If you’ve ever daydreamed about what it would be like to work in an office instead of a classroom, I can now officially confirm: it’s really, really weird. 

After 14 years of teaching and a kind of midlife crisis I decided it was time for a career change.

And so this past week I have been on work experience, just like a Year 10, albeit one with more frown lines and more of a clue. 

Quick read: Wellbeing: Why don’t schools offer staff supervision?

Quick listen: The truth about mental health in schools

Want to know more? Put your mind at rest this summer

It’s my first time working in an office environment after a decade and a half of being institutionalised by the education system and it has been refreshing, but radically different. Here’s what I’ve found:

What’s in a name? 

People address you by your first name and you’re expected to do the same. The downside there is that there are so many people, with so many different names, that it is easy to forget what they are. You don’t get to just call them Miss or Sir for a few months until you’ve memorised them all. Damn.

Ding dong

There are no bells here! That means not running the risk of being unexpectedly deafened if you’re standing in the corridor at the wrong time. Bonus.

But it also means that you have to think for yourself and make sure you get to where you need to be, by your own volition. How odd. 

Talk, talk, talk

People actually have time to talk properly. At school, I found I could usually only do this every third Wednesday between 3.15pm and 4.15pm.

I could go days without seeing some of my colleagues, and sometimes would struggle to recognise them behind the full beard they had grown since I last clapped eyes on them.

Take a seat

It’s great to be able to sit down and get on with things without constant interruption. But my daily steps are down and I’m starting to miss the aerobic benefits of circulating around the room.

I also fear my legs will lose definition as I’m not doing as much crouching down to talk to people here (I guess I could try it, but the other staff might think me odd). 

Drink to that

The kitchen has been a revelation. First of all, more than two people can fit in it at a time. There is also an adequate number of microwaves and plenty of fridge space. 

But here’s the really mind-blowing bit: there’s free tea, coffee and milk! No heavily labelled bottles with passive aggressive (or aggressive aggressive) warnings like “If you touch this semi-skimmed, you will suffer a fate worse than a fate worse than death.” It is truly a hot drink utopia.

Lunchtime luxury

I have enjoyed a full hour for lunch every day. There are no small faces squished against the glass panel of the office door, nobody has come to tell me that they can’t find their PE kit or that their mum is horrible because she’s banned them from playing Fortnite.

But equally, nobody has enthralled me with their impressive knowledge of the intricacies of the North Norfolk railway system or had me in hysterics with their jokes. Well, not yet anyway.

Teaching is a funny old profession. I’m really excited about the prospect of my new career, but there are definitely things I’m going to miss, and things that will take a lot of getting used to. 

But in the meantime, I am going to revel in the sheer bliss of being able to go to the loo whenever I please.