Published on 12, July, 2020
I left my teaching job before the summer holidays due to autistic burnout and a complete and utter mental breakdown
I dont want to sit around doing nothing for ever and I want to do some work ( I need to to pay the bills and help my family as well, at least till I know what will happen with my UC and PIP)
Im the sort of person that needs to be busy. I go into my head when Im sitting around doing nothing and start having paranoid imaginings and all sorts of mental health issues
I do freelance writing but Im not getting enough work at it to keep me busy and pay the bills so I signed up for a couple of teaching agencies thinking if I just do a couple of days a week in a school then I can cope with it.
Heres the thing though, now its come down to it and its real I dont want to do it. I dont know if I can do it. Im remembering all the awful experiences I have had working in schools and how ill I was before the summer. I am still struggling a lot but feel I have improved a lot and slowly started to put myself back together since then and this could send me all crashing down again. Just thinking about the pressure and sensory overload of being back in a school I want to curl up on the floor again which is what I used to do every evening when I was at work. My wife would have to physically drag me off the floor to get to bed.
Yet there is another part of me that wants to put on a tweed blazer and try and inspire kids and get teaching again. So confusing!
I wonder if theres something else I could do part time, maybe work in a bookshop or for a charity a couple of afternoons a week.
Maybe theres even something at universities? Or with animals. I dont know
Anyway anyone who has any similar experiences or been through similar stuff or has any advice would be really helpful
What about teaching adults in FE? Local authorities often employ people on sort of part-time rolling contracts...but you give your availability so you could just do one or two days or evening class if you wanted and its quite flexible. You can teach things like IT or basic skills or family learning. Its often with people who are disadvantaged but its really rewarding as you are helping them move on in life. The subject matter isnt rocket science either. Often it's working in community centres or places which are much different to a school. Maybe there are some EFL "colleges" in your area? Or what about doing non-teaching roles? Maybe student services type thing in a uni or college? Sometimes there's a bit of small group teaching involved and you aren't in with the hustle and bustle of kids every day or.. library work?
Very good idea. I never thought of teaching life skills to adults. I actually did that as my first work experience when i was 18 but ive never thought of it as a career since then. I will look into it. Do you know where i would search for it?
Try EAT jobs and your local council website. Lifelong learning doesn't just have to be life skills. It can be stuff like DIY or art, baking etc too. So if you have any hobbies you could teach those but with cuts and funding etc I think the emphasis is more on getting people skills for work or better jobs. (Cogs in the wheel again....!)
Yes indeed. And it can be good money, working from home.
Thank you I will have a look at this