Yes... I know a pretty good amount of teachers - my mom, my boyfriend, quite a number of good friends, and many of my mom's coworkers - and I have interned in a school like I mentioned, so I hope you don't mind if I throw a list of pros and cons out there for consideration.
The cons I have heard most are that it is poorly paid (following that, you spend a fair amount of essentially unpaid time working and that you often have to provide your own resources if you want to go the extra mile); there is administrative bullshit in particular from the high levels, like you mentioned - but most teachers I know seem to be on very positive terms with their immediate supervisors - and sometimes from parents; there's not always much upward mobility depending on your preferences and position; you will have to deal with administering discipline to a certain extent, which some are not fond of but others find second nature; there can be testing pressure (just another form of administrative bullshit, imo). Though, the more strong teachers there are, the better the fight against the high levels.
The pros I have heard most are that you get to spend your whole day doing something fun and fulfilling; the profession is well-established, fairly well regulated, and there are jobs basically everywhere; you're off at least holidays if not also all of summer; you can make a huge difference in many kids' lives; you're essentially getting a big hand in shaping the future; you have lots of day-to-day variety; you often get very good benefits; at least where I live, once you have your license, you can just take another qualifying test and you can teach a new subject or age group, so there's good lateral movement.
I can safely say that most of the teachers I know are really wonderful people and their careers generally seem to amplify that... some kind of inner strength that being a guiding light to others really brings out. I think that as long as you find the role appealing, have a good level of tolerance for the fight against upper-level administrivia, and can deal with the relatively low salary, it's a great career choice.
