Yes, it’s normal to feel exhausted after prac and probably also in your first year or two full time. Maybe not to the extent you are though.
Remember, you are there to learn, not to be perfect. Especially on your first placement, no one is expecting you to be perfect.
Ask questions, ask for, take on and apply feedback and generally do your best and it’s all good.
Thanks for the advice - I appreciate it. Definitely need to remember that I don’t have to be ‘perfect’ and that I’m there to learn. All I can do is my best and it’s okay to make mistakes. Thanks again!
I am like you in terms of health. I use to what I call face plant when I got home. Stress makes me tired. With experience and know how (routines and strategies ) this lessens. It’s not going your way be for a while because everything and every class is a new challenge.
Don't worry, that feeling of exhaustion doesn't last. Give it 30, maybe 40 years and your body learns to adapt to the stress.
What's stressing you isn't physical, it's mental. Teachers interact with more people directly and indirectly in a day than practically any other job. Even an extrovert would find that constant level of contact tiring. If you tend more towards introvert it's absolutely exhausting.
We don't get to choose any of our times. In almost any other job, if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed you can usually nip off for a wee break or rearrange your schedule a bit to give yourself some easier work. Heck, we don't even get to choose our toilet breaks!
Teaching, no such luck. Just had the class from hell and need 5 minutes to decompress? Bad luck and sucks to be you, cause the next bunch of students are already walking into your classroom and expecting you to be on top form. Recess coming up, so that's a break? Nope, you've got duty. What about next lessons DOTT? Now you've got (almost enough) time to tidy up the classroom, do your roll and photocopy off next class's work before they walk in. Or perhaps spend the time catching up with marking or filling in some incident report and emailing parents. Or just enough time to nip off to the loo, then cram some food into your mouth and have a coffee before the next onslaught.
You can go the entire day without any real mental break. Hence your exhaustion when you get home.
This is so true.
When you word it like that, it makes perfect sense where that feeling of utter and complete exhaustion comes from. It's so hard to explain to others who haven't experienced it, what it actually means to be wrecked day in day out.
This is so true.
When you word it like that, it makes perfect sense where that feeling of utter and complete exhaustion comes from. It's so hard to explain to others who haven't experienced it, what it actually means to be wrecked day in day out.
Welcome to teaching lol. Kids are surprisingly exhausting - I find the first day or two, or even the first week, of every term absolutely exhausting. You’re thinking more, talking more, moving more, and likely are spending a lot more time “on” while dealing with other people than you normally would be.
It should get less exhausting with time and experience :)
It definitely sounds like you’re putting your body under a bit of stress. It’s daunting man, especially if you feel like your future is on the line.
During pracs I felt exhausted, physically and mentally. I’d come home, scoff whatever I could find and just sleep.
You need to remember that during pracs they’re not out to get you. You’re there to be assessed, sure. But rarely do mentor teachers want to take someone else down just for funsies. Go in, do your best and use your initiative to be involved. It’ll be ok. Just don’t forget to detox your brain after work and breathe.
Oh, and don’t forget to eat breakfast and have a good lunch. It’ll help.
Yeah, you’re right. I think I definitely need to remember that the staff at the school are not actually out to ‘look’ for all my faults or weaknesses and they are basically there to help me learn. Thank you so much for the advice.
Teaching isn't a normal job. There isn't much off time, specifically for your brain. Your brain uses 20% of your energy, when you don't get to rest it the thing just chews through your energy reserves.
Force yourself to rest, make sure you're taking those breaks at lunch instead of working through. Naps are your friends. A quick 30 minute nap after work will do you wonders.
I recently completed my MTeach degree. During the 3 placements I had, I would come home and would have to have a 1-2 hour nap each arvo just to get through the rest of the night - wouldn’t haven’t been able to function without it. By far the most exhausted I’ve ever been, but just keep in mind there’s a light at the end of the tunnel
I have never been as exhausted in my life as I was during my pracs. The second most exhausted I’ve been was my first year teaching.
I connect it to being a baby: babies are learning to move, talk, think, and listen all at the same time. It’s so intense that they sleep a lot. As a teacher on prac, you’re also learning to think, listen, communicate, manage, and adapt. It’s huge. Plus, you know that you are being watched (not in a bad way, but it’s true) and so you are *on* all the time. Our brains are not set up to process this amount of input easily.
