Teach Till You Drop

‘Shop till you drop’ is one thing but ‘teach till you drop’ is quite another.

Retiring early would be nice but let’s face it, that’s never going to happen. It’s more likely that you will either keel over teaching fractions or collapse giving an assembly. There’s always that lottery win but let’s get real.

Teachers don’t run on rechargeable batteries. If they did, everything would be fine and dandy. There’s only so much energy we have to give and burnout is never that far away. No one wants to admit they are on their 7th nervous breakdown so they soldier on.

“Exhausted” teachers have spoken out against a “work until you drop” pension age of 68 which it “seems an impossibility” for them to get to. But perhaps they should think again as destination addiction isn’t actually good for you.

According to a bit of chit-chat on one of the Tes forums, a pension specialist was supposed to have said during a seminar that teachers who work longer die within two years of retiring – but this pessimistic view is a myth. It’s more like early retirement that is the kiss of death according to an American study which found….

Early retirement may be a risk factor for mortality and prolonged working life may provide survival benefits among US adults.

I wonder how many teachers working in the UK today are here for the long-haul? If you can survive the first five years, is it the case that you stay until they wheel you out?

It’s worth remembering that in the UK there is no legal retirement age, and employers can no longer force their employees to retire at a particular age. It’s up to you when you decide to stop working but why give it up if you love what you do? Are you going to teach until you drop?

Most of the people I have spoken to say they actually never want to retire because they are frightened of kicking the bucket.