Thinking about retraining to become a teacher

kelloggs36

mikey72 wrote: »

So basically just 5 weeks off this summer then.

No actually, as I have to plan and get resources for a whole new year group. I will need to plan all the topic lessons, maths for the first week back, literacy for the first week and all the other subjects. I will need to get the classroom labels done too, and get new folders prepared for the new pupil assessment. i will need to resource books, get displays ready. I might have a couple of weeks off out of all that time off.

mikey72

kelloggs36 wrote: »

No actually, as I have to plan and get resources for a whole new year group. I will need to plan all the topic lessons, maths for the first week back, literacy for the first week and all the other subjects. I will need to get the classroom labels done too, and get new folders prepared for the new pupil assessment. i will need to resource books, get displays ready. I might have a couple of weeks off out of all that time off.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

mikey72

To answer the op's original question, retraining as a teacher is a good career, if you can find a job at the end of it.
Plus points are you are off the same time (mostly) as the kids, and don't need to plan childcare in the holidays. Good pay, good holidays.
Minus points, when you are at work you have to leave in the morning before your kids, and you're home after them. You will work at home, so evenings and weekends have to have a few hours put aside. It's easier with younger age groups, and harder with elder.
Holidays are inflexible, so as a family it will cost more.
On average, you end up working as long as anyone else, say 1600 to 1700 hours a year, but it's "seasonal". (Contract is for 1265)
My wife is a teacher, I'm self employed, so on a school day, I start later, come home for the kids, then go back to work in the evening when my wife is home if I need to. I sorted out the playdates, and the school runs, sickness, dentists, doctors, school play, nativity, packed lunch etc.
I left a customer yesterday, just after I got there, as the school phoned to say my youngest was poorly, and had to go home. (So that's tomorrow sorted out for me)
School holidays and weekends I can schedule in longer jobs, and work from 8am to 10pm if I need to as my wife will be at home all day. (Well, technically she won't be 'cos she takes the kids out without me for days out)

Bad point - if you leave, it's even harder to get back in, as you will have several years of moving up the payscale, so you are then interviewing with NQT's on the bottom of the scale.
So it's not a career to plan to take a break from.

Alleycat

Looking at the various options for training, it appears that the most preferable would be the Graduate Teacher Programme.

Person one, thanks for the advice re closing dates for the courses. I have checked on this with the West London Partnership which covers my area and the application dates for September 2011 are 1/9/10 to 15/11/10. I would need to have completed 4 weeks work experience and have a school willing to employ me whilst studying. I hadn’t realised that it would be that far in advance for a September 2011 start date! There’s only three weeks left of the summer term!

Actually getting onto the GTP sounds very competitive, so I might not even be successful in that! This could all be pie in the sky but something I still think I would like to do. I am going to speak to the headteacher at my daughter’s school on Monday to ask if I would be able to shadow a KS1 and KS2 teacher for a day each to see how things run and get some hands on insight. I think it takes a very special person to be a good teacher and hopefully by spending a day observing I will be able to get an idea of whether it’s something I would be able to do well.

Regarding the hours, I would be happy to work full time initially (maybe about a year) but would ideally prefer to drop down to job share. This would be a happy medium for me although I realise that this may not be possible. How do those of you with school age children feel about missing drop-offs and pick-ups? Do you find it hard?

I live in West London and at my daughter’s school at least there are a lot of South African/Australian/New Zealand teachers and there is also quite a high turn over. I don’t know if this is similar in other schools in the area though.

Mikey72, I would like to teacher KS1 preferably but I think that is just because my eldest is only 5 and so this is the most experience I have with kids and what I am familiar with. This would be a long term career change. If I go for it, I wouldn’t be looking at taking a break apart from maternity leave if we were to have another baby. Though financially living in London, I don’t know if we could afford more than the two we already have!

I’ve spent the last 11 years in the housing field and it can be very unpredictable. When we moved down from Bradford 3 years ago, it took me over a month to secure even a temping job 1 ½ hours travel away. I then spent nearly a year jumping from one temping job to another before securing my current position. This started as maternity cover but became a permanent jobshare. 2 ½ years in, I am now facing redundancy as it is looking likely that funding our organisation depends on will be pulled. This means losing 2 full time posts from our already small team.

Teaching has always been in the back of my mind. I was going to do a PGCE when I graduated from university but at that point felt that I needed a break from study. Life got complicated and there was never a right time. I feel now that maybe fate has taken over and given me this opportunity. It sounds incredibly hard to even get on a funded course though.

mikey72

Even dropping to job share means you are then competing with NQT's if you want to move back to full time after the kids have grown up.
That's the downside with an incremental pay scale, it's great if you stay in the job, but not good if you are re-entering.

Alleycat

Just been talking to hubby and I would look to start training in September 2012. Ben would be nearly 2 1/2 by then which would make things easier. It would also allow me more time to build up work experience and find a school willing to employ me as an unqualified teacher.

Fortunately as I will still be on maternity leave come December, if I was to be made redundant I have a lot more rights regarding offers of alternative employment. I would be able to take on another job even if it was something I didn't want to do long term as it would really be a stop gap for a year or so.

joolsybools

I just wanted to say good luck with whatever you decide

Alleycat

Thanks Joolsy!

milliebear00001

Vastly in your favour is the fact you're in London. Still an under-supply of teachers for primary there.

You will need experience in a primary school to stand any chance of getting onto a course. I volunteered, three days a week, for about six months, before I applied for my PGCE. I did my course part-time via distance learning (18 months in total) which fitted better with my children.

Have to say regarding pick-ups/assemblys/sports days/ etc...this is a killer for me because I know my DD would really love me to be there, and I can't be. I am very lucky that my OH is now a stay-at-home dad, but it's still not the same, for either me, or her, even if I do get the holidays with her.

Alleycat

milliebear, thank you for telling me about your experience. Glad to hear that there would be more job opportunities where I am as well. What course did you do that was part-time? Was it the Graduate Teaching Programme and how did you go about applying? Sorry, one more question, but what