As teachers, everyone likes to think they are unique and able to express themselves in a way no one else quite could, and while that might be true for a lot of aspects of the job, there are also a number of universal truths that exist across the whole education sector. 

We take a look at just a few of the things all teachers know to be true about their jobs. 

Teacher voice

You tell yourself when you start out that you won't be like the rest. You'll speak like you normally do and come across as cool and laid back, and then before you know it….boom, teacher voice! Worst of all, it starts to seep into other aspects of your life away from the classroom as well!

Stolen weekends

When you got into this career, you probably thought that one of the real highlights was the fact you had every weekend to yourself. Free from weekend shifts, your Saturday and Sunday were about to become sacred. In reality, the weekend is a time for lesson plans, marking homework and generally prepping for the week ahead. 

Stolen weekends (again)

Even on those weekends when you don't have anything work-related you need to do, your job can steal your weekend. You've spent all day every day Monday to Friday with around 30 people. Now the weekend is here, you're asked to socialise, but all you really want is some time alone with the remote and some snacks. 

Nothing works out as planned

So you've spent all weekend making a wonderful lesson plan that will excite and educate your class on Monday, and you can't wait to show them. Only when you get there, it takes minutes to complete and no one was as enthusiastic as you. Time to think on your feet!

Stationery shops become your new retail therapy

Remember the days when you looked forward to the opportunity to get to the weekend so you could spend your hard-earned cash on shoes, clothes and something for yourself? It all seems a distant memory once you realise there just aren't enough gold stars, crepe paper and felt tip pens in your life. 

Speed eating skills

The lunch hour seemed like such a wonderful and long period of time when you were a pupil, on the other side of the divide. But as a teacher? Well it's a whole different story, with so many different things to get done in that one-hour window. On the plus-side, you've learned that you can legitimately wolf down a good-sized portion of cous cous in a matter of seconds. 

That holiday feeling

When you were a kid, you thought there was no feeling quite like the bell sounding at the end of the last day before summer break. As a teacher, it just gets better. Sure, the public think you get a lot of holidays, but you know you've earned them, and when they roll around, as much as you've loved the last term, you can't wait to just relax. 

There are many reasons people get into a teaching career. Being able to teach kids about the world and a range of different subjects means it is one of the most rewarding jobs you could ever hope to find.

However, like any job, there are those little problems that everyone seems to experience at some point. Those little common issues that everyone who has spent in the job will nod at with that little knowing smile. Here, we take a look at a few of the most common teacher problems. 

They're just not listening

As every teacher knows all too well, explaining something once, or at times even twice, is never going to be enough. How many times have you spent your time going over something with the class in as much detail as you can, making sure you speak clearly and in a way you know everyone can understand, only for that one hand to shoot up in the air at the end. "I don't get it", they moan. Only when you ask what part you don't get do you realise it was the whole thing, because they weren't listening at all. Oh well….back to the start!

The troublesome parent

Every parent wants to know that their child is performing well and doing their very best at school. You're a teacher, you get that, and you appreciate the parent having a hands-on approach to their kid's education. But just not too hands-on. When parents are always trying to call meetings with you, or answering your marking of homework with some comments of their own, well there's few things more draining and problematic. You just want to be left alone!

The constant battle

If there's one thing you truly hate hearing as a teacher it's that age-old question...."when will we ever use this?" Pupils love to ask where something fits into their everyday future life, no matter how problematic it can be for you to answer. Sure, telling them that learning to cook will stand them in good stead for being an adult is easy, but try explaining to a 14-year old why they'll ever need to know trigonometry or Pythagoras' theorem. If you do, you're in for something of a long day for sure. 

The rebellion

Pupils are great, and they're the reason anyone gets into teaching, to impart knowledge on the young minds that could be tomorrow's geniuses. However, it's not always that simple. In high school in particular, kids are going through so many changes growing up, and for some this sparks a need to challenge authority in their own little way. The problem? To them, you're authority. You just want to tell them you're on their side, but what do you get in return for your help? Talking behind your back, giggling at nothing, throwing things at each other...it's such a drain.

Friends don't get it

It's not all rosy away from school either. You think the little problems you encounter in your school day will just fritter away when it comes time for the bell to ring. But after you've spent all day trying to keep 30 little delights happy, you've then got to deal with another group who don't understand you - your friends. They all work happy, carefree office jobs where five o'clock comes and they can swan off into the night, paying not a thought to work until the alarm goes the next day. The problem? Well no one seems to understand that your life as a teacher is a little less straightforward. Try telling them why you're spending pub quiz night reading about the Tudors 30 times back to back and just wait for the confused looks to start.