Going Out in the Evening
A non-teacher might assume that “not going out in the evening” is a reference to heady week nights out of yesteryear, when you could afford to crawl into work or university with a banging hangover simply because there were no big expectations being placed upon you. But no, the teacher’s social life is more barren still. In fact “barren” isn’t the word. You are just so knackered you don’t want to go out when you start teaching. Ever.
Romance
Perhaps inevitably, if you are no longer inclined to go out, it’s pretty difficult to conduct a varied and stimulating romance with your other half. Of course, it’s perfectly possible to be romantic indoors as well, although when your libido is so low that you’d have to don diving gear to reach it, the closest you’ll probably get to sex is a gentle romcom on TV as you doze together on the sofa.
Having Hobbies
Gym memberships, exercise clubs, subscriptions to specialist magazines, books, films: you’re going to get to save money on all of these things because when you’re not sleeping you’ll likely be working. In fact, all those reasons for being passionate about your subject area in the first place probably won’t get a look in when you start teaching. Again, that’s OK, the grey blur in your head when you get home after school doesn’t really want to be passionate anyway.
Free Weekends
Give yourself Saturday. If you’re feeling extra kind allow yourself Sunday morning off the grindstone too. There’s probably no point trying not to work on Sunday afternoon though because you’ll end up spending the whole time worrying that you should be. But the idea of a weekend away to visit relatives or to catch a city break is an absolute no-no; if you want to travel you’ll end up saving it for the holidays.
The Daily Humdrum
Teaching is an exchange. When you embark on the journey you are choosing to lose some of the richness of your home-life, but you are potentially walking into a much richer work-life that will ultimately leave you feeling more rewarded. Most teachers are incredibly altruistic, opting to pass on the things they feel passionate about to the next generation, and to use their energy to energise others. Plus, you have to be in it to win it: if you want to shape education and be responsible for opening doors in the lives of young people then there’s no better industry.
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