Thread: January blues...

Hi Becky, thanks for your support and advice. I find the staffroom quite a daunting place at lunchtime, not many teaching staff go there. It tends to be the ta's and they are very close knit and hard to talk to.

I know what you mean about a lack of supply and teaching jobs in general. My current contract is only for this academic yr and hardly any jobs come up in my subject. Loads of my teaching friends are unemployed with no supply at all. I worry about money after July to pay my mortgage which is adding to my stress. I have posted my cv about and had some recruiters call me about education jobs mainly with private companies but some have been so rude, it just adds to the stress.

Hopefully in the coming months the teaching jobs will start appearing. Shame you aren't in the south west, I have seen lots of music jobs advertised-mainly maternity covers but two were readvertised so I assume they had no applicants.

Well, I'm going to be a little ray of sunshine! - having been off sick over Christmas, I returned to work on Tuesday. I am delighted to be back, delighted to be allowed to drive again, and over the moon that I can walk unaided on my two feet ater damaging calf muscle, knee and ankle ligaments.

I never realised how great the seemingly mundane and humdrum can be - until it is taken away from you.

Think on folks

Steve

No matter how bad your problems/worries are there is always someone worse off than yourself.....

Going to join in with my blues too if i can

I got back from a 3 week hol on the 19th dec, visiting family in South Africa. which was amazing, then had my dads 60th and christmas in quick succession. but then it went a bit sour.
back in work and we have a new system (for which i missed all the training, being on hol) which im still trying to get to grips with, whilst being piled with targets etc. we've had a bereavement in the family. and i found out today my uncle is in hospital. so not the best start to the year.

i went from a very good mood and feeling to holiday blues, winter blues, january blues!
But hey hopefully not for long going to get back on plan and maybe eating less crap will have a knock on effect.
heres hoping everyone perks up soon and that the blues fade, its crap when you feel down, but josiecat your right went you need to vent, you need to vent, and keep your chin up huni, things will all work out

Maj xx

Mine have hit me today

Well I've got good news, been offered a job & start Monday, but I don't really fancy it & have another interview for Wednesday. We agreed over the weekend to have our 'cheap' November holiday in Floriday Keys

So don't get down you lot, things do get better, just look at all the positives you've got in your life.

Yes I still have lots of problems, family ones, OH has high blood pressure & other ailments, but these things will pass in time.

I'll join you with the January blues. After splitting with my ex at the end of September and then spending the next couple of months trying to get back on my own two feet, I spent the whole Xmas and New Year period with my family. I'm currently living in Bristol (having moved here to be with my ex) and my family are in Mid Wales. Throughout the whole split and all the hassle that followed, Xmas and spending it with my family was what kept me going.

I drove home to Bristol last Monday, with the Tuesday and Wednesday booked off work just to give myself a couple of days to settle back in. Got up Thursday morning to go to work to find my hot water boiler was leaking all over the shop - ended up taking Thursday and Friday off work to deal with that. Thankfully it was easily fixable and my landlady was responsible for paying for any work required.

But I think having spent the whole of the week at home on my own, with the exception of visits from landlady and plumber, it really hit me that I was on my own again. I got up Saturday and went and did some grocery shopping, failed to get nail polisher remover and burst into tears when I got back into the car. No nail polish remover - end of the world right?!

Got back home and just dissolved into tears again and spent the whole afternoon and evening in that very same state. There was no real reason for me crying, I just couldn't stop myself. And as soon as I thought I'd pulled myself together, something on tv would spark me off again.

Yesterday I woke up feeling really ill and don't feel any better today either, and all I want to do is shut myself away and cry some more! I have weigh in this evening and I know I'm looking at a 6lbs-ish gain (my own fault I know but... my scales yesterday told me I'd only put 1lb on, yet this morning they were telling me 6!) but am going to be strict with myself and not go and buy a bottle of wine for this evening to drown my sorrows as that'll just make me feel even worse! Think I might be very sad and be curled into bed by about 7ish this evening with a good dvd, just shut the world away.

