Former teacher takes pay cut for career change and falls in love with her new ‘eight-to-five' admin job, ‘glued to the chair typing away'
SINGAPORE: A former teacher has taken to Reddit to reflect on her bold career switch, revealing that despite a significant pay cut, walking away from teaching turned out to be one of the best choices she has ever made.
In a candid post on the r/askSingapore forum, the woman shared that while she didn't hate teaching, she dreaded going to work every day during her four years in the profession.
She explained that her daily routine began as early as 6:45 a.m. and often stretched well beyond 6 p.m. due to lesson preparations and extracurricular activities. She also worked close to five and a half days a week, leaving her with virtually no time or energy for herself.
'I dreaded it so badly. Waking up and going to work was a chore and had zero work-life balance,' she wrote.
'When I reach home, I'm so exhausted I can barely do anything else. Parents also love to contact us after working hours, and back then, my principal was adamant about us replying to them, or it would seem like we did not care about the kids' well-being. My health was on a decline, mentally and physically.'
Feeling worn out and increasingly disconnected from the joy of teaching, she made the tough decision to leave the profession.
'I finally decided to leave the role and went to do a low-paying office administration job. Struggled a little at first, but I learned quickly and went on to switch to HR Team at an MNC,' she wrote. Crazy enough, I love it so much, I love coming to the office, I love working eight to five, I love my job, and I love sitting at a desk, glued to the chair typing away,' she expressed.
'Every time I tell my coworkers or friends who have been working office jobs since graduation, they all tell me I'm crazy, but this is truly an upgrade from my teacher role.'
Ending her post, she asked her fellow users, 'Has anyone been in the same boat as me? Want to know your story too!' 'Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life…'
Many Reddit users resonated with her story, responding with their own experiences or observations about the teaching profession in Singapore. Several pointed out that her struggles were far from unique, saying they had friends or family members in education who also felt overwhelmed and underappreciated.
One shared, 'Friends in teaching all tell me that they are exhausted. It's often the connect plan that keeps them going.'
Another commented, 'I've been a teacher for more than 10 years, and the recent few years have been especially bad for me mentally. I still love the job and teaching, but somehow, there has been more stress from non-teaching-related things.
This year has been especially bad. I have been waking up at 3 a.m. and basically staying awake until my alarm goes off at 5 a.m. plus. Thinking of calling it quits before I lose my mind.'
Others also commended the woman for having the courage to step away from a career she was once passionate about to prioritise her mental well-being.
One added, 'Fantastic to hear. Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. I've seen so much general negativity on this Reddit, and it's great to see someone like you.'
Another added, 'Thank you for sharing about your wonderful career transition. It gives me hope.' Nearly one in four teachers in Singapore say they experience high work stress
In 2022, the Ministry of Education shared on its website that fewer than one in 20 teachers who resigned over the past five years cited workload or job-related stress as the main reason for leaving the profession.
However, this statistic may not fully capture the day-to-day challenges faced by many educators. In fact, surveys reveal that nearly a quarter of teachers in Singapore (approximately 23%) report experiencing a high level of work-related stress. This figure is notably higher than the average among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, where around 18% of teachers report feeling this level of pressure.
Read also: 'Even dogs get treated better': Singaporean man says his home felt more like a prison than a place to grow up
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)
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