Going into teaching in my 30s, after seven years in Marketing and Sales wasn’t easy, but it has been fulfilling and has made me think very differently about what counts for experience and skill in the workplace.

As a voluntary community #WomenEd has always collaborated with partners to achieve greater impact than we can do alone.  We currently collaborate with @Tes_Institute, @WholeEducation, @educationgov.uk and with all organisations who give their venues to us at no charge.

‘It’s a big world outside the classroom,’ said a wise friend about six months ago. And, just like that (well, almost), I resigned and jumped off the cliff after around a quarter of a century in schools. I’ve documented quite openly the joys and the freedom and the opportunities to be able to shout about louder about the issues really affecting teachers – ridiculous levels of scrutiny, presenteeism, data over humans etc. Here, I am taking an opportunity to voice – anonymously, for obvious reasons – some of the more surprising, less paletable, more controversial and more personal stuff that’s been playing on my mind in its new and disconcerting freedom to actually think independent thoughts.