Is it just me?

Five weeks into the academic year and I am once again questioning the sanity of anyone who becomes a teacher!

The reason for this is the sheer volume of work that is required to do the job well. Admittedly I am a bit of a perfectionist, but with a full timetable (21 periods a week) and teaching every year group from Year 7 to Year 13, I find that in order to plan lessons, prepare resources, mark students' books, do admin and contact parents, I have to work practically non-stop at school from 8am to 6pm, and then put in 2 to 3 hours at home three nights a week, and one day at the weekend. Crazy!

I would love to know if there are secondary school English teachers out there who have found a way to do their job really well, well enough not to feel slightly guilty all the time, and still have a reasonably normal life. It's not that I don't enjoy the work - I love it, if I'm honest - but I would also love to be free in the evenings and on weekends to pursue other interests and spend more time with the people I love. In other words, what I need is a better work-life balance.