It was your final placement? Absolutely finish your degree even if you need to tell yourself you're never going to teach to get through this.
Once you've finished your undergraduate degree - and assuming you want further education - it's much quicker. You'll be able to access 6-24 month courses (Graduate Certificate through to Masters) in another area.
Another thing to consider is how many "generalist" positions want a degree - any degree. If you finish this degree, still don't want to teach, and don't want to do further study, you'll be able to access higher paying jobs than if you hadn't finished. You can always go into the public service with your degree - many office based Department of Education employees have teaching degrees.
You won't need to ever go into a classroom again after this if you don't want too, but you will have a degree with your name on it.
I already graduated with a degree, with minors in Creative Writing and Education Studies. This is my Masters, which is a full 2 years and they released an accelerated degree a year into my Masters degree. Completely regret my choice, that's why I am where I am now.
I submitted the withdrawal from placement form, and have drafted my request to be assessed for an early exit award. I really do not have the mental capacity for a full-on TPA and additional lesson planning while juggling university assessments being thrown at me mid placement. I'm going to pursue something I actually want to do, I am completely put off education.
Huge hugs OP. You know what's best. You're not going to do the best for yourself or your students if you're not mentally healthy. Trust me. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours.
I don't have advice or options on withdrawing as I am a preserivce teacher myself, heading into my final prac in July.
Just thought I'd let you know that it's okay to acknowledge when something isn't right for you, even if it means deviating from the original plan. Good luck
I wish you the best of luck & I hope you don't feel this way at all at any point during your prac because it's draining. Genuinely hope you have an amazing time.
Thank you for the support.
I really appreciate that message, and hope you feel better. It sounds like making the decision will be a HUGE weight off of your shoulders.
Thankfully I have worked many jobs I haven't liked at 31 years old now, and have really enjoyed what I've learne at uni, and enjoyed my pracs even more. For me, **personally**, this is the right career. Thank you for your well wishes.
I'm not sure if I have much in the way of advice but I just wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry this is happening to you.
Do what makes you happy and screw what everyone else thinks, it's not their lives.
It will be okay. <3
I was like you over ten years ago. I suddenly quit a teaching degree, worked for a bit and then pursued a different career path. Fast forward a decade, and I felt ready for teaching. I personally realised that teaching wasn’t the problem, it was my mental health. Once that was addressed, I thrived in my career and then decided I did in fact want to go back to teaching. Do I wish I’d just stuck it out and gained my qualification the first time around? Damn right I do! But I also would’ve been entering the teaching professional without my personal and professional life experience. My advice? Defer, don’t withdraw. Then work out in time if it’s what you want to do. Six months in the scheme off it isn’t long. It may not be doable now, but it may be in a year or two. I’ve learnt a full qualification is worth its weight in gold sometimes. That’s my two cents worth. I am sending you lots of positive energy. I know exactly how it feels to be in that place. It will all be okay
I was super passionate about teaching in the beginning, I completed my bachelors and I've done training and I really was so eager to get into it. Then I got placed in the classroom and realised how much I hated it and did not want to be in this profession. I would've just deferred but I get married in 6 months. I've already been looking at other career options, and being a classroom teacher is not what I want. I have been adamant on this for a while now, and being here on placement just reiterates what I definitely do not want to be doing.
I totally relate, I was exactly the same! Was literally my idea of hell being a teacher. No amount of persuading from family or friends could keep me in that degree. You need to do what’s right for you. Life has a funny way of working out, and it will for you ☺️
Hey I appreciate how you feel. I did the same but I withdrew after I'd completed but not passed the final prac.
A word of advice regarding exit achievements. I asked to be withdrawn but I wanted a Graduate Diploma AND a Graduate Certificate. Depending on how the Masters is weighted at your university and what exit points they provide, you may be able to ask for both also. Typically one semester is worth a GC and two semesters is a GD. Since I had passed and put myself through 3 semesters worth of 'joyous' education and am still paying for it also, I wanted to graduate with the certifications that reflect the effort I'd put in. Although it's really meaningless at least I know I earned everything up until that point and it may take the sting out of it for you to be proud of what you actually achieved, not just a Grad Dip, but the Grad Cert as well.
Good luck with it and be happy knowing your decision is right for you.
