Any other horse owning teachers out there?

Rachaelpink

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I'm an NQT who has just finished my first term teaching. How do other people fit in doing your horse with the responsibilities of teaching? Any tips? I've been staying till quarter to 7 at school every night then going to do my horse, so get back pretty late from my horse e.g. after 9pm. At weekends I get up early to plan. Usually have Friday and Saturday evening off. If I had children I really don't know how I'd do it!
 

Blurr

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I'd imagine you'll cope pretty much like any other owner who works long hours, which is pretty much all of us who own horses. Nothing special about being a teacher and owning a horse I'm afraid.
 

hihosilver

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I'd imagine you'll cope pretty much like any other owner who works long hours, which is pretty much all of us who own horses. Nothing special about being a teacher and owning a horse I'm afraid.


totally disagree. Having had a office job before becoming a Teacher and finishing at 5.30 and then not having to spend time in the evening is bliss. As a Teacher with the meetings, parents evenings, planning, setting up I am lucky to finish at 7pm. Weekends are never your own there is always marking, assessments, preparing. I have to have my horse on Part livery so I can cope.
 

Highlands

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Yes I teach food tech in Birmingham.

My mum is fab and helps me a lot. Being an NQT is hard, my year was spent setting up a department !

5 years on I love it but wow there are boxes of marking in the car....27 GCSE scrips that need my attention and two other boxes at school. Find it best to spend a day up at school and have a marking day with a collegue. Yes it's boring but with both of us we have a laugh!

I do have someone who rides one of mine and its a great help.
 

Highlands

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totally disagree. Having had a office job before becoming a Teacher and finishing at 5.30 and then not having to spend time in the evening is bliss. As a Teacher with the meetings, parents evenings, planning, setting up I am lucky to finish at 7pm. Weekends are never your own there is always marking, assessments, preparing. I have to have my horse on Part livery so I can cope.

I am so glad you think the same...... In for 8am and often the day dies not end till 11pm..... Sure many office workers do not take loads of work home in the holidays
 

Flicker51

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I agree with HHS - as a Head teacher I know exactly what your problems are ! I think primary colleagues are actually more stretched for time than secondary ones - at least there are some let ups in the day. I would suggest you either have your horse on part livery and identify 1 or two days in the week when you can get off earlier or you have a horse that can live out 24 / 7 preferably attached to some where that has a school you can use in the winter.
I am often to be found in a field at 9 pm trying to give said horse a bucket feed !:rolleyes:

That said it does get easier - lesson planning decreases as the years go on and you get faster and wilier at it ;)

And if nothing else there are still the holidays - contrary to popular belief you will work in the hols but will be bale to choose when and how. i always used to work first thing then spend rest of day horsing about...:D
 

HardySoul1

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Not a teacher myself but know several who do their own horses. All are kept on diy livery, one lives out.
Youneed to find trustworthy friends who can share the load. Don't do the horse yourself all the time - get someone else to do some weekday evenings so you can come home from work. Perhaps you do their horse on other occasions. The friend with one living out is at school for 7am but manages to finish in reasonable time most days. She only comes evenings. Pays yard to do mornings when necessary.
Another friend is a Head - don't know how she fits everything in and her family, but she does!
 

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I have my horse on part-livery. Only way I can do it. I aim to ride twice in the week, then Fri eve and Sunday. In school at 7.30am, try to leave by 5. Spend at least a couple of hours each week night working and all day Saturday. doesn't really get easier after NVQ year IMO you just worry less about it!
 

china

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Try and have things prepared, you will find it easier in the summer with the longer evenings. I try and make sure I get as much done in the morning as I can, unfortunately in the teaching profesion you may be contracted 8-5 every day but realistically you will be doing 7-8/9. Generally the only things that keep me behind is meetings are parent evenings etc, marking goes home! Iv made it doubly hard for myself as I'm also currently writing a 10k word dissertation! Once you are in a routine you will be fine.
 

hoggedmane

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I work part time as a primary teacher but am putting in 45+hours a week for my 3 days pay. Beginning to think there are other more attractive career options out there. I work 7.30 am to about 6 at school and then usually 9 till midnight marking and preparing for next day. Then up at 6 for next day. I have two children and a husband. Horse lives out 24/7 and I
pay for her to be brought in and fed etc on the days I work.

It has been worse this year as we have a new head but this is ridiculous. Full time teachers are having to put in 70 hour weeks to get everything done and then working in the holidays too. I have a pile of planning waiting and reports to start.
 