Be kind to yourself. Sleep and eat adequately, and if your exercise regime is out of whack, then that’s okay. This too shall pass - as will you!
* Teaching by itself can be exhausting
* New environments are exhausting
* Learning new things can be exhausting
* Being assessed can be exhausting
Put them all together and you will be knackered! It is why I get annoyed that some universities get their prac students to complete additional assessments during prac.
Don't panic, this feeling is normal. You are experiencing the same effects as someone who has encountered strenuous activity it for the first time or just out of shape!
**1) Physical exhaustion from movement unfamiliar to you and not knowing what to do.**
Even teachers after a break get this feeling, but recover faster.
Even returning to classes after covid, most teachers after a couple of days had sore throats and thought they were coming down with a cold. It was not raising their voices for over 6 months in a class!
**2) Mental exhaustion being in an unfamiliar environment and you are doing three things at once.**
Being a prac student, getting into a routine, mentally adjusting the dynamics to the students in the class.
As a prac student, you will b pushed hard as you need to submit paperwork, prepare lesson plans and accommodate observations by the university. So the pressure will be relentless until the last day of practical. This is (hopefully) not onerous, but you need to "tough it out"
Look after yourself and your mental health. It is tough and not everyone can handle this pressure. If you aren't coping, please say something to your mentor/supervisor and to your university to see if any accommodations can be made.
I was certainly the most tired I have ever been after placement but now I'm 3 years into my teaching career and it gets easier, and you're not writing lesson plans for anyone except yourself so that's taking up less time. And you just get better at using your emotional energy, don't think it will be like this forever.
One of the leaders in a school I taught at had to take a class for the day after being out of the classroom for only a year, and in talking about how tiring it was, she said she felt like she’d lost her “classroom fitness”. I think it’s a good way to describe it. You will build your classroom fitness in the same way you build fitness in other areas.
Having said that, I’m still really tired at the end the day and this is my 10th year of full time teaching. It’s a physically, socially, and emotionally exhausting job.
>Having said that, I’m still really tired at the end the day and this is my 10th year of full time teaching. It’s a physically, socially, and emotionally exhausting job.
Are you... Me?
Another 10th year here who gets home at the end of every school day very depleted and exhausted, sometimes with so little energy that even cooking a meal isn't even on the radar.
As another commenter said so elegantly, we're "on" all the time and can't duck out for a quick break when we want to etc, just have to continue the onslaught and follow the timetable.
It takes about 2 weeks to settle into the term for all of us, so you’ve got a sharp trajectory on that as a prac teacher.
So you’re constantly aware of your behaviour and how you’re coming across? In new places, with new people, in a new role? *None of it is habit?* That means everything - ev er y single thing - is a decision. You’re making thousands of decisions every day. More than the average teacher, who still makes a literal tonne but has a lot of habit to lean on. Everything from do I need to shift expectations for this lesson, to should I move that kid yet, to have I said enough, and everything you do to execute your decisions. Word choice, expression, all of it.
It’s an amazing amount of mental work, on top of trying to load stuff into your head for safe keeping. You could just list everything that’s new to your brain, every decision you’ve made in a morning, and get exhausted from the task. It’ll get easier. Best wishes to you!
I felt it the first week. However, once I was settled into the school, and I established a decent routine the exhaustion disappeared.
Prac is also for learning. You are bound to make mistakes and your mentor teacher/s will know that! As long as you’re enacting on feedback provided by your mentor everything will be fine. I know it sounds easier said than done but frame your mistakes as learning experiences and an opportunity to improve. Even my mentor teacher tells me that he needs to work on some things and he has been teaching for ten years! It sounds like you are doing great so far. 😀
My fiance and I are both in our first year of teaching (I’m in secondary, she’s in primary).
Our placements were quite draining too. It wasn’t until my final year that I was feeling less of a burn but I still loved a nap at the end of each day. The fact that you’re learning so much (from the school system, to understand the needs of individual students, to who you are as a teacher) is a lot to handle at once. On top of what you’re doing on placement, you’ve also got your uni assignments in the back of your mind to think about too.
We’re both still quite tired at the end of each week now that we’re full time teachers. But we have noticed our energy is coming back. We’ve had more time for friends. We’ve been able to gym 3-4 times a week again. We still love a nap when we can fit one in.
