Leaving a toxic job without no job to go to can give you breathing space and the opportunity to explore new career paths. Disadvantages can include financial instability and potential difficulty finding a new job.
Here are some stories from people who left their jobs with no job to go to:
Left School – No plans for September
Hello everyone in this amazing group. As someone who doesn’t use any social media I only use facebook for this group. The comments and posts have kept me from feeling like I was going insane😂 after many happy and successful years in teaching the job has changed and is no longer the job it once was. I finally left my current school and feel complete and utter relief! The scrutiny the targets the unrealistic expectations are over! I like many others on this group have not got fixed plans for September but I also know it was the right thing to do . There are lots of opportunities out there teachers do seem to get stuck in a belief that teaching is the only job . I am looking forward to new things and will do supply whilst I take time to think . Thank you for this group!
No Job – But Made the Leap
Been a member here for over a year probably. Sought quite a bit of advice before and decided to move away from teaching this summer after over 20 years in the profession. I’ve had a couple of coaching sessions, read a few books and whilst I am not really much closer to knowing my next step this is the first September in over 20 years where I’ve not had those feelings at the end of August. This is probably the most risky thing leaving my job without having anything to go to but I’m going to take time away, read more, try and do more research and hopefully that job I can fall in love with again will pop up along the way. Thanks to those who’ve helped on here and I’m sure that better things lie ahead. Please remember all, your health is more important than any job.
Positivity Post
I thought I could make it to 55 and take early retirement, but at the start of this academic year, I knew I didn’t have much left in the tank! 🙄
I had done a couple of free taster s/courses in the summer, so had a direction I wanted to explore. I took the plunge and handed in my notice before Easter, with no firm plan 🙈 but just knew I had to make the leap to give myself some head space 🤯
What I did:
👍Looked at lots of advice on here and other pages/websites
👍Had a pension chat
👍Upgraded my CV
👍Created job alerts on all the sites most relevant to me
👍 Applied for and got a place on the course I wanted
👍Was offered and accepted a Team Lead post for my exam board
👍Applied for and got 2 interviews (non-teaching)
👍Applied for and GOT a one year mat cover with CHES 3 days a week! 🎉I’m not giving out advice and suggesting anyone should chuck in their jobs with nothing to go to, but sometimes it’s hard to see the wood from the trees. By freeing myself up I got some perspective.
✅I only followed up job leads I was really interested in, not because I was desperate.
✅I opened my mind up to things I would otherwise, have discounted.
✅I reassessed what was REALLY important, emotionally, mentally and financially.I never realised just how many jobs there are out there and now wonder what I was so afraid of…… 🙈🤩
Still not sure how I will make ends meet or pay for my course, but I know I’ll be a ton happier and healthier and that I can ways top up with tutoring if needs be.
If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, but really want to, find something you really want to do, write lists, research, use your holidays to get the donkey work done and there will be light at the end of the tunnel. ❤️
Happily Retired
Thank you for this group. I’m happily retired although I had some initial reservations, I couldn’t be happier. I will have less money and I probably could have carried on another couple of years, but life is precious, we live to our means, I have no regrets. Thank you to you all for being in this supportive group. GoodBye and remember we only have one life x
Quit without a job to go to
I had an interview for a student wellbeing advisor in a sixth form college today and I got the job! I am really happy and relieved after handing my notice in at half term without a job to go to because of how poorly I’d been treated by SLT (long story, but I bet a lot of you can relate.) It’s a massive step down in salary and I’ll be a bit poor for a while but I am certain the improvement in my own wellbeing will mean it’ll be worthwhile. It’s a maternity cover but it will give me experience of something a bit different and there are plenty of opportunities for progression in the college. My partner also worked at my current school until last year and left to teach A Level at the same college and he is so much happier even though he is only teaching 0.6 now. He encouraged me to apply for a job because the culture for staff wellbeing etc is so much better. I wanted to thank everyone here for sharing their experiences, it really did give me the confidence to just quit without another job to go to. I finish a week tomorrow and I can’t wait now. I just wanted to encourage others who are considering taking the leap to be brave and not to put up with toxic work environments. It isn’t worth the money!
No Job – But Happy!
Today, after a huge amount of stressing I have handed in my resignation ( no job to go to yet , slightly anxious husband, we can afford it so long as the car doesn’t break down before I find a new job 🙄) but I cannot explain how good I feel. I can actually contemplate Monday without feeling physically sick, knowing that I can let all the s**t wash over me, focus on my students and do the job I trained to do with the knowledge that I hold no value in the opinions of those who seek to undermine me.
All my friends and family have been nothing but positive about how I’ve done the right thing and if I ever questioned my teaching ability I have friends queuing up to make a list for me to tutor their children .
Thank you to the bottom of my heart to this group for the support to give me the courage to do what I should have done ages ago.
Who knows what the future holds but I definitely know it involves enormously improved mental health. 😁😁🥂
EDIT: I’m overwhelmed by the response and support I’ve had to this post. Thank you. ❤
To anyone who is here because they are in a toxic school all I can say is resign and do it now !