Nickijem

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I have a horse on DIY and teach full-time. I get up at 5.30am to do the stable before work. I try to leave school by 5pm on 2 nights a week so I can ride - I get changed at school and go straight to the yard. I usually do my planning and marking in the evening when I sit down about 8.30pm but will only work til 10pm so I can sleep!
I don't have kids though- I really don't know when I would have time for them.
The biggest problem I have is fitting in the farrier as you obviously can't have time off to be there.
I have been a teacher for 22years and a horse owner for 15 years so it is possible! And of course you get lovely long holidays to enjoy your horse. :)
 

**Vanner**

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Mine are on DIY but get fed morning and lunch so I only need to go down in the evening. I get up early and go into work. Stay until six then go to yard. Stay until about nine go home and sleep! Lord only knows how anyone with children could do ponies and teach and survive! Sometimes I beat myself up about not working again at night but I think 7.30/8.00am - 6pm as a shift is fair enough. I usually have something for the weekend too.

I am really lucky as my husband works shifts so if I've got to stay late he can usually do them failing that I pay one of the youngsters at the yard.

NQT year is tough beyond imagination and I feel your pain. I'm a head of department and my work is never done - but that is teaching! That said I love my job!
 

Highlands

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Think primary and secondary are so different

Primary is really involved in the day....... All the same pupils day in day out but you get the same amount of PPA as all of us.

Secondary

Tons of reports ( teach year 7-12) , exam boards, controlled assessments. Teaching , preparing every lesson etc.

I feel like I am a policeman, doctor, judge, jury, counsellor, confident etc......I never get left alone....32 in my tutor and I am like their mother!
 

Blurr

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Long hours are long hours and most horse owners work long hours. Sadly for the rest of us workaholics, they're not the exclusive right of teachers. And that was my only point. Don't care what you do for a living, if you work long hours and you own horses, be prepared for very little sleep and no holidays (well, unless you're a teacher ;))
 

casinosolo

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I'd imagine you'll cope pretty much like any other owner who works long hours, which is pretty much all of us who own horses. Nothing special about being a teacher and owning a horse I'm afraid.

Totally disagree, I'm afraid! I've done lots of other full time jobs in other areas before becoming a teacher and it is completely different. As a teacher, your evenings are rarely your own and you are lucky to get time at weekends to yourself, especially at this time of year when exams are coming up and coursework is due for submission.

In response to the OP - it's hard, but manageable if you have support. I have an added problem of stabling 40 mins in the opposite direction to where I work but the yard is so good I'm reluctant to leave! I try to get up 3 mornings a week - so do Mon, Weds and Fri. On Tues and Thurs the YO feeds and turnouts for me. Sometimes my sister also goes up for me. I do every evening and every weekend morning and evening.

At the moment I get back from the yard about 7pm, have an hour off for eating dinner, showers etc and then do school work from about 8pm to 10pm.

It's hard, but actually I find an hour or two at the yard after work helps to de-stress me and put me in a better mood for marking/ planning when I get home!

Good luck with the rest of your training :)
 

Rachaelpink

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Thanks for replies. I did find the second half term slightly easier than the first. My horse is on DIY but very lucky to have a sharer two days a week. Hopefully I'll get quicker with planning, report writing etc! I'm a primary teacher.

My current contract has just ended so working as a TA for a while then should be covering maternity leave from September, so thinking ahead as to what I can do to make it easier for myself. Will enjoy my evenings and weekends up to then!

Blurr -I take it you don't teach.
 

Cinnamontoast

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I'd imagine you'll cope pretty much like any other owner who works long hours, which is pretty much all of us who own horses. Nothing special about being a teacher and owning a horse I'm afraid.

Hmm, some friends who work in offices/pubs etc don't have meetings/parents' evenings then have to mark 32 books once home from the yard! Nor do they have to return to work in the evening to do extra hours.

I think as an NQT or Head of Department/Senior Management, you'll find it quite hard. Trouble is, you can never say you're finished as a teacher, you could always be planning, making resources, marking, decorating the room, thinking about a project.

Hopefully your sharer will help loads? When I've had one, it's made life so much easier, especially if they were flexible and didn't mind doing the evenings when I couldn't leave work til 9pm.

I've managed by organising a friend to do mornings, I was falling asleep by silly o'clock otherwise. In return, I do afternoons. Roll on summer, when they can stay out!
 