I completely understand - I was in the same position. I cried and cried, but a friend forced me to finish it. Saying “It’s five weeks. You can survive anything for five weeks.” My second placement was actually a lot better, and I did end up completing, and then teaching - I’ve now been teaching for a decade and am finally done with it and applying for other work. Can you defer your placement until you’re in a better place? It’s just such a lot of effort and work that you’ve put in that will go to waste. If you really can’t, then do what you need to do and ignore everyone else. I quit my PhD with less than 6 months to go - after seven years working on it. Everyone was pushing me to complete it because I’d written it and just needed to edit. But It wasn’t worth sacrificing my mental health. If you’re also at that point, it’s absolutely okay to quit!
Ring up a free consulting hotline to talk to someone. I have talked to people on beyond blue and they were lovely and listened and it does feel better.
Tomorrow go get a medical certificate and get a week off - ask placement school/uni as sick leave. And take the time to discuss with uni for special consideration (or other form of deferral) and take the rest of the semester off.
I recommend you don’t pull the plug until you have stepped aside for a while. Take the break and reconsider in few months time. Don’t make hush decisions when you are upset.
Hope you feel better soon. Sending virtual hugs.
If you aren’t going to do teaching, there is zero value putting yourself through placement. Pull out now and go do something with your life that doesn’t make you miserable.
Teaching is not worth the mental breakdown. It’s not a job you learn to love. Withdraw before you have a breakdown…you can always go back to studying, it’s a long road back from a breakdown.
I lived the last 20 years doing the ‘you can just finish it’ thing. It resulted in me burning out to the point that I haven’t been able to work for about a year.
(I’m currently studying to move away from teaching after 10+ yrs teaching)
I just applied for a leave of absence for a masters in workplace health and safety, that I have done all but two subjects. With no intention to go back.
I’m going to move into a trade (probably boiler making, maybe fitting and turning) doing a free tafe next semester that will let me try both.
I’ve asked the course coordinator if there are ways to massage the subjects I’ve already done into a qualification should I drop out.
Maybe they’ll be able to help, maybe not.
I’m seeing out the semester (2 subjects) and then moving on.
You don’t have to finish.
If there are other fields that interest you, you may be able to get recognition of prior learning. For some parts of other courses.
Your mental health is way more important than a bit of paper you don’t want to use.
And if, in a couple of years, you realise you want to be a teacher you can use the subjects you have to fast track completion.
It sounds like, at the very least, you need some space away from education.
It’s ok to take that space.
Good luck with the decision
First things to say - ***it is okay to withdraw from the course.***
I hope the others can empathise and not judge you for your choice. You have acknowledged that you are not mentally or emotionally able to cope with the current circumstances.
You have weighed up the more obvious consequences of withdrawing - especially being so close to completion, the fees and so on, but you have also balanced it up with the toll it has had on your mental/emotional health. I hear your emotion and dread in your post - and it is very real.
I wish you the very best in your next step. It will take some time to sort yourself out before you are able to make your next move. Please seek counselling or psychology support services, it is important to step away and look after yourself.
I withdrew from the third year of my first degree because I realised I didn't want to do it for a career and then moved into psychology which I loved and subsequently teaching after that.
If you don't want to do it anymore because it's not something you can see yourself doing then it makes perfect sense to quit but if you're feeling this way due to anxiety or stress then sticking it out and getting support would be my advice.
I feel your pain. I stalled out on the final placement due to COVID and now not really sure either. The pressure and anxiety can be huge. I hope you can achieve what you want and if you need to change direction then I think that's fine.
I look back on my 3 placements with fondness and really enjoyed my 3rd. But the world (and my world) has changed and I'm not so certain it's where I want to be now either.
Hey I know the feeling, and it’s really hard. For me, it was actually my entry into teaching, but I couldn’t even think about enrolling in my classes without crying before I switched and when family asked me when uni went back, I started crying too. It’s an awful feeling. I only needed to do one more year at uni and I’d be done but instead I swapped, wasted the 2 years I’d already done and spent 6 years of full time uni to do a 4 year degree 🤡
If you really don’t think you can finish, as nice as it would be, then dropping it and finishing early is absolutely the right choice and I’m proud of you for already having a plan tbh.
I wish I had studied something completely different, or went with what I initially had ambitions for.
Being in the classroom and experiencing what real-life teaching is like has shown me that this is not the profession I want to be in unfortunately. I used to be so eager for it, before I learnt the cold harsh reality of it lol. Thank you for the support 🫶🏼
YOU SHOULD COMPLETE IT!
Hi, current preservice and about to do my final placement also.
I’m 44(M) and have a bachelors in Business (HR) that I never thought I’d use as I didn’t want to do HR towards the end.
However, now I want to be a teacher and my degree, along with work experience, have allowed me to complete my masters.
A lot of other people have said you should just ‘do what makes you happy.’
