I need to know....

[another grub]

so the bloke gets to keep all the money and the house?

How do these lotteries work? get a licence sell tickets?

Only ever bought a house lottery once, supporting the Hospital. Wouldn't buy one of these crooks

[Brodlach]

It’s been known for a long time (months, if not a year) that it wasn’t a legal lottery in SA.

He has been through the SA courts about it.

[Armchair expert]

so the bloke gets to keep all the money and the house?

How do these lotteries work? get a licence sell tickets?

Only ever bought a house lottery once, supporting the Hospital. Wouldn't buy one of these crooks

No its a "trade promotion" so you get heaps of info about "XYZ products" for your "ticket"

https://www.gladwinlegal.com.au/blog/lm ... promotion/

[heater31]

It’s been known for a long time (months, if not a year) that it wasn’t a legal lottery in SA.

He has been through the SA courts about it.

Basically SA residents can't enter any of them that offer a 'membership' for entry chances.

Apart from the St John, Hospital Reserach and 1 cancer research foundation (car lottery only, can't enter their house one) based in Queensland.

[another grub]

fckn rort

[Pag]

I think I've posted something similar approx 6-7 years ago, but definitely more relevant now. Apologies for the rant here, but I need to know how people have decided it's time for a career change.

For some context, I'm a teacher. 37yo. Been teaching upper primary (Year 6, Year 7 as well when it was in primary) for sixteen years, 10 years in the northern suburbs, six in the north-east. I'm over it. Kids are getting more and complex, department putting it in the too hard basket. Teacher shortage meaning the teachers sticking it out are losing planning time etc because we can't cover sick days etc. Parenting getting worse across the board meaning kids come to school with less and less social skills, problem solving skills etc (this is not all parents fault, I'm a parent too, it's harder if/when both parents need to work full-time to survive). Too much screentime means kids can concentrate for the length of a YouTube clip before needing to be stimulated by something else. I know my battery has been completely drained and I haven't been the best version of myself at work in 2025. Probably not at home either, I've been getting shorter with my own primary-aged kids because I'm finding my days at work dealing with kids harder and harder.

I currently work in an R-12 school and have gotten the opportunity to move into the secondary school for the next 12 months, and I'm hoping the new challenge is what I need. But I genuinely fear this time next year I'll be just another stat in the teacher shortage and will walk out the door for good.

I've setup a LinkedIn page for the first time in my life but have no clue how to manage the transition, knowing that a decent pay cut is probably on the cards. Just looking for some advice from those who have started over.

[Booney]

Do you have a direction you want to take?

[Trader]

Good job for being honest with yourself and identifying where you are at. What you’re describing is not just “being tired.” It’s the cumulative impact of years of taking on more and more emotional, behavioural, and administrative load in a system that keeps asking teachers to do the impossible with fewer resources. None of this is a personal failing; it’s a predictable outcome of a system under strain. And the fact that you can articulate what’s happening, notice the impact on your home life, and actively seek a pivot speaks to a lot of self-awareness and strength.

My suggestions, take or leave as much or as little as you want:

Treat the next 12 months as a “paid transition period,” not a final test

Moving into secondary for a year isn’t just a change of scenery; it’s also a chance to:
-Reduce the constant all-day emotional labour that comes with upper primary
-Teach subject-specialised content (which can feel more purposeful and less chaotic)
-Work with adolescents who, while still complex, can often self-regulate better than Year 6/7
-Rebuild your professional confidence and see if your burnout is situational or structural

Don’t frame it as “if I can’t handle this I’ll quit.”
Frame it as “This year gives me space to stabilise and explore what comes next.”

You can transition out of teaching without a pay cliff; however you'll need a strategy

Teachers can undersell themselves because they only speak in “teacher language.”
But your real skills map directly onto other industries; you just have to translate them.

Highly marketable skills you already have
-Behaviour management → conflict resolution, stakeholder management
-Parent communication → customer-facing communication
-Curriculum planning → instructional design, project design, systems thinking
-Data tracking, assessment → analytics, performance reporting
-Leading teams, mentoring grads → leadership & coaching
-Daily improvisation → problem-solving under pressure
-Running a class of 30 → event facilitation, workshop delivery, training

All of these are gold outside education; you just need to use industry language.

Some suggested roles teachers commonly move into:
a) Corporate Learning & Development (L&D) / Training
Very teacher-friendly
You design learning resources, run workshops, create training videos
Natural next step if you’ve ever led PD or mentored staff

b) eLearning course Designer
You create online training modules (Storyline, Rise, Canva, etc.)
Your curriculum design skills map almost perfectly

c) Education-related roles
EdTech companies (customer success, training, sales support)
Government education departments (policy, advisory roles)
Professional associations (resource writing, curriculum support)
These often pay similar to teaching without yard duty, confrontations, or 30 people calling your name every minute.

d) Youth work / NFP roles
Pay cut possible, but lower emotional chaos than a classroom
Good if you still want to help young people but cannot maintain 30-at-once teaching

e) Corporate comms, HR, project coordination
You already manage projects daily — lessons, assessments, reporting, camps, excursions.
People in business literally train to do what you already do instinctively.

When it comes to LinkedIn, I'm certainly no expert, however, some suggestions would include:

Optimise your headline
Don’t put “Teacher at X School.”
Use transferable skills.
Example:
“Educator | Learning Designer | Facilitator | Skilled in behaviour management, curriculum design, stakeholder communication.”

