in a half decent school, in a half decent department and have been teaching for 10 years hence relatively experienced. Although I think all teachers work hard and do many hours outside of work, Dsis is a primary school teacher and the amount of planning and marking she has to do is bonkers...way more than me. I am with Fransandisco!

Report
compo · 29/06/2010 11:10

Games teachers
all that standing around in frozen hockey pitches in January
brrrrr

Report
FranSanDisco · 29/06/2010 11:13

Thank you . I am not a teacher by the way however my sister, brother and bil are all secondary teachers/head master (all with 15++ years experience). We have had this debate and all agree primary teachers work harder these days as the curriculum is so varied.

Report
mnistooaddictive · 29/06/2010 13:14

We had this debate a couple of months back and I have no desire to repeat it, that's why I posted it in secondary education!
No votes for RE teachers?!

OP posts:
Report
FranSanDisco · 29/06/2010 13:34

No, it appears no votes so far. Obviously you already know the answer you want to hear so I'll leave you to it.

Report
Bonsoir · 29/06/2010 13:36

Any subject where there are lots of essays or other highly individual pieces of work to be marked is going to be tough, IMO.

Report
mnistooaddictive · 29/06/2010 13:49

I would never assume to know the answer FSD but I really don't want to get into primary/secondary competitiveness. Can we not have a positive thread recognising others hard work without being nasty?

OP posts:
Report
qumquat · 29/06/2010 13:59

Drama and English teachers! Loads of marking plus massive extra curricular commitments, good job I enjoy it!

Report
abbierhodes · 29/06/2010 14:03

No one has as much marking as English teachers!

Drama teachers...pah...standing around being a tree? Fruit Salad anyone?

Report
FranSanDisco · 29/06/2010 14:05

I don't think I'm being nasty. Having not seen the previous thread I contributed an opinion to which you said I was dreaming and later stated you didn't wish to repeat the debate. Your tone is rather dismissive and so I will bow out as I have nothing further to add.

Report
maria1665 · 29/06/2010 14:08

qumquat - is it really a good job? I would love to career change (from criminal law) and teach english, but am put off by reports of screeching overworked teachers and unruly pupils.

Report
EvilTwins · 29/06/2010 20:08

abbie - Fruit Salad is reeeeally tough.

I'm Performing Arts. I think it's a bit of a case of swings and roundabouts. Not much marking (not like it was when I was mostly teaching English) but the extra-curricular stuff is mad. School productions, concerts, theatre trips and so on. I'm going to be full time in September for the first time since my DTDs were born. Last school show I did was when I was 5 months pregnant (cue lots of men leaping on stage shouting "STOP! I'll move that table!" in an over-dramatic manner) so I don't know how I'll deal with it next Feb - usually I just de-camp to school for 6 weeks and sleep in the lighting cupboard. Probably won't be able to do that this time round...

I'm going to vote for PE teachers - all that extra curricular stuff after school and at weekends sometimes too. Not fun.

Report
tethersend · 29/06/2010 20:13

I think us art teachers work the hardest.

Arf.

Just kidding, it's English teachers.

But primary teachers work harder than secondary- Fran was right

Report
duckyfuzz · 29/06/2010 20:14

mfl teachers

Report
tethersend · 29/06/2010 20:14

Where's the other thread about RE teachers BTW? Everyone hating you the subject is different to working the hardest.

Report
duckyfuzz · 29/06/2010 20:15

actually, I'll re-phrase that, good mfl teachers

Report
activate · 29/06/2010 20:22

the office staff

because every single one of you says "Can I just", "Will you just", "Please could i" with no consideration for the million and one other things that need doing

None of you plan in advance and leave everything to the last minute, even when you know for terms what is in store

You can't even take your cups to the sink or dishwasher and act like kids who need a good telling off 90% of the time

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

tethersend · 29/06/2010 20:31

Ah. The receptionists.

They are a different breed indeed.

Report
MmeRedWhiteandBlueberry · 29/06/2010 20:33

I think lots of teachers have a claim on 'who works hardest'. I don't think it is good to be competitive.

I am a Science teacher so I have all pupils, whether they want to be there or not, and I have to plan and practice practicals.

PE teachers don't have a lot of marking, but they do have to do a lot of motivating and have more lunchtime, after-school and weekend work. They also have to be outside in the winter (although this pays dividends now).

Drama/Music teachers have rehearsals and productions.

Art teachers have to do more display work and do backdrops for productions.

English/language teachers have phenomenal marking loads.

Each teacher chooses to do their subjects so the burdens are instrinsic and voluntary.

If we want to get competitive, look at the teachers who do extras and those who don't - with no sniff of a monetary reward.

Report
roisin · 29/06/2010 20:50

I think teachers of core subjects - English, Maths, Science, IT and yes RE - have it hard. Because in yr10/11 you haven't got just the students who've chosen to do your subject, but they all still have to do it, which is more challenging. Also as a result you tend to have bigger KS4 classes as well.

English is very heavy on the marking workload.

But RE/IT tend to have fewer lessons per class, so have immense report-writing workloads and parents' evening commitments.

I think ART teachers have it the easiest.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.