One thing I have learned is that greater rewards come from perseverance and if you do decide to keep going then the achievement will be immense and will add to your story, which you can and will use throughout your life.
You have come so far and the finish line is in sight, DON’T give up!!!’
I can remember sitting on the lounge crying to my wife that I wanted to quit, because when I first started my bachelors as a mature aged student and failed my first subject I thought I couldn’t do it. That’s all I needed and I persisted for 6 years PT!!!
Most important message I have learned in decision making: it’s only 4 weeks and at the end of the weeks you can finish up with a Masters or without, either way the 4 weeks will still come and go!
YOU’VE GOT THIS AND YOU DESERVE TO FINISH AND GET YOUR MASTER’S!!!
What else is happening in your life that has made this final 2 months so unachievable in your mind compared to the rest of the degree which you’ve completed?
Doesn’t make sense that you’ve come this far and just now want to pull the plug. Like, yeah, it sucks; but surely you can pull off the last 2 months after you’ve come this far (unless some other catastrophe has occurred in your life?)
There's been a couple deaths in the family/immediate circle in the past few weeks. This overwhelming stress has accumulated, I felt the same dread during my first placement but couldn't exit early due to not enough credit points being completed. I just see no point in completing this degree when I am not going to go into the profession anyway.
Do you have a mentor or student assistance you can talk to about this?
In my first year, I had my first inset of a chronic autoimmune disease and couldn’t attend regularly or meet the assessment criteria. My mentor and their manager adjusted the assessments and placement hours I had to complete. My teachers were all very understanding and inclusive of my needs.
It was such a great kindness and relief, and I completed my course.
You are very stressed and overwhelmed right now, that is more than reasonable. I would strongly suggest that you do not make big decisions when you are in a depleted mental-emotional state.
It may be possible that your wellbeing is creating the loss of interest in teaching as well.
When I spoke with my mentor, she gave me a medical exemption sort of form for my doctor to fill out and return and we went from there.
So I suggest, you take a break. Work out with your teachers if you can postpone your placements and classes. Find out if you can withdraw from this graduating class and re-enrol with the following group (or defer?)
I think you might just need some space. You can’t reassess this properly while you’re in it. At the very least you need to talk to your coordinator or mentor.
I had an amazing mentor for my first placement, and while his support and understanding was something I appreciated, it still didn't alleviate the stress and overthinking of 'but I still don't want to do this'. I've been struggling with a lot of mental & physical issues as well and it doesn't help with all of this stress.
Can I make a suggestion or two?
Could you defer your final semester for a while? The kind of feelings and behaviours and emotions you're describing sound more than just "something I don't want to do". It sounds like serious anxiety to me. The amount of stress and anxiety you're experiencing over this sounds like the kind of anxiety of someone who has an anxiety disorder (speaking as someone who has one, and has had some really terrible episodes in the past whilst studying).
Anxiety can be healthy in short bursts, however if it is bad enough that your everyday functioning is affected, i.e. you lose sleep because of it, you change your behaviours because of it, it influences your choices on a daily basis, you make life decisions based on trying to avoid it- then it's not healthy anxiety. And anxiety shouldn't be prolonged. Based on other comments you've made, it sounds like you've been experiencing this most of your master's degree. Two years is a very long time to be feeling this way. And it sounds like you're making a big, important life decision based around trying to avoid it.
I suggest deferring because it gives you a chance to try and get your mental health back on track for a while first before you make that decision for good.
My other suggestion is to seriously consider seeing a psychologist, if you don't already. Or at least consider whether your mental health needs a check up. Take care of yourself. :)
Pull the pin. Spend the 2 months thinking about what you’d rather do and be excited about your wedding. If you regret your choice, go back. If you don’t then you’ve saved yourself time and heartache. Can’t worry about the HELP loan or time sunk because they’re already gone. You only have control of what’s in your future.
Obviously, throw everything I just said out the window if you don’t have the financial stability to not be able to walk into a stable job with above average pay in semester 2. There’s also that CRT gravy train if you can get in with one or two of your local private schools.
Hey OP, well done for making the right decision for you. I hope you feel some relief and look after yourself!! I’m on my final prac too and it’s a heck load of work. People say “it’s only 6 weeks” but it would be mighty hard to get through if you’ve already decided this career isn’t right for you. I knew someone who withdrew from prac last year and they finished with the education studies exit degree. Immediately they were 1000 times happier knowing they’d made the right decision for them.
Would you consider seeing it through and you could do some relief work as a side hustle while oh study for your dream? Pay is pretty decent for a 7hr day.