Create a “transition-ready” About section
Speak to what you’re moving toward, not what you’re leaving.
Example:
“After 16 years teaching upper primary and leading curriculum development, I'm exploring opportunities in Learning & Development, instructional design, education consultancy, or roles that leverage communication, project planning, and stakeholder management. Skilled at designing engaging learning experiences, analysing learner needs, and facilitating high-impact training.”

Now, back to this next year, assuming you take on the senior school role:
Protect your energy throughout the year, the aim is to try something new, but also survive the year in a frame of mind that you can make good decisions; are you staying in high school, are you pivotting to a new challenge. You don't need to decide now, or after 3 weeks. And you can change your mind throughout the year, but you need to make sure you are not overwhelmed when making these decisions.

A transition year is only useful if it doesn’t destroy you on the way.
Set protective boundaries
You are not available for every crisis
You do not need to be perfect at your new secondary role instantly
Say “I’ll need to think about that and get back to you” often
Prioritise recovery time at home
Rebuild your self-regulation first

Remember, you do not owe the system your mental health

Teachers, and people in all sorts of roles, often fear leaving because it feels like quitting on the profession.
But you’ve already given:
16 years
thousands of hours
emotional labour that would flatten most people

You’re allowed to pivot.
You’re allowed to want evenings back.
You’re allowed to protect your relationship with your own children.
You’re allowed to reinvent yourself at 37, or 45, or 58.

And you're allowed to use the next year, or two, or five, finding out what you want that pivot to be.

[Lightning McQueen]

I think I've posted something similar approx 6-7 years ago, but definitely more relevant now. Apologies for the rant here, but I need to know how people have decided it's time for a career change.

For some context, I'm a teacher. 37yo. Been teaching upper primary (Year 6, Year 7 as well when it was in primary) for sixteen years, 10 years in the northern suburbs, six in the north-east. I'm over it. Kids are getting more and complex, department putting it in the too hard basket. Teacher shortage meaning the teachers sticking it out are losing planning time etc because we can't cover sick days etc. Parenting getting worse across the board meaning kids come to school with less and less social skills, problem solving skills etc (this is not all parents fault, I'm a parent too, it's harder if/when both parents need to work full-time to survive). Too much screentime means kids can concentrate for the length of a YouTube clip before needing to be stimulated by something else. I know my battery has been completely drained and I haven't been the best version of myself at work in 2025. Probably not at home either, I've been getting shorter with my own primary-aged kids because I'm finding my days at work dealing with kids harder and harder.

I currently work in an R-12 school and have gotten the opportunity to move into the secondary school for the next 12 months, and I'm hoping the new challenge is what I need. But I genuinely fear this time next year I'll be just another stat in the teacher shortage and will walk out the door for good.

I've setup a LinkedIn page for the first time in my life but have no clue how to manage the transition, knowing that a decent pay cut is probably on the cards. Just looking for some advice from those who have started over.

It's very daunting stepping outside your comfort zone, I stayed with the same company for about 5 years too long but in hindsight I left not long after a flurry of promotions which bided well on my CV which seen me approached by other companies instead of having to actually apply etc.

You're a very popular man who is extremely intelligent so my advice would be is to put the feelers out there amongst your circle of friends and see what may come your way in time, finding the right people for any role nowadays seems virtually impossible. We have basic factory work with minimal manual labour that earns $45 per hour with overtime available and we struggle to fill these roles or find suitable applicants, we have admin roles worth $100K+ that seem to be difficult too.

It does take 6-12 months to find your feet again, I lasted 6 months at a company that approached me with an offer too good to refuse, the brochure failed to mention their massive staff turnover or how horrible the owners were, the competitor of my initial company caught wind that I wasn't happy so they approached me to make the move and now I've been here for over two years and feel very much part of the furniture.

[whufc]

Great post Trader!! one of the best in 2025.

[Lightning McQueen]

Great post Trader!! one of the best in 2025.

He probably has the the whole of the top ten for the year, very smart man with his big words and stuff!! Always a valuable read.

[dedja]

I dips my lid to anyone who has successfully done this, I’ve toyed with it many times but was always held back by the drop in earnings hand cuffs, and now it’s far too late to contemplate.

[Booney]

And you're allowed to use the next year, or two, or five, finding out what you want that pivot to be.

Excellent post Trader and I'd echo these sentiments the most.

Whilst I stayed within the industry I was in much like LM notes above I was seduced by the offer and didn't take the time to consider the fine print. I think that is the critical element of transitioning, know what it is you're going into.

Highly marketable skills you already have
-Behaviour management → conflict resolution, stakeholder management
-Parent communication → customer-facing communication
-Curriculum planning → instructional design, project design, systems thinking
-Data tracking, assessment → analytics, performance reporting
-Leading teams, mentoring grads → leadership & coaching
-Daily improvisation → problem-solving under pressure
-Running a class of 30 → event facilitation, workshop delivery, training

And this in particular is excellent advice, the demonstrated abilities of Pag and people like him are very marketable in the private sector. Excellent wording.

[amber_fluid]

Great post Trader!! one of the best in 2025.

He probably has the the whole of the top ten for the year, very smart man with his big words and stuff!! Always a valuable read.

I’ll slip you in at 9 just to break it up

[Trader]

Great post Trader!! one of the best in 2025.

He probably has the the whole of the top ten for the year, very smart man with his big words and stuff!! Always a valuable read.

Cheers lads, throw enough darts and all that.