Left with no job to go to – signed up with supply agency
I left with nothing to go to. I signed up with a supply agency ( just in case). I got a job teaching children who are not in school ( medical reasons, anxiety, awaiting specialist provision place), I also got a job sitting on Foster Panels for 2 councils. I’ve never been busier but its still so much better than working in a classroom. I’d never go back! Xx
Left with no job to go to – signed up with supply agencies
I left ( both times 🙄) with nothing to go to. The first time I ended up with a job which wanted me to start a week after the end of term and the second/last/final time I signed up with agencies and managed to get a full cohort of tutees within a few weeks, and I’ve been offered more agency work than I can do. I was so much happier 😃
Left with no job to go to – now work for local council
I resigned with nothing. Resigned in January left in August. And was only out of work 1 month but I didn’t want to teach so this limited me from supply. I work for a local council.
Left with no job to go to – various jobs since, back in better school
I resigned in 2016 with nothing to go to. My mental health was more important. I got a job at an FE college lecturing adults 2 days a week, then got more hours by November. By April I was doing 4 days and then upped to full time – they helped rebuild my belief in myself!
I stayed nearly 5 years (and didn’t hate it!) Now I’m back in primary full time but the school is better and so is my mental health.
Left with no job to go to – Now link mentor
Things will sort themselves out for you as they did for me. I left at Easter with nothing to go to but I’ve just been offered two jobs in a week! I’ll soon be working for a lovely charity as a link mentor for children who’ve self-excluded from mainstream education. There was a period of despair around mid-May when I thought I’d made a huge mistake but I’ve got my health back and with that was able to find what I wanted.
I’ll be posting my success story like many others on here soon😉. Just follow all the advice from Craig’s website, it’s such a brilliant resource to have!
Best of luck 🤞😊
Left with no job to go to – Now work in a university
I resigned with nothing in 2021 – I was signed off on WRS after realising that things were only getting worse. I was signed off for the entirety of my notice period and used that time to tackle my insomnia and begin to re-learn healthy habits (exercising regularly, eating properly etc). It also gave me time to work out what I would like to do. I applied for several jobs and got one in a local university.
I’ve bounced around three jobs within the university (each one a fixed term contract) and with each role, I have built up my confidence. The teams I have worked in are so supportive and encouraging – it’s a world away from teaching. I have every evening and weekend off, to spend time going out and doing things with my husband and our friends.
As of a few weeks ago, my current role has given me a two year contract extension which means I have more job security. Job security was one of my main concerns when leaving teaching however, I have found there’s a freedom in fixed term contracts – you aren’t a prisoner to a role if you don’t enjoy it. That horrible suffocating, claustrophobic feeling I had in teaching is gone. Doing different roles upskills you in all different ways and helped me work out what I wanted to do post teaching. Initially, this just consisted of “I don’t want to do this” but this helped clarify what I did want to do.
Take a deep breath. Life is for living. Go and live yours ❤️
Left with no job to go to – signed up with supply agency
I left.. no job. Signed up with supply agency not expecting much. Plenty of work was available. In the end i just did 3 days a week
Left with no job to go to – various jobs since
Left in Summer 2017. Signed up with 2 Supply Agencies in the Hols. Got a job doing food deliveries. Plenty of supply work. Eventually got a Permanent 2 day a week job at a Special School. Carried on doing the Food Deliveries when not at school (Mon, Tues, Fri Sat). Delivering to pubs, restaurants Maccy D’s… all over the country. Brilliant. Nobody on yer back. Everybody glad when you turn up with their stuff. No poxy parents or shitty kids.
Left with no job to go to – recommends local council
I handed in my notice in January for Easter leaving date. I had nothing lined up but kept applying, in the end I had 3 job offers and accepted a job in march which I started mid April. Most jobs outside teaching don’t work to such long time scales so I wouldn’t worry too much. I would recommend local council if you are not sure where to look. Best of luck, it really is worth it! ☺️
Left with no job to go to – recommends local council
I think many if not most of us do this. I got my back up plan into action, supply and tutoring. This gave me time and space to decide what I wanted to do.
Left with no job to go to – did supply at first
Yes it feels scary and weird….but god it feels good! As above, join supply agencies and you will be amazed at what is on offer. The jobs you take at first do not have to be the ones you end up doing- you will get to know what is out there, what schools want/need and it will take you in directions you have probably not considered. We get so stuck and have no headspace to look beyond the daily grind! Wishing you the very best of luck, it’s your tI resigned 5 years ago due to a breakdown. It was the job or me. I had nothing lined up. After 6 months out and dabbling in a bit of parcel delivery (lots of fun after 25 years in the classroom!) I decided that teaching was in my heart I started doing supply, which made me realise that I’m a bloody good teacher! I had many regular schools so my confidence grew.
However, the drop in pay was difficult, especially over the holidays. I stumbled across a company where I could build my own business alongside supply and a busy family life. I earn between £140-£190 per day doing supply but I can earn up to £300 for 1 hour’s work in my business.
I know have the perfect work-life balance and I am building up financial freedom too 😃