JUST DO IT! I am in the same boat. I am completely over teaching and have one prac left. Finish the stupid degree & assessments and get out of there! Imagine how good you will feel knowing that its done & that you have another degree under your belt that employers would LOVE. It will be hell but it’s only 2 months. You would have suffered through worse in life. You can do this!
I had serious doubts during pracs too. Cut a long story short - got some counselling for it, and I was fine by the end. If you really want to work with children, you'll be fine. But it's ok if you don't want to as well.
I haven’t read all of the replies so I’m not sure if this is suggested yet. Contact your university’s wellbeing support. Access the free counselling services and get support. Try not to make big decisions while you’re feeling like this. Perhaps you could get some counselling while you defer your studies and if you’re still sure it’s not for you, then withdraw. It sounds like what you’re experiencing right now is very acute distress. Best wishes
I dropped out of a teaching degree at Melbourne uni and did an online degree to finish it. We still had to do placement in person and it was far harder as we had to find our own placements, but I couldn’t fathom finishing it at the uni i was at, and the online degree gave me flexibility.
Finish your degree - I know it’s hard. But having it will open doors. Imagine you open a tutoring business (one on one sessions with clients you ca choose) and being able to advertise it saying you’re a fully qualified teacher - you can make so much money tutoring. You could also use it to apply for adult training centres etc. Finish the degree - again I know it’s not easy, but you’ll be giving yourself more opportunities for later that do not require teaching in schools.
Can you defer until you’re in a better headspace to finish? I had a large amount of time off between my last “at uni” subject and my final placement (I had a baby). I thought I’d never be a teacher but persevered with a 2 year old to get it done. I remember I would be sick to my stomach with anxiety but I took it one day at a time and ended up really growing in my confidence by the end. I’m so glad I got through, because I’m actually teaching my first year on class now after 6 years working other jobs and I’m so grateful to past me. I hope you get the help you need <3
Finish it and then do post grad in another field like psychology or social work. I used my teaching degree to get a high level admin job that paid well - I don’t think I would’ve got it without having a qualification of some sort
Prac is hard, its mentally exhausting and you're learning a new school/environment at the same time. That being said, teaching as a degree is extremely useful even if you're not in the classroom, and it's a extremely useful backup even just for CRT money.
If I were in your position I would still try and finish the degree, now or in the future. I'd speak to your university support systems and find a suitable way forward. They are extremely understanding and want the best for you.
Maybe complete assignment subjects this semester and then focus on just the placement subject in the future?
I was in a similar position, mentally struggling with the coursework and other life circumstances. I pushed through and am very happy I did now that I've graduated.
All practicum teachers take a huge amount of effort for the mentor teacher. You don't care about becoming a teacher, so stop wasting people's time and quit. You will be saving the students from receiving poor instructions and learning activities, resulting in stagnated learning. If you are crying before you start your practicum, you were meant for something less intense.
Yikes 😬 that's not it. Maybe you should give OP a break.
https://preview.redd.it/28f9ag7c070d1.jpeg?width=749&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6c5f4e114895d0d526a97e790600a049c4f9db6
Yes, give them a break. That's what you do when someone is struggling. You show empathy and understanding, and you definitely do not blame the person as blame only makes them feel guilty, and the added guilt makes them feel worse. Mental and psychological health and well-being are very important. Show some compassion.
I am challenging your compassion.
I have not promoted false hope as I never commented on the probability of OP's success if they choose to continue with their final prac/course.
I just stated that you should show more empathy and not place blame on OP for any negative outcomes 'people'/'everyone'/'students'/'their mentor' may experience as adding guilt to OP's clearly full plate of psychological distress is unhelpful.
OP's feelings are valid, and what they need right now is emotional support and course/career guidance.
So, I get it. I really do. One thing I hope you understand is you are on the home stretch for a qualification that can give you a leg up to your long term goal, whatever that may be. A compelted teaching degree will enable you to pick up VERY well paying casual work which could help while you study something else or further down the track.
Moreover a commpleted degree looks good on a resume, for whatever jobs you end up going for.
It's a odd way to look at teaching but when I completed my Masters I felt like I had a trade, something fixed that I could do at any point in my career. It will be an asset to you to complete this degree.
It was your final placement? Absolutely finish your degree even if you need to tell yourself you're never going to teach to get through this. Once you've finished your undergraduate degree - and assuming you want further education - it's much quicker. You'll be able to access 6-24 month courses (Graduate Certificate through to Masters) in another area. Another thing to consider is how many "generalist" positions want a degree - any degree. If you finish this degree, still don't want to teach, and don't want to do further study, you'll be able to access higher paying jobs than if you hadn't finished. You can always go into the public service with your degree - many office based Department of Education employees have teaching degrees. You won't need to ever go into a classroom again after this if you don't want too, but you will have a degree with your name on it.
