Seriously considering taking next year off (long - sorry!)

cs1225 · May 2012

I'm a teacher and we can take up to 2 years of unpaid leave and they have to hold our job for us. I'm seriously considering doing this for one year.

This has been the hardest year of my 8 year career for various reasons - my kids are challenging, I'm teaching a new course (which has been a huge amount of stress both in and out of work - I've been working 12+ hour days!) and I've just got that 7 year itch. I LOVE teaching but this year has really made me question whether I can do it for the rest of my life. The kids are getting lazier and all the new state mandates are making everyone crazy.

I would love to be able to stay home with my 2 girls. After dd1, I was really ready to get back to work. This time, not so much because of the reasons listed above but also because I was having so much fun. I was so busy with dd1 (and 2) and on the go constantly, that I really didn't get bored or lonely like I did the first time around.

I feel like I am failing at everything right now. Even though I am working crazy hours, there are still huge piles of work to do (grading, lesson planning, paperwork, etc). My house is a disaster zone, with so much unpacking to do still (we just moved), painting, etc. DH and I have no time to ourselves (every night, I am on the computer working).

Here are the problems with taking unpaid leave:

1. I don't accrue seniority while unpaid. As a result, one teacher will jump me in seniority. I still would have several people below me, but we've been laying off about a teacher per year. So I'm just a little nervous about the future. Even though I teach science (which is normally an in demand teaching position), there are few jobs in my area.

2. Money. We would obviously be saving money since my two girls would not be in daycare. With that savings, I would only be losing a little over half of each month's pay. We have enough in savings to cover my money lost for one year but there are a ton of renovations we want to do on our new house (of course we could wait on those). I could get a part time job to make up some of the difference, but I feel like I would never see DH if I worked evenings. I could also take on some kids to watch during the day. I wouldn't know where to get started on that though. I have a bunch of friends with LOs that would love me to watch their kids, but I'm not sure if they would be willing to give up their spots in daycare when I can only watch for one year and they would have to find something else the following year.

I don't know what to do. Luckily, I don't have to let work know until July, but that doesn't seem like enough time to make such a huge decision.

Thanks for listening - just needed to get this out!

k3montel · May 2012

Although there will have to be some sacrifices, I say go for it. I am also a teacher, and I agree, the kids do seem to be getting lazier. I am working one more year before taking at least one year off to work on my masters degree. I HATE where I work, so it will be worth it for me to leave.

FWIW, if I was in your situation, and we could afford it, there would be no question. I might even consider taking both years.

louberrypie · May 2012

what an opportunity! crunch those numbers and keep your chin up --- you need to do what's best for your family and sanity!!! take that time with your girls, i support you.

LoveBeingMama · May 2012

I could have written this post myself! I also teach science, this has been a challenging year, I question if I want to continue this forever, and my district allows a leave of absence. And I am taking it! Yes, there are sacrifices with money, but for us, when we realized how much I would bring home after paying to have two kids in child care, it didn't make a whole lot of sense for me to work. If I absolutely love my job, that would be one thing, but I don't. I need this year off to reassess my career choice.You are lucky you have until July to decide. My district has to know by March 1, and to help guarantee that you will be approved, you have to do it much earlier. So I had to make the decision in December, long before this baby even came along. I am so happy with my decision, but as this year ends, I am starting to get nervous and a little sad about leaving. I think I will miss contact with adults the most, so I will have to find other ways to find people during the day. I am excited to see what the next brings as a SAHM. Hoping I don't go crazy!Good luck with your decision!

Feathah · May 2012

If you can do it, I say do it. I left my job after 9 years. We are able to swing the finances so we went for it. It's a very difficult decision though.

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