Left a secure job and now regret training

Published 5 October 2026 · 1 min read

Employment situation: Supply teaching
Sector: Primary

For me it’s the mental toll that it has taken on me. I left a secure job in a well paying industry on the promise of long term employment in teaching.

I have spent years now deeply regretting ever training to be a teacher. I have wasted most of my 30s trying to gain full time employment in teaching.

This is answer 21 of the 269 written answers that teachers let us quote anonymously in the Scottish Teacher Employment Survey 2026. It answers the survey’s last question: what do the people who make decisions about teacher employment need to know?

We have corrected spelling, added paragraph breaks and removed details that could identify anyone. Words in square brackets are ours.

Every answer in the report (PDF) Survey results

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