I Chose Me: Why I Left the Classroom

Looking back, I realise I depended on my “school teacher” identity for my sense of self-worth. Like many of us, I held on to it far beyond the point where enough was enough. Even when I knew it was making me, and the people I loved, unhappy, I just couldn’t walk away.

Until I did.

In 2013, I said goodbye to the dark cloud that hung over every special moment. There were tears, and a great deal of sadness. I felt guilty for leaving pupils I cared so much about, and a school I had grown to love.

But the relief was undeniable. I didn’t have to walk the tightrope any more, knowing that at some point soon all the plates would come crashing down.

I had simply accepted that my mind would always be on the job. I thought I could live with the scrutiny, my stomach churning at the constant threat of failure, and the weekends spent marking.

Those burdens had become toxic friends. I didn’t realise the power they had over me until they were gone. That sick feeling every Sunday morning, choosing between living my life or disappearing under a pile of marking, is now a distant memory.

Because I chose quality of life

My marriage. My children. Me.

I have no regrets about my ten-year classroom career. It taught me so much. But it was time to cut the chains. Life with three children and a business is still busy, but today there’s a sense of possibility and adventure in the air. I feel grateful, optimistic and peaceful.

I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a friend. I am a coach. I am a businesswoman.

And in the years since I left, I’ve realised that leaving the classroom was far from a failure. I don’t need the job title to define me. I am still, and always will be, a teacher.

If you’re weighing up your own next chapter, you might find leaving teaching in the UK: a hard but rewarding choice helpful, or read the full story of why I left teaching.

More on leaving teaching

• Thinking of leaving teaching? Your three real options
• Leaving teaching in the UK: how to decide, plus resignation deadlines
• Leaving teaching for tutoring? Why a group tuition business makes sense
• How to move from 1:1 tuition to group tuition

Written byEllie BakerFounder, The Business of TutoringEllie is the founder of The Business of Tutoring. A former teacher and tutor, she has built two education businesses from scratch and authored The 2 Hour Tutor. Today she holds the vision for our school, shapes our programmes and coaches on our live calls. Meet the team

More from Ellie: I was turning away clients · Why I left teaching · I found another way · Why I only work with teachers