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Blurr

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No, I don't teach. But that doesn't mean I don't work long hours! I just don't think my chosen profession has anything to do with it. My daughter teaches, my brother in law teaches (he was a copper, then he worked in an office and he loves the fact he now has more free time) his wife teaches (she thinks teaching is stressful, he laughs at her and loves his new career), I have two nieces who teach too so I don't think I'm particularly inexperienced in the demands that teaching makes. I just don't think it's more or less demanding than another demanding job. My son's biology teacher used to work in the industry. Like by brother in law, he finds teaching much less stressful and laughs at the teachers in his school that complain of the hours and deadlines.

Seriously, all power to your elbow but if I get up at 4.45am and don't get to bed until 10.30pm (assuming conference calls and email traffic has stopped by then) how is that different to you doing it???? Long hours are long hours and who cares what you do while you're working those long hours?
 

casinosolo

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Long hours are long hours and most horse owners work long hours. Sadly for the rest of us workaholics, they're not the exclusive right of teachers. And that was my only point. Don't care what you do for a living, if you work long hours and you own horses, be prepared for very little sleep and no holidays (well, unless you're a teacher ;))

Ah, that old chestnut about 'holidays.' Yes, we are lucky to get to work from home several times a year - and that's exactly what it is! It's lovely to be able to choose WHEN I work in the 'holidays', but I certainly can't choose to do none.

I have given myself last Friday, yesterday and today off. That's a 3 day holiday. As of tomorrow I know I will have to start on marking and prep for going back. I have 64 Year 11 Controlled Assessment folders to mark - each has 5 pieces of assessment in. Each piece can take anywhere from 15 mins to an hour to mark. I have 20 Year 12 coursework essays to mark, email back to kids and then mark again as second draft. I also have 64 Year 7 assessments to mark, 32 Year 8, 25 Year 9 and 32 Year 10. I'll then have to do some resource prep and planning for lessons when I get back. Oh! And I also have 32 Year 10 reports to write and 5 Year 11 form reports. I'm also going in 3 days next week to run extra revision intervention sessions for Year 11. So I'm expecting to be rather busy :)

Sorry if it seems like I am going to great lengths to self justify, but it really pees me off when people GO ON AND ON about teachers' holidays. I know from having worked in other areas that teaching is FAR more demanding time wise.

And as my HoD once advised in response to people who claim teaching is easy - why don't you do it yourself and see? :)
 

ShadowFlame

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No, I don't teach. But that doesn't mean I don't work long hours! I just don't think my chosen profession has anything to do with it. My daughter teaches, my brother in law teaches (he was a copper, then he worked in an office and he loves the fact he now has more free time) his wife teaches (she thinks teaching is stressful, he laughs at her and loves his new career), I have two nieces who teach too so I don't think I'm particularly inexperienced in the demands that teaching makes. I just don't think it's more or less demanding than another demanding job. My son's biology teacher used to work in the industry. Like by brother in law, he finds teaching much less stressful and laughs at the teachers in his school that complain of the hours and deadlines.

Seriously, all power to your elbow but if I get up at 4.45am and don't get to bed until 10.30pm (assuming conference calls and email traffic has stopped by then) how is that different to you doing it???? Long hours are long hours and who cares what you do while you're working those long hours?

Well said.

I work in engineering. The guys here are usually in for 6am, and are lucky if they're out 12hrs later. That's not to mention emails, calls, and emergency calls in the middle of the night. Horses and long hours are a difficult combination whatever your profession, but it's not impossible. Get yourself contacts who can help you out, part livery, or DIY with option to assist.
 

casinosolo

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worked in an office and he loves the fact he now has more free time) his wife teaches (she thinks teaching is stressful, he laughs at her and loves his new career)

My son's biology teacher used to work in the industry. Like by brother in law, he finds teaching much less stressful and laughs at the teachers in his school that complain of the hours and deadlines.

Perhaps they're the sort of teachers who do ****** all and expect the rest of us to pick up the slack :) Believe me, I've worked with plenty of those.

I also think there's a massive difference in the subject you teach. I teach an essay based subject which is slightly different to 'turn to page 41 and answer the questions' or 'let's self mark these sums we've done for homework.'
 

Cinnamontoast

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I think it very much depends (regardless of job) on the institution/position in which you work. My school is very high achieving and as head of faculty, the stress is ridiculous. I don't do lunch or breaks, I'm constantly helping the students.

Perhaps as a main scale teacher, it's not so tough, I certainly didn't find it too hard going as a main scale teacher when I just had to plan, deliver, mark. That's a very simplistic way of looking at it, but it used to be, IMO, a quite easy job.