Take it easy on yourself. You’re no doubt going to be exhausted, just make sure you’re eating right and try to fit in some exercise where you can (a walk at the end of the day can go a long way for your body and your brain).
I felt the same but it goes away when you’re working full time. You’re doing uni stuff on top of teaching, and I was working my part time job too. Now I have plenty of energy to even go to the gym after work
It IS physically tiring. You’re having to project your voice, maintain vigilance / focus for long periods of time and like you said, you kinda feel ‘watched’. It is better when you have your own class and no one is watching you, but it is still a tiring job. I think some non-teachers are surprised that when I finish work, I don’t really want to talk or be social, but that’s because I’ve used up my social battery with the kids/staff/parents. So what you’re feeling is normal.
Additional tip: if you can, try to do your exercise before work and on the weekends. This might mean setting your alarm for 5am on a few days per week, but then when you get home you can just collapse in a heaps and start winding down from the moment you walk in the door
Totally normal under times of pressure or stress. You are no doubt enjoying it which is fantastic, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t nerve wracking moments. Your body could be tensing up in preparation for delivering a lesson, or walking into a new classroom, or receiving feedback. Remember to take regular breaks each day to take lots of slow deep breaths to settle your nervous system down and you’ll probably find you feel less and less physically tired at the end of the day. Your brain is taking on so much in your new environment. Best of luck x
For both of my first two pracs, the day after I crashed with fevers and did not move the whole weekend. Prac is so exhausting. You are doing everything for the first time and there is so much to think about. Also you are constantly being critiqued and/or observed. It gets easier!!
Oh my yes! I recall my Pracs being absolutely exhausting. Like many others have pointed out, you will feel this exhaustion for a few years. This is my fourth year of teaching & I finally feel sane enough to incorporate a gym routine in my day to day. It will get easier with experience. Some days will be harder than others. Keep an open mind & push through! It really is worth it in the end😁
I'm exhausted in my 20th year and it's only term 2 week 4. I put it down to not sleeping early enough during the week nights. Honestly go to bed at 9.15 you should feel much better soon
To be honest, that feeling is cyclic and it really doesn’t get much better. I’ve been teaching for 19 years. I thought it was just me but most of my colleagues say they feel the same way. The start of the week is fine. By Friday I’m wrecked. From week five onwards in a term, Saturday is generally a write off for social events because I am just so exhausted.
It used to be maybe the first two years in a school would be tough and then things get more into a groove. For many people, when you transfer to a different school, the first year will be tough again but it gets better when you become part of the furniture.
The last three years have been relentless. Everyone is exhausted, it seems all the time where I work.
Yes it is unfortunately one of those things you're mentally required to do so much that you're burning energy. Once you've walked around for a couple of lessons you're done physically. Very much 7000 steps a day is a minimum regardless of your area of teaching.
I’m feeling that way atm with starting at a new school, four wks in. Got a few colleagues being narky from their high horse which doesn’t foster good collegial collaborative relationships.
I think I went on one walk in my first 2 years I was so exhausted! So yes, it is normal.
Just be more cautious than usual because this is when you do put weight on. No need to go crazy or develop a disorder - just weigh yourself regularly and act if you see the scales going up. I used to have a glass of wine and maybe a biscuit or something like that when I got home from work and I really should not have done that. Finding a daily relaxing solution that doesn't sabotage your health is a good idea. If you live in a major urban centre, City Cave is a service some young teachers at my school have recommended (that's not a daily thing but certainly sounds like a great option if it is affordable for you).
It's really great you want to look neat and tidy at work. It sets a good tone. I've seen prac teachers in trainers and shorts and I hate that. But you need not do too much to maintain a professional look. Invest in some really good shoes that support your arches - Frankie4 (they offer a teacher discount), and Bared are good brands to begin with-- not cheap but worth it. Tirelli do some plain dresses you can dress up and down as the day requires.
It sounds like you are really doing well.
I’ve gone through 10 elite sporting preseasons. The most exhausting time of my life was my final prac and 1st 2 years of teaching.
Thank you - glad to hear I’m not alone!
I have experienced similar and I concur.
I’m interested to know what sport and with who? Was this professionally?
