Why I Left My Job and Why I’m Returning to Teaching (Red Flags at my Office)

I’m finally ready to head back to work, and I’ve decided to return to teaching. Yes, it’s a significant pay cut, but I think it’s a role I’ll truly enjoy. Many people have asked me why I’d choose a job that requires me to show up in person every day after I retired from my last position because of an “in-office” mandate.

Here’s the thing: my decision to leave wasn’t really about being asked to return to the office. That was just the final straw. In truth, the red flags were there all along. I saw them. I stayed anyway. And that, in hindsight, was my real mistake.

The Red Flags I Ignored

Looking back, the signs were clear. The first major warning came when I had to involve my boss to stop the assistant director from telling me I was working “too hard.” At the time, I enjoyed my job and knew my limits. I was happy to set boundaries when needed. But later, when I tried to enforce those boundaries, I was told, “Oh, come on, you can do it. We know you can.”

The tasks I was asked to take on weren’t in my job description and would require hours of unpaid work outside regular hours. That should have been a major red flag, but I convinced myself it wasn’t.

Trust Issues and a Broken System

The first time I seriously considered quitting was over a dispute with an outside agency. They insisted we do things their way, even when I flagged their errors. My concerns were dismissed, and I was told, “We’re paying them, so we’ll do it their way.” When the agency’s mistakes were finally acknowledged, I was removed from the project entirely.

Another glaring issue was the culture of avoiding accountability. I was asked to download files that violated data agreements but was told not to put my concerns in writing. Complaints, I was reminded, should always be shared “in person.” When I raised issues about staff dynamics in writing, the response wasn’t to address those concerns but to mandate that I come into the office “to work on communication skills.”

Around the same time, a merit raise and promotion I’d been promised — just a week earlier — were suddenly put on hold.

Broken Promises

Remote work was another major issue. I had been explicitly promised a remote role. Even when new hires were onboarded as 100%…