Sorry for my ramblings, have no real reason to be so pathetic right now - guess I'm just missing my family after spending a decent amount of time with them and feel so isolated and alone here in Bristol. People keep telling me to get out at the weekends and do things - if I could afford to then I would but I just can't afford to spend money on doing things. My friends, outside of work, are all over the country, and I just can't afford fuel all the time to go visit them.

Yours
Miserable Moo!

Originally Posted by KittenKat

I'll join you with the January blues. After splitting with my ex at the end of September and then spending the next couple of months trying to get back on my own two feet, I spent the whole Xmas and New Year period with my family. I'm currently living in Bristol (having moved here to be with my ex) and my family are in Mid Wales. Throughout the whole split and all the hassle that followed, Xmas and spending it with my family was what kept me going.

I drove home to Bristol last Monday, with the Tuesday and Wednesday booked off work just to give myself a couple of days to settle back in. Got up Thursday morning to go to work to find my hot water boiler was leaking all over the shop - ended up taking Thursday and Friday off work to deal with that. Thankfully it was easily fixable and my landlady was responsible for paying for any work required.

But I think having spent the whole of the week at home on my own, with the exception of visits from landlady and plumber, it really hit me that I was on my own again. I got up Saturday and went and did some grocery shopping, failed to get nail polisher remover and burst into tears when I got back into the car. No nail polish remover - end of the world right?!

Got back home and just dissolved into tears again and spent the whole afternoon and evening in that very same state. There was no real reason for me crying, I just couldn't stop myself. And as soon as I thought I'd pulled myself together, something on tv would spark me off again.

Yesterday I woke up feeling really ill and don't feel any better today either, and all I want to do is shut myself away and cry some more! I have weigh in this evening and I know I'm looking at a 6lbs-ish gain (my own fault I know but... my scales yesterday told me I'd only put 1lb on, yet this morning they were telling me 6!) but am going to be strict with myself and not go and buy a bottle of wine for this evening to drown my sorrows as that'll just make me feel even worse! Think I might be very sad and be curled into bed by about 7ish this evening with a good dvd, just shut the world away.

Sorry for my ramblings, have no real reason to be so pathetic right now - guess I'm just missing my family after spending a decent amount of time with them and feel so isolated and alone here in Bristol. People keep telling me to get out at the weekends and do things - if I could afford to then I would but I just can't afford to spend money on doing things. My friends, outside of work, are all over the country, and I just can't afford fuel all the time to go visit them.

Yours
Miserable Moo!

when I started reading this I thought you had said your hot water bottle was leaking and you had 2 days off because of that
Its a hard time of year for lots of people and hopefully we will all soon be back on track x

So sorry to hear about all of your worries and saddies I relate to an awful lot of them and it's comforting to know I'm not the only one.

Never been diagnosed but pretty sure I have Seasonal Affective Disorder - every year around this time I get incredibly low. Apparently you can buy these special lamps that sort of simulate the sun.

I've suffered with depression before and it's a very different feeling than people seem to think it is - they throw the word "depressed" around quite a bit and seem to be very much of the "oh, just cheer up" persuasion! It's not quite that easy!

Feeling the symptoms creeping back up recently but trying to kind of get past them as I really don't want to go back on medication...

Doesn't help that I graduated uni last year and at the moment am stuck working in a shop, which is fine for the time being but it's not what I want to do forever. Stroppy customers are starting to really wind me up, especially the ones who make you feel like nothing, but then you occasionally serve someone who is so lovely, treats you like a real person, and it's like a little ray of sunshine to get you on with your day.

One positive of working in the shop is that I only had one day off over Christmas - Christmas Day. This may not sound like a positive, but to me it is as I haven't had to deal with the nastiness of going back after a nice break!

I've been really irritable and upset today, not really sure why, I've been wanting to cry over the tiniest things, like when I got home I was really looking forward to having some toast (HexB! ha) and my dad had put the bread in the freezer for some reason. I literally sobbed, then looked in the mirror and sobbed even more because all I saw was a stupid fat idiot crying because she couldn't have any more food.

I think the irritability is partly due to the fact that I gave up smoking for my New Years' Resolution. It's weird though, I don't crave cigarettes at all but apparently my mood swings are telling me otherwise!!