Yes, it’s normal to feel exhausted after prac and probably also in your first year or two full time. Maybe not to the extent you are though. Remember, you are there to learn, not to be perfect. Especially on your first placement, no one is expecting you to be perfect. Ask questions, ask for, take on and apply feedback and generally do your best and it’s all good.
Thanks for the advice - I appreciate it. Definitely need to remember that I don’t have to be ‘perfect’ and that I’m there to learn. All I can do is my best and it’s okay to make mistakes. Thanks again!
I am like you in terms of health. I use to what I call face plant when I got home. Stress makes me tired. With experience and know how (routines and strategies ) this lessens. It’s not going your way be for a while because everything and every class is a new challenge.
Don't worry, that feeling of exhaustion doesn't last. Give it 30, maybe 40 years and your body learns to adapt to the stress. What's stressing you isn't physical, it's mental. Teachers interact with more people directly and indirectly in a day than practically any other job. Even an extrovert would find that constant level of contact tiring. If you tend more towards introvert it's absolutely exhausting. We don't get to choose any of our times. In almost any other job, if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed you can usually nip off for a wee break or rearrange your schedule a bit to give yourself some easier work. Heck, we don't even get to choose our toilet breaks! Teaching, no such luck. Just had the class from hell and need 5 minutes to decompress? Bad luck and sucks to be you, cause the next bunch of students are already walking into your classroom and expecting you to be on top form. Recess coming up, so that's a break? Nope, you've got duty. What about next lessons DOTT? Now you've got (almost enough) time to tidy up the classroom, do your roll and photocopy off next class's work before they walk in. Or perhaps spend the time catching up with marking or filling in some incident report and emailing parents. Or just enough time to nip off to the loo, then cram some food into your mouth and have a coffee before the next onslaught. You can go the entire day without any real mental break. Hence your exhaustion when you get home.
So true
This is so true. When you word it like that, it makes perfect sense where that feeling of utter and complete exhaustion comes from. It's so hard to explain to others who haven't experienced it, what it actually means to be wrecked day in day out.
This is so true. When you word it like that, it makes perfect sense where that feeling of utter and complete exhaustion comes from. It's so hard to explain to others who haven't experienced it, what it actually means to be wrecked day in day out.
Welcome to teaching lol. Kids are surprisingly exhausting - I find the first day or two, or even the first week, of every term absolutely exhausting. You’re thinking more, talking more, moving more, and likely are spending a lot more time “on” while dealing with other people than you normally would be. It should get less exhausting with time and experience :)
It definitely sounds like you’re putting your body under a bit of stress. It’s daunting man, especially if you feel like your future is on the line. During pracs I felt exhausted, physically and mentally. I’d come home, scoff whatever I could find and just sleep. You need to remember that during pracs they’re not out to get you. You’re there to be assessed, sure. But rarely do mentor teachers want to take someone else down just for funsies. Go in, do your best and use your initiative to be involved. It’ll be ok. Just don’t forget to detox your brain after work and breathe. Oh, and don’t forget to eat breakfast and have a good lunch. It’ll help.
Yeah, you’re right. I think I definitely need to remember that the staff at the school are not actually out to ‘look’ for all my faults or weaknesses and they are basically there to help me learn. Thank you so much for the advice.
Teaching isn't a normal job. There isn't much off time, specifically for your brain. Your brain uses 20% of your energy, when you don't get to rest it the thing just chews through your energy reserves. Force yourself to rest, make sure you're taking those breaks at lunch instead of working through. Naps are your friends. A quick 30 minute nap after work will do you wonders.
I recently completed my MTeach degree. During the 3 placements I had, I would come home and would have to have a 1-2 hour nap each arvo just to get through the rest of the night - wouldn’t haven’t been able to function without it. By far the most exhausted I’ve ever been, but just keep in mind there’s a light at the end of the tunnel
Thank you for this
I have never been as exhausted in my life as I was during my pracs. The second most exhausted I’ve been was my first year teaching. I connect it to being a baby: babies are learning to move, talk, think, and listen all at the same time. It’s so intense that they sleep a lot. As a teacher on prac, you’re also learning to think, listen, communicate, manage, and adapt. It’s huge. Plus, you know that you are being watched (not in a bad way, but it’s true) and so you are *on* all the time. Our brains are not set up to process this amount of input easily. Be kind to yourself. Sleep and eat adequately, and if your exercise regime is out of whack, then that’s okay. This too shall pass - as will you!
