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.