Sorry for the rant. I hope all of you feel better soon.

Originally Posted by Josiecat

Hi Becky, thanks for your support and advice. I find the staffroom quite a daunting place at lunchtime, not many teaching staff go there. It tends to be the ta's and they are very close knit and hard to talk to.

I know what you mean about a lack of supply and teaching jobs in general. My current contract is only for this academic yr and hardly any jobs come up in my subject. Loads of my teaching friends are unemployed with no supply at all. I worry about money after July to pay my mortgage which is adding to my stress. I have posted my cv about and had some recruiters call me about education jobs mainly with private companies but some have been so rude, it just adds to the stress.

Hopefully in the coming months the teaching jobs will start appearing. Shame you aren't in the south west, I have seen lots of music jobs advertised-mainly maternity covers but two were readvertised so I assume they had no applicants.

Hi Josie -
Hopefully you're feeling a bit better now hon. I always find it really hard going back after a break - even if I'm at a place where I'm happy. I get really nervous and anxious

If you're just there for a year it's not so bad - it will go quickly.
Have you talked to your HOD about applying for other jobs? Are they supportive? Didn't sound like it from your first post. The teaching situation is really bad at the moment - and I live in an area where they have a big teacher training college and they churn out NQTs each year who stay in the area who are cheaper than me - and that's the only thing that seems to matter to a lot of heads these days. plus as you say all the jobs seem to be 'down south' at the moment - or in Bangkok or Egypt!

Out of interest do you mind me asking what sort of education jobs with private companies are there? My sphere is so limited I only know teaching or private tutoring. Maybe I should look at other options too. Oh and why were they rude to you? How dare they! ( to them not you!!) xx

Have you talked to your HOD about applying for other jobs? Are they supportive? Didn't sound like it from your first post.

My HOD knows I am looking and understands as my job is not permanent. I went for one interview but it was over 1 hr drive, I didn't get the post but had already decided I didn't want it due to the drive. I don't see much of my hod as she is also part of slt and very busy and not in my teaching block.


The teaching situation is really bad at the moment - and I live in an area where they have a big teacher training college and they churn out NQTs each year who stay in the area who are cheaper than me - and that's the only thing that seems to matter to a lot of heads these days. plus as you say all the jobs seem to be 'down south' at the moment - or in Bangkok or Egypt!

It is the same for me, we have 2 cornwall scitts, 2 devon scitts, plymouth uni and marjons!!

Out of interest do you mind me asking what sort of education jobs with private companies are there? My sphere is so limited I only know teaching or private tutoring. Maybe I should look at other options too. Oh and why were they rude to you? How dare they! ( to them not you!!) xx[/QUOTE]

I have been looking at jobs e.g skills for life tutor, employability tutor and general FE jobs but they do tend to prefer people with adult education experience. The other thing I am considering is NVQ assessing as there are lots of jobs about for NVQ Assessors across the country. I have had lots of calls offering me interviews for this this kind of work, well until they find out I don't have the Assessor Qualification!! That's when the recruitment agencies have become rude, they seem to think teachers will have this. I have been looking at getting this qual and have found a training company to do it with. Takes max 12 weeks with guaranteed pass and they provide the NVQ candidates you need to pass. Draw back is it costs £850. On the other hand, I know from the amount of calls I have had that there are lots of Assessor jobs which would mean I would be at a good chance of getting work if no more teaching jobs come up. So maybe a small price to pay? xx

Oh I see re HOD. Obviously if you're on a temp contract they'll expect you to look for other jobs - d'oh! I missed that in your first post!

Hopefully as you say things will pick up as we head towards Easter job advert wise.

Hadn't thought about the options you mention. Be good to have lots of strings to your educational bow! The NVQ thing is a good investment but if it's full time that would be 12 weeks with no pay? Maybe get in touch with the exam boards and do some examining in the Summer for a bit of extra cash towards it??

I really hope things improve where you are. I do know what it's like - I was at a difficult school last year and I hated it for the first couple of months and was counting the days down until my contract ended - then by the end of it I really didn't want to leave. Hope it gets like that for you hon xx