It's not an exaggeration to say that I rarely sleep well because of the stress and the thought of not having gone over and above in order to ensure the best grades and that I haven't upset some child's plans for their future is frankly ulcer inducing!

Whilst flat on my back for five days the other week, I was frantically emailing/texting my seconding charge in order to ensure nothing essential was forgotten.

I'm sure all jobs can be equally stressful, but the OP asked about teaching so of course us teachers are going to jump in with how stressy we find it, just as people with other professions are also saying on about their jobs on here. I've no doubt my OH, who only seems to deal with the chavvy bottom end of society and sees some horrific sights in his job, would say he's more hardworking.

Having recently seen what nurses do and have to tolerate in hospital, I think they, too, have a very difficult job.

Most jobs are surely stressful, just in different ways, mentally, physically, but I daresay the majority of people don't have to do as much work outside of work as teachers.
 
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Flicker51

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The other thing of course is that in most jobs if you work over 37 hrs or get night time call outs you actually get paid overtime, often at more generous rates. Teachers unfortunately don't have that privilege !
 

china

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Holidays and lunch hours are for unicorns! ;-) I'm in FE and it doesn't get any better haha!
 

Blurr

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The other thing of course is that in most jobs if you work over 37 hrs or get night time call outs you actually get paid overtime, often at more generous rates. Teachers unfortunately don't have that privilege !

Ah, that old chestnut. No, sorry. Loads of out of hours work, no overtime. Chance would be a fine thing. It really isn't just teachers who don't get paid for the extra hours. If it's part of your job, it's part of your job. You just have to get on with it.

According to my son, the biology teacher was the best. He was just good at planning his workload because he'd had a lot of industry experience (the teacher's words, not mine). I suppose as far as the brother in law is concerned, he just finds teaching much easier than being a copper (I think he gets beaten up slightly less often so that would explain it).
 

unbalanced

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I am a teacher in my NQT year. I am not finding it too bad - firstly I did the Teach First route so I taught a full timetable last year, so that's not been a shock. Horse lives in between me and school so I see her on the way there and on the way home. She is arthritic and we have no turnout so I have ridden every day since Feb when she last went out.
I am very lucky in that people within my department and also Teach First are excellent at sharing resources. I have never taught anywhere else but in my friends' schools they seem to do all their own planning we share then just adapt as necessary.
Marking takes longer but I teach maths so obviously have no coursework or essays to mark. And they can always self mark in class - not that you then don't have to comment anyway but it speeds things up and you know they've thought about what they've done. Soft marking is also handy. You can also get them to comment on each other's work to help them improve - trains them up and saves you doing it.
You need to be really efficient about working in your frees. Write a plan for what you are going to achieve, if need be. It is not ok to spend frees faffing round drinking tea looking for people at the expense of your free time.
One of my mentors explained to me about a 1:1.5 ratio he has. He said that for every hour he puts into something, he needs to get at least 1.5 hours return. So if you spend an hour writing a homework sheet it must take the kids at least 1.5 hours to complete it. Or if you spend 1 hour planning the end product would need to be nearer two lessons than one. That ratio is a minimum and ideally you want to work for more.
It is really important that you don't overwork yourself and burnout. There are so many posts on TES about stressed teachers and people on long term sick because of their health. I was in that position last November until I learnt to work smart not hard. The worst thing that can happen to your classes is is you go off sick from overwork and they have long term supply ( in my case my maths classes got a geography teacher who didn't even try to plan lessons). Make sure you look after your health and give yourself minimum 1.5 days off a week because no one else will and your kids deserve a happy healthy teacher.
 

HaffiesRock

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It isnt just teachers who work long hours I agree. Completely different I know, but I work a normal 9 - 5 day but part of my job is dealing with over seas clients so I have lots of emails/conference and video calls to make in the evening and very early in the morning. I am also studying a degree at 3/4 full time so I rarely go to bed before midnight. I dont have lunch breaks at work and I easily work/study a 15-18 hour day most days. I have my horse on grass livery to help me out and the people at my yard will feed him if he needs it, but part of horse ownership for me is making time for myself and my horse. He is my break in the day.

I am not comparing myself to a teacher but teachers are not the only ones with long hours and demanding jobs.

OP, There are ways around it and having a sharer will definitely help. Just make sure you make time for yourself where you can relax and unwind x
 

**Vanner**

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No one is saying others don't work long hours. The OP asked about teaching! Hats off to anyone who works FT+ hours and keeps their horses. Mine are my sanctuary and my time away as I am sure most people's are.
 
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