Starting Out Guide For Newly Qualified and Trainee Teachers

Looking after yourself

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Dealing with stress and learning to take it easy

You’ve chosen a brilliant and rewarding career which will have many high points. There will also be tough times. The important thing is to recognise this and look after yourself.

Stress will not only affect your life as a teacher, but also your home life. Remember, stress is not a weakness, and you are not failing if you feel stressed.

Dealing with stress

  • You have a professional responsibility to monitor your health and wellbeing.
  • Recognise your stress, and be aware of the issues you face at work and at home.
  • Take action. Deal with one thing at a time, and ask for support. Involve your colleagues if the issue is an organisational one.
  • Change your thinking. Step back and take a fresh look at the situation.
  • Make boundaries – something produced in three hours will be different from something produced in one hour, but is it any better?
  • Keep fit. Exercise regularly and make sure you’re eating healthily. Try to avoid increasing your intake of alcohol and caffeine and, although smoking may seem to help, it really doesn’t. A healthy lifestyle makes it easier for our bodies to cope with the effects of stress.
  • Rest and relax. At your busiest times, keep at least one day of the weekend free and try to avoid taking work home on at least one evening.
  • Make sure you get sufficient sleep each night.
  • Avoid paper shifting.
  • Visit your doctor if things aren’t improving.

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6 teachers have added to this guide



  1. Jan 6th, 2009

    clare said:

    I talk things through with a trusted colleague. As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved. My head feels much lighter afterwards.



  2. Jan 6th, 2009

    daffyd said:

    My pressure point is always report writing. As a PE teacher I see more children than many of my colleagues and often have to write hundreds of reports. I left it so late to start one year, that I nearly went mad trying to finish them all. Now I set myself 10 per day in the weeks leading up to the deadline, which doesn’t feel so arduous.



  3. Jan 6th, 2009

    dalveer said:

    During my interview, the head kept making a fuss about the fact I played the trumpet, which I mentioned on my application form.

    He asked me if I’d be interested in running the school orchestra, as the head of music was very busy. I said I might be. But when I was offered the job, I decided I’d needed to concentrate on my teaching for the first year.

    The head kept trying to persuade me, but I stood my ground, saying I’d be happy to do it the following year – which I did. I really enjoy running the orchestra, but it’s quite a big commitment and I still think it would have been too much in my first year.



  4. Jan 6th, 2009

    ewan said:

    In busy times, like report writing or during the SATS preparation, I try to think of ways to ease my marking load. I build some opportunities into my lessons for students to mark their own work, peer mark or set tasks that can be assessed with verbal feedback. The children benefit too, as they love getting instant feedback!



  5. Jan 6th, 2009

    james said:

    Invest in a paper shredder, then write it all down. Get everything that’s bothering you about colleagues, senior staff or even pupils down on paper, then shred it. This has the effect of shredding the bad day – very cathartic.



  6. Jan 6th, 2009

    keira said:

    I order a grande latte at my favourite café! At least twice a week, a group of us go out for coffee together after school. It’s a great opportunity to get things off your chest. It’s reassuring to know other people are having problems and we usually end up laughing about them, which helps get things into perspective.

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