I'm tired but I've only just started

I’ve just wrapped up the first quarter of my second year as an English teacher, and to be completely honest - I’m spent. My days start at 05h30 so I can be at school by 06h30 to prep before classes begin at 07:30. I teach straight through until 14h15 (obviously with 2 admin lessons and breaks but I work through those), then move into coaching from 14h30-16h00. After that, it’s a 45-minute commute home, where I dive straight back into work: marking, emails, admin - usually until somewhere between 23h00 and 01h00. Most Saturdays are taken up by matches and meetings, and Wednesdays often run super late for the same reason. For context, I coach rugby, athletics, and public speaking. This has been my routine for about 15 months now, and recently (the start if this year) it’s gotten even heavier since I was promoted to take on responsibilities as an English curriculum designer and planner. I want to be clear: I love teaching. I genuinely care about my students and the chance to make a positive impact on their lives, both in the classroom and on the field. Watching them grow into better versions of themselves is incredibly rewarding. Seeing them succeed as sportsmen and women and academics really hust completes me. But right now, I’m running on empty. I feel underappreciated, overworked, and underpaid. I knew going into this profession that I wouldn’t be making huge amounts of money - but I didn’t expect to feel like I’m living hand-to-mouth while working what amounts to ~17-19-hour days. I don’t get paid for coaching or any overtime work (which, in practice, just isn’t a thing where I work, regardless of what the law says). It's not like I can skip any of it either as I'll be in a serious pickle if I don't do it. What’s also been weighing on me is that I’m apparently “well paid” for an entry-level teacher - yet many of my peers from university started on salaries about 15% higher than mine *and* got a raise in their first year. Only in my second year, I received an increase 0.5% above the average (the avergare doesn't even match inflation), which my boss described as one of the top raises at the school. At the same time, the company that owns the school reported record profits in the billions, with shareholders seeing returns over 3x higher than our increases. It’s hard not to feel disillusioned by that contrast. To add to that, I have friends who’ve received offers abroad earning nearly four times my current salary. They both worked for a different brand under the parent company which owns both schools and they've expressed similar sentiments - you just don't get paid enough here. So I guess what I’m asking is: what now? Do I accept this as the reality of teaching and start pulling back - doing only what I’m paid for to protect my time and energy while foregoing the learners? Do I keep pushing at this pace and risk burning out completely? Moving abroad isn’t entirely off the table, but it’s complicated. And finding another teaching position locally has been incredibly difficult with limited experience and very few openings (I check weekly). I’m really at a crossroads and would appreciate any advice or perspective—especially from those who’ve been in a similar position. submitted by /u/SquirtleUsedDrugs [link] [comments]