Is My Job Cushy?

New Teacher

Hey Everyone, new teacher here. I need a reality check because I have no frame of reference. Can you tell me if my job is the kind of job I should stay with for a long time? I know that the choice is ultimately mine, but I need input from teachers outside of my institution.

I work at an independent school, was hired post-graduate school. Cycle days, 5 classes, all 90 minutes, high-school English, two new preps and four new preps total for this year. 102 students total. Good benefits. Cheap lunch. Not much prep time during the workday. No common curriculum so I have to build everything by scratch (there are some buzz words but every teacher does different things and has different styles). Students are, for the most part, well behaved. Some behavior stuff but nothing compared to what I've heard from some folks. Fairly good workplace culture. Some departmental issues, some conflicts with older and younger teachers. The issues I'm having are all related to the workload in tandem with advising duties, meetings, etc. I have to take my work home constantly. But it's my first year so should be easier next year. Pay is decent, on a step scale about in line with California public school pay. No union.

I am truly overwhelmed but my gut tells me I should be grateful for this job and that most of my overwhelm has to do with this being my first year rather than the workload itself. Please don't hate me for asking this question! School is in a very HCOL city and the pay is good but I am barely getting by.

Posted Sep 28, 2026, 4:22 AM UTC

439
Loading comments…