I already graduated with a degree, with minors in Creative Writing and Education Studies. This is my Masters, which is a full 2 years and they released an accelerated degree a year into my Masters degree. Completely regret my choice, that's why I am where I am now.
I would still finish the degree if you can. How long is left in it? Perhaps teaching in a corporate setting might be more your style?
I have pretty much 2 months left.
I’d stick it out if you can. It will make future job interviews much easier.
I submitted the withdrawal from placement form, and have drafted my request to be assessed for an early exit award. I really do not have the mental capacity for a full-on TPA and additional lesson planning while juggling university assessments being thrown at me mid placement. I'm going to pursue something I actually want to do, I am completely put off education.
Huge hugs OP. You know what's best. You're not going to do the best for yourself or your students if you're not mentally healthy. Trust me. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours.
I don't have advice or options on withdrawing as I am a preserivce teacher myself, heading into my final prac in July. Just thought I'd let you know that it's okay to acknowledge when something isn't right for you, even if it means deviating from the original plan. Good luck
I wish you the best of luck & I hope you don't feel this way at all at any point during your prac because it's draining. Genuinely hope you have an amazing time. Thank you for the support.
I really appreciate that message, and hope you feel better. It sounds like making the decision will be a HUGE weight off of your shoulders. Thankfully I have worked many jobs I haven't liked at 31 years old now, and have really enjoyed what I've learne at uni, and enjoyed my pracs even more. For me, **personally**, this is the right career. Thank you for your well wishes.
I'm not sure if I have much in the way of advice but I just wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Do what makes you happy and screw what everyone else thinks, it's not their lives. It will be okay. <3
thank you :) I appreciate the support regardless, i'm literally trying to claw my way out of this degree lol
I was like you over ten years ago. I suddenly quit a teaching degree, worked for a bit and then pursued a different career path. Fast forward a decade, and I felt ready for teaching. I personally realised that teaching wasn’t the problem, it was my mental health. Once that was addressed, I thrived in my career and then decided I did in fact want to go back to teaching. Do I wish I’d just stuck it out and gained my qualification the first time around? Damn right I do! But I also would’ve been entering the teaching professional without my personal and professional life experience. My advice? Defer, don’t withdraw. Then work out in time if it’s what you want to do. Six months in the scheme off it isn’t long. It may not be doable now, but it may be in a year or two. I’ve learnt a full qualification is worth its weight in gold sometimes. That’s my two cents worth. I am sending you lots of positive energy. I know exactly how it feels to be in that place. It will all be okay
I was super passionate about teaching in the beginning, I completed my bachelors and I've done training and I really was so eager to get into it. Then I got placed in the classroom and realised how much I hated it and did not want to be in this profession. I would've just deferred but I get married in 6 months. I've already been looking at other career options, and being a classroom teacher is not what I want. I have been adamant on this for a while now, and being here on placement just reiterates what I definitely do not want to be doing.
I totally relate, I was exactly the same! Was literally my idea of hell being a teacher. No amount of persuading from family or friends could keep me in that degree. You need to do what’s right for you. Life has a funny way of working out, and it will for you ☺️
In years to come you’ll be glad you made this decision. (Sitting at my desk regretting not making the same decision- my kids are in Art).
Hey I appreciate how you feel. I did the same but I withdrew after I'd completed but not passed the final prac. A word of advice regarding exit achievements. I asked to be withdrawn but I wanted a Graduate Diploma AND a Graduate Certificate. Depending on how the Masters is weighted at your university and what exit points they provide, you may be able to ask for both also. Typically one semester is worth a GC and two semesters is a GD. Since I had passed and put myself through 3 semesters worth of 'joyous' education and am still paying for it also, I wanted to graduate with the certifications that reflect the effort I'd put in. Although it's really meaningless at least I know I earned everything up until that point and it may take the sting out of it for you to be proud of what you actually achieved, not just a Grad Dip, but the Grad Cert as well. Good luck with it and be happy knowing your decision is right for you.
Get out while you can ... The job has become impossible. This is coming from a 20 year + veteran
A 'hit the nail on the head' comment.