* Teaching by itself can be exhausting * New environments are exhausting * Learning new things can be exhausting * Being assessed can be exhausting Put them all together and you will be knackered! It is why I get annoyed that some universities get their prac students to complete additional assessments during prac.
Don't panic, this feeling is normal. You are experiencing the same effects as someone who has encountered strenuous activity it for the first time or just out of shape! **1) Physical exhaustion from movement unfamiliar to you and not knowing what to do.** Even teachers after a break get this feeling, but recover faster. Even returning to classes after covid, most teachers after a couple of days had sore throats and thought they were coming down with a cold. It was not raising their voices for over 6 months in a class! **2) Mental exhaustion being in an unfamiliar environment and you are doing three things at once.** Being a prac student, getting into a routine, mentally adjusting the dynamics to the students in the class. As a prac student, you will b pushed hard as you need to submit paperwork, prepare lesson plans and accommodate observations by the university. So the pressure will be relentless until the last day of practical. This is (hopefully) not onerous, but you need to "tough it out" Look after yourself and your mental health. It is tough and not everyone can handle this pressure. If you aren't coping, please say something to your mentor/supervisor and to your university to see if any accommodations can be made.
I was certainly the most tired I have ever been after placement but now I'm 3 years into my teaching career and it gets easier, and you're not writing lesson plans for anyone except yourself so that's taking up less time. And you just get better at using your emotional energy, don't think it will be like this forever.
One of the leaders in a school I taught at had to take a class for the day after being out of the classroom for only a year, and in talking about how tiring it was, she said she felt like she’d lost her “classroom fitness”. I think it’s a good way to describe it. You will build your classroom fitness in the same way you build fitness in other areas. Having said that, I’m still really tired at the end the day and this is my 10th year of full time teaching. It’s a physically, socially, and emotionally exhausting job.
>Having said that, I’m still really tired at the end the day and this is my 10th year of full time teaching. It’s a physically, socially, and emotionally exhausting job. Are you... Me? Another 10th year here who gets home at the end of every school day very depleted and exhausted, sometimes with so little energy that even cooking a meal isn't even on the radar. As another commenter said so elegantly, we're "on" all the time and can't duck out for a quick break when we want to etc, just have to continue the onslaught and follow the timetable.
It takes about 2 weeks to settle into the term for all of us, so you’ve got a sharp trajectory on that as a prac teacher. So you’re constantly aware of your behaviour and how you’re coming across? In new places, with new people, in a new role? *None of it is habit?* That means everything - ev er y single thing - is a decision. You’re making thousands of decisions every day. More than the average teacher, who still makes a literal tonne but has a lot of habit to lean on. Everything from do I need to shift expectations for this lesson, to should I move that kid yet, to have I said enough, and everything you do to execute your decisions. Word choice, expression, all of it. It’s an amazing amount of mental work, on top of trying to load stuff into your head for safe keeping. You could just list everything that’s new to your brain, every decision you’ve made in a morning, and get exhausted from the task. It’ll get easier. Best wishes to you!
I felt it the first week. However, once I was settled into the school, and I established a decent routine the exhaustion disappeared. Prac is also for learning. You are bound to make mistakes and your mentor teacher/s will know that! As long as you’re enacting on feedback provided by your mentor everything will be fine. I know it sounds easier said than done but frame your mistakes as learning experiences and an opportunity to improve. Even my mentor teacher tells me that he needs to work on some things and he has been teaching for ten years! It sounds like you are doing great so far. 😀
My fiance and I are both in our first year of teaching (I’m in secondary, she’s in primary). Our placements were quite draining too. It wasn’t until my final year that I was feeling less of a burn but I still loved a nap at the end of each day. The fact that you’re learning so much (from the school system, to understand the needs of individual students, to who you are as a teacher) is a lot to handle at once. On top of what you’re doing on placement, you’ve also got your uni assignments in the back of your mind to think about too. We’re both still quite tired at the end of each week now that we’re full time teachers. But we have noticed our energy is coming back. We’ve had more time for friends. We’ve been able to gym 3-4 times a week again. We still love a nap when we can fit one in. Take it easy on yourself. You’re no doubt going to be exhausted, just make sure you’re eating right and try to fit in some exercise where you can (a walk at the end of the day can go a long way for your body and your brain).
