So here you are, once a proud independent innovator and motivator, keeper of your own plans, resources and records, reduced to compiling statistics and following seemingly ridiculous rules and proscriptions under the watchful eye of an increasing number of ignorant beancounters.

Teaching - who'd do it?

The options:

further ed college - more paperwork and bureaucracy, less money, some students better (the ones earning more than you), some loads worse than schools. Even more scrutiny from the beancounters.

private training company - even less money, probably piecework, no job security. You have to deliver whatever you are told to, whenever, so no flexibility.

training department of major firm - always the first to go when work takes a downturn. Most training managers are internally promoted, despite their total pack of an appropriate skill set, so the only jobs which go to outsiders are when the department needs rescuing after a major f-up.

I thought I'd found a fourth - get yourself promoted into a position where you can influence some of the decisions which get imposed, feel you're making a positive change for your fellow teachers, do some moving and shaking.

I'm now in an environment where the goalposts are continuously moving and I'm desperately trying to preserve as much stability as possible for my team. I cannot honestly say I've completed or achieved anything in the last three years, since the requirements have changed before anything ever reaches a conclusion. I'm kidding my guys I have a handle on strategy, when in reality it's all reaction to external drivers from a series of micromanaging Government Quangos.

It's all going to change soon. By 2016, at current age, recruitment and leaving levels, the available pool of school teachers will have halved. The Government will no doubt start off by foisting a load of unqualified "assistant teachers" on classes to keep costs down, but after the inevitable public backlash (at least we know have a Government where public opinion has some effect!) they will have to make teaching more attractive.

Regrettably, the private sector views ex-teachers poorly because of the perception of short days and long holidays (talk to some managers about how much time they can put into developing a one-hour presentation then tell them you do five a day five days a week!). That counts against you in the job market.

Give some thought to a sideways move - exam boards and awarding bodies are looking for people with front-line knowledge of students' abilities and assessment practices, perhaps one of the Govt. Quangos is recruiting.

Other than that, good luck and maybe meet you at interview some time soon.....