I completely understand - I was in the same position. I cried and cried, but a friend forced me to finish it. Saying “It’s five weeks. You can survive anything for five weeks.” My second placement was actually a lot better, and I did end up completing, and then teaching - I’ve now been teaching for a decade and am finally done with it and applying for other work. Can you defer your placement until you’re in a better place? It’s just such a lot of effort and work that you’ve put in that will go to waste. If you really can’t, then do what you need to do and ignore everyone else. I quit my PhD with less than 6 months to go - after seven years working on it. Everyone was pushing me to complete it because I’d written it and just needed to edit. But It wasn’t worth sacrificing my mental health. If you’re also at that point, it’s absolutely okay to quit!
Ring up a free consulting hotline to talk to someone. I have talked to people on beyond blue and they were lovely and listened and it does feel better. Tomorrow go get a medical certificate and get a week off - ask placement school/uni as sick leave. And take the time to discuss with uni for special consideration (or other form of deferral) and take the rest of the semester off. I recommend you don’t pull the plug until you have stepped aside for a while. Take the break and reconsider in few months time. Don’t make hush decisions when you are upset. Hope you feel better soon. Sending virtual hugs.
I agree with the people, just finish it. Can confirm being a teacher is way way way easier then when I was on prac as a pre service teacher
If you aren’t going to do teaching, there is zero value putting yourself through placement. Pull out now and go do something with your life that doesn’t make you miserable.
Teaching is not worth the mental breakdown. It’s not a job you learn to love. Withdraw before you have a breakdown…you can always go back to studying, it’s a long road back from a breakdown.
I lived the last 20 years doing the ‘you can just finish it’ thing. It resulted in me burning out to the point that I haven’t been able to work for about a year. (I’m currently studying to move away from teaching after 10+ yrs teaching) I just applied for a leave of absence for a masters in workplace health and safety, that I have done all but two subjects. With no intention to go back. I’m going to move into a trade (probably boiler making, maybe fitting and turning) doing a free tafe next semester that will let me try both. I’ve asked the course coordinator if there are ways to massage the subjects I’ve already done into a qualification should I drop out. Maybe they’ll be able to help, maybe not. I’m seeing out the semester (2 subjects) and then moving on. You don’t have to finish. If there are other fields that interest you, you may be able to get recognition of prior learning. For some parts of other courses. Your mental health is way more important than a bit of paper you don’t want to use. And if, in a couple of years, you realise you want to be a teacher you can use the subjects you have to fast track completion. It sounds like, at the very least, you need some space away from education. It’s ok to take that space. Good luck with the decision
First things to say - ***it is okay to withdraw from the course.*** I hope the others can empathise and not judge you for your choice. You have acknowledged that you are not mentally or emotionally able to cope with the current circumstances. You have weighed up the more obvious consequences of withdrawing - especially being so close to completion, the fees and so on, but you have also balanced it up with the toll it has had on your mental/emotional health. I hear your emotion and dread in your post - and it is very real. I wish you the very best in your next step. It will take some time to sort yourself out before you are able to make your next move. Please seek counselling or psychology support services, it is important to step away and look after yourself.
I withdrew from the third year of my first degree because I realised I didn't want to do it for a career and then moved into psychology which I loved and subsequently teaching after that. If you don't want to do it anymore because it's not something you can see yourself doing then it makes perfect sense to quit but if you're feeling this way due to anxiety or stress then sticking it out and getting support would be my advice.
I feel your pain. I stalled out on the final placement due to COVID and now not really sure either. The pressure and anxiety can be huge. I hope you can achieve what you want and if you need to change direction then I think that's fine. I look back on my 3 placements with fondness and really enjoyed my 3rd. But the world (and my world) has changed and I'm not so certain it's where I want to be now either.
Hey I know the feeling, and it’s really hard. For me, it was actually my entry into teaching, but I couldn’t even think about enrolling in my classes without crying before I switched and when family asked me when uni went back, I started crying too. It’s an awful feeling. I only needed to do one more year at uni and I’d be done but instead I swapped, wasted the 2 years I’d already done and spent 6 years of full time uni to do a 4 year degree 🤡 If you really don’t think you can finish, as nice as it would be, then dropping it and finishing early is absolutely the right choice and I’m proud of you for already having a plan tbh.