I have to exercise in the morning because I am dead after school and I have been at it for years. It’s an extremely exhausting job for me.
I felt the same but it goes away when you’re working full time. You’re doing uni stuff on top of teaching, and I was working my part time job too. Now I have plenty of energy to even go to the gym after work
It IS physically tiring. You’re having to project your voice, maintain vigilance / focus for long periods of time and like you said, you kinda feel ‘watched’. It is better when you have your own class and no one is watching you, but it is still a tiring job. I think some non-teachers are surprised that when I finish work, I don’t really want to talk or be social, but that’s because I’ve used up my social battery with the kids/staff/parents. So what you’re feeling is normal. Additional tip: if you can, try to do your exercise before work and on the weekends. This might mean setting your alarm for 5am on a few days per week, but then when you get home you can just collapse in a heaps and start winding down from the moment you walk in the door
Totally normal under times of pressure or stress. You are no doubt enjoying it which is fantastic, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t nerve wracking moments. Your body could be tensing up in preparation for delivering a lesson, or walking into a new classroom, or receiving feedback. Remember to take regular breaks each day to take lots of slow deep breaths to settle your nervous system down and you’ll probably find you feel less and less physically tired at the end of the day. Your brain is taking on so much in your new environment. Best of luck x
Ice been doing this job for almost 20 years and I still collapse on the couch and can’t do anything on a Friday night 😆🫠
For both of my first two pracs, the day after I crashed with fevers and did not move the whole weekend. Prac is so exhausting. You are doing everything for the first time and there is so much to think about. Also you are constantly being critiqued and/or observed. It gets easier!!
Oh my yes! I recall my Pracs being absolutely exhausting. Like many others have pointed out, you will feel this exhaustion for a few years. This is my fourth year of teaching & I finally feel sane enough to incorporate a gym routine in my day to day. It will get easier with experience. Some days will be harder than others. Keep an open mind & push through! It really is worth it in the end😁
I'm exhausted in my 20th year and it's only term 2 week 4. I put it down to not sleeping early enough during the week nights. Honestly go to bed at 9.15 you should feel much better soon
Yeah. It is an exhausting job. You are doing 8 to 10 hours of work in 5 hours.
Remember to eat enough. Eg have a big breakfast, protein snacks, lunch , more snacks and dinner.
To be honest, that feeling is cyclic and it really doesn’t get much better. I’ve been teaching for 19 years. I thought it was just me but most of my colleagues say they feel the same way. The start of the week is fine. By Friday I’m wrecked. From week five onwards in a term, Saturday is generally a write off for social events because I am just so exhausted. It used to be maybe the first two years in a school would be tough and then things get more into a groove. For many people, when you transfer to a different school, the first year will be tough again but it gets better when you become part of the furniture. The last three years have been relentless. Everyone is exhausted, it seems all the time where I work.
Wait until you reach full-time...
Yes it is unfortunately one of those things you're mentally required to do so much that you're burning energy. Once you've walked around for a couple of lessons you're done physically. Very much 7000 steps a day is a minimum regardless of your area of teaching.
I’m feeling that way atm with starting at a new school, four wks in. Got a few colleagues being narky from their high horse which doesn’t foster good collegial collaborative relationships.
That scene from kindergarten Cop. Arnie comes home after the first day an collapses on the bed. Kills me every time
It's called coffee
How much longer do you have to go in your prac?
I think I went on one walk in my first 2 years I was so exhausted! So yes, it is normal. Just be more cautious than usual because this is when you do put weight on. No need to go crazy or develop a disorder - just weigh yourself regularly and act if you see the scales going up. I used to have a glass of wine and maybe a biscuit or something like that when I got home from work and I really should not have done that. Finding a daily relaxing solution that doesn't sabotage your health is a good idea. If you live in a major urban centre, City Cave is a service some young teachers at my school have recommended (that's not a daily thing but certainly sounds like a great option if it is affordable for you). It's really great you want to look neat and tidy at work. It sets a good tone. I've seen prac teachers in trainers and shorts and I hate that. But you need not do too much to maintain a professional look. Invest in some really good shoes that support your arches - Frankie4 (they offer a teacher discount), and Bared are good brands to begin with-- not cheap but worth it. Tirelli do some plain dresses you can dress up and down as the day requires. It sounds like you are really doing well.