Unions
Join a union. If you can, of course. Some teachers and headteachers will be working in a country where it is just not possible. If you’re in a place that has a strong teaching union or even a non-specialist union, join it. It doesn’t matter if you are put off by their politics because you don’t have to get involved in that, just join it anyway. The fees are not extortionate, far from it, and for that you get the protection of people who have the sole aim of looking after you should the worst happen at school. You don’t even need to join a teacher-specific union, any general one will do. But why? Bad things do happen at school. The advertising of teacher positions tends not to focus on the emotional, financial, social issues that you, as a teacher, will be dealing with on a daily basis. You know all those images of smiling students and smiling teachers with bright shiny teeth in impeccably tidy classrooms? That isn’t quite how the reality in nearly all schoo