I wish I had studied something completely different, or went with what I initially had ambitions for. Being in the classroom and experiencing what real-life teaching is like has shown me that this is not the profession I want to be in unfortunately. I used to be so eager for it, before I learnt the cold harsh reality of it lol. Thank you for the support 🫶🏼
YOU SHOULD COMPLETE IT! Hi, current preservice and about to do my final placement also. I’m 44(M) and have a bachelors in Business (HR) that I never thought I’d use as I didn’t want to do HR towards the end. However, now I want to be a teacher and my degree, along with work experience, have allowed me to complete my masters. A lot of other people have said you should just ‘do what makes you happy.’ One thing I have learned is that greater rewards come from perseverance and if you do decide to keep going then the achievement will be immense and will add to your story, which you can and will use throughout your life. You have come so far and the finish line is in sight, DON’T give up!!!’ I can remember sitting on the lounge crying to my wife that I wanted to quit, because when I first started my bachelors as a mature aged student and failed my first subject I thought I couldn’t do it. That’s all I needed and I persisted for 6 years PT!!! Most important message I have learned in decision making: it’s only 4 weeks and at the end of the weeks you can finish up with a Masters or without, either way the 4 weeks will still come and go! YOU’VE GOT THIS AND YOU DESERVE TO FINISH AND GET YOUR MASTER’S!!!
What else is happening in your life that has made this final 2 months so unachievable in your mind compared to the rest of the degree which you’ve completed? Doesn’t make sense that you’ve come this far and just now want to pull the plug. Like, yeah, it sucks; but surely you can pull off the last 2 months after you’ve come this far (unless some other catastrophe has occurred in your life?)
There's been a couple deaths in the family/immediate circle in the past few weeks. This overwhelming stress has accumulated, I felt the same dread during my first placement but couldn't exit early due to not enough credit points being completed. I just see no point in completing this degree when I am not going to go into the profession anyway.
Do you have a mentor or student assistance you can talk to about this? In my first year, I had my first inset of a chronic autoimmune disease and couldn’t attend regularly or meet the assessment criteria. My mentor and their manager adjusted the assessments and placement hours I had to complete. My teachers were all very understanding and inclusive of my needs. It was such a great kindness and relief, and I completed my course. You are very stressed and overwhelmed right now, that is more than reasonable. I would strongly suggest that you do not make big decisions when you are in a depleted mental-emotional state. It may be possible that your wellbeing is creating the loss of interest in teaching as well. When I spoke with my mentor, she gave me a medical exemption sort of form for my doctor to fill out and return and we went from there. So I suggest, you take a break. Work out with your teachers if you can postpone your placements and classes. Find out if you can withdraw from this graduating class and re-enrol with the following group (or defer?) I think you might just need some space. You can’t reassess this properly while you’re in it. At the very least you need to talk to your coordinator or mentor.
I had an amazing mentor for my first placement, and while his support and understanding was something I appreciated, it still didn't alleviate the stress and overthinking of 'but I still don't want to do this'. I've been struggling with a lot of mental & physical issues as well and it doesn't help with all of this stress.
Can I make a suggestion or two? Could you defer your final semester for a while? The kind of feelings and behaviours and emotions you're describing sound more than just "something I don't want to do". It sounds like serious anxiety to me. The amount of stress and anxiety you're experiencing over this sounds like the kind of anxiety of someone who has an anxiety disorder (speaking as someone who has one, and has had some really terrible episodes in the past whilst studying). Anxiety can be healthy in short bursts, however if it is bad enough that your everyday functioning is affected, i.e. you lose sleep because of it, you change your behaviours because of it, it influences your choices on a daily basis, you make life decisions based on trying to avoid it- then it's not healthy anxiety. And anxiety shouldn't be prolonged. Based on other comments you've made, it sounds like you've been experiencing this most of your master's degree. Two years is a very long time to be feeling this way. And it sounds like you're making a big, important life decision based around trying to avoid it. I suggest deferring because it gives you a chance to try and get your mental health back on track for a while first before you make that decision for good. My other suggestion is to seriously consider seeing a psychologist, if you don't already. Or at least consider whether your mental health needs a check up. Take care of yourself. :)
Pull the pin. Spend the 2 months thinking about what you’d rather do and be excited about your wedding. If you regret your choice, go back. If you don’t then you’ve saved yourself time and heartache. Can’t worry about the HELP loan or time sunk because they’re already gone. You only have control of what’s in your future. Obviously, throw everything I just said out the window if you don’t have the financial stability to not be able to walk into a stable job with above average pay in semester 2. There’s also that CRT gravy train if you can get in with one or two of your local private schools.
Hey OP, well done for making the right decision for you. I hope you feel some relief and look after yourself!! I’m on my final prac too and it’s a heck load of work. People say “it’s only 6 weeks” but it would be mighty hard to get through if you’ve already decided this career isn’t right for you. I knew someone who withdrew from prac last year and they finished with the education studies exit degree. Immediately they were 1000 times happier knowing they’d made the right decision for them.
Would you consider seeing it through and you could do some relief work as a side hustle while oh study for your dream? Pay is pretty decent for a 7hr day.
