The secret teacher – What’s it like being a new teacher in a Hampshire secondary school?

With one in every three new teachers leaving the profession within the first five years we hear from a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) about what life is really like at the chalkface of our region’s schools.
What's it like to be a newly qualified teacher (NQT) in a Hampshire secondary school?What's it like to be a newly qualified teacher (NQT) in a Hampshire secondary school?
What's it like to be a newly qualified teacher (NQT) in a Hampshire secondary school?

The Secret Teacher

Starting out in any profession can be daunting, with a new environment, new colleagues and new skills. But what is it about the teaching profession that causes such a vast amount of NQT’s turmoil and stress?

Undoubtedly, the leap from your teaching practice to your NQT year is one that entails much more change than simply gaining a classroom of your own. In reflection, you may remember your practice year as a safety blanket - the students were not solely your responsibility, people expected mistakes from you due to your new arrival and you were surrounded by a support network of staff pointing you in the right direction and catching you if you fell.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With your glorious new classroom comes the sudden realisation that these children will make progression purely on your teaching alone and with that, a constant feeling of fear and self-doubt: are you doing enough by these children? With long hours, an abundance of marking and often the need to work during weekends and holidays, it comes as no surprise that over 15 per cent of NQT’s leave the profession before completing their first year.

Despite all of this, there really is no reward quite like teaching – the joy of which is too often overlooked. Needless to say, find the right school and you will never look back. Just over one full term into being an NQT, settled and in a routine, I’m confident that I have found the right school for me – something that I continue to be grateful for.

Disregard your negative preconceptions of teaching and think of every clichéd reason you’ve ever heard as a justification for joining the profession; ‘I wanted to have a positive impact on the lives of our young people’, ‘I wanted to make a difference’ and ‘I wanted satisfaction from my job’ – they are all completely true.

There’s not a day goes by where I have not smiled in reflecting upon my day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite their bad press, teenagers really are wonderful; the things they say, the way they see the world, their blunt and brutal honesty.

Of course, there will be long hours, admin, and paperwork but I cannot think of any other profession that I would rather invest that time in.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.