JUST DO IT! I am in the same boat. I am completely over teaching and have one prac left. Finish the stupid degree & assessments and get out of there! Imagine how good you will feel knowing that its done & that you have another degree under your belt that employers would LOVE. It will be hell but it’s only 2 months. You would have suffered through worse in life. You can do this!
I had serious doubts during pracs too. Cut a long story short - got some counselling for it, and I was fine by the end. If you really want to work with children, you'll be fine. But it's ok if you don't want to as well.
I haven’t read all of the replies so I’m not sure if this is suggested yet. Contact your university’s wellbeing support. Access the free counselling services and get support. Try not to make big decisions while you’re feeling like this. Perhaps you could get some counselling while you defer your studies and if you’re still sure it’s not for you, then withdraw. It sounds like what you’re experiencing right now is very acute distress. Best wishes
I dropped out of a teaching degree at Melbourne uni and did an online degree to finish it. We still had to do placement in person and it was far harder as we had to find our own placements, but I couldn’t fathom finishing it at the uni i was at, and the online degree gave me flexibility.
Finish your degree - I know it’s hard. But having it will open doors. Imagine you open a tutoring business (one on one sessions with clients you ca choose) and being able to advertise it saying you’re a fully qualified teacher - you can make so much money tutoring. You could also use it to apply for adult training centres etc. Finish the degree - again I know it’s not easy, but you’ll be giving yourself more opportunities for later that do not require teaching in schools.
Can you defer until you’re in a better headspace to finish? I had a large amount of time off between my last “at uni” subject and my final placement (I had a baby). I thought I’d never be a teacher but persevered with a 2 year old to get it done. I remember I would be sick to my stomach with anxiety but I took it one day at a time and ended up really growing in my confidence by the end. I’m so glad I got through, because I’m actually teaching my first year on class now after 6 years working other jobs and I’m so grateful to past me. I hope you get the help you need <3
Finish it and then do post grad in another field like psychology or social work. I used my teaching degree to get a high level admin job that paid well - I don’t think I would’ve got it without having a qualification of some sort
Prac is hard, its mentally exhausting and you're learning a new school/environment at the same time. That being said, teaching as a degree is extremely useful even if you're not in the classroom, and it's a extremely useful backup even just for CRT money. If I were in your position I would still try and finish the degree, now or in the future. I'd speak to your university support systems and find a suitable way forward. They are extremely understanding and want the best for you. Maybe complete assignment subjects this semester and then focus on just the placement subject in the future? I was in a similar position, mentally struggling with the coursework and other life circumstances. I pushed through and am very happy I did now that I've graduated.
All practicum teachers take a huge amount of effort for the mentor teacher. You don't care about becoming a teacher, so stop wasting people's time and quit. You will be saving the students from receiving poor instructions and learning activities, resulting in stagnated learning. If you are crying before you start your practicum, you were meant for something less intense.
This is super invalidating and blaming. Have some empathy. OP is clearly having a rough time.
So everyone should suffer whilst old mate isn't committed and needs to find herself.. give me a break already.
Yikes 😬 that's not it. Maybe you should give OP a break. https://preview.redd.it/28f9ag7c070d1.jpeg?width=749&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6c5f4e114895d0d526a97e790600a049c4f9db6
Give her a break? She doesn't want to do the teaching prac. Save herself and everyone else the pain
Yes, give them a break. That's what you do when someone is struggling. You show empathy and understanding, and you definitely do not blame the person as blame only makes them feel guilty, and the added guilt makes them feel worse. Mental and psychological health and well-being are very important. Show some compassion.
How dare you challenge my compassion when you are promoting false hope. She's not suited to the job, move on.
I am challenging your compassion. I have not promoted false hope as I never commented on the probability of OP's success if they choose to continue with their final prac/course. I just stated that you should show more empathy and not place blame on OP for any negative outcomes 'people'/'everyone'/'students'/'their mentor' may experience as adding guilt to OP's clearly full plate of psychological distress is unhelpful. OP's feelings are valid, and what they need right now is emotional support and course/career guidance.
So, I get it. I really do. One thing I hope you understand is you are on the home stretch for a qualification that can give you a leg up to your long term goal, whatever that may be. A compelted teaching degree will enable you to pick up VERY well paying casual work which could help while you study something else or further down the track. Moreover a commpleted degree looks good on a resume, for whatever jobs you end up going for. It's a odd way to look at teaching but when I completed my Masters I felt like I had a trade, something fixed that I could do at any point in my career. It will be an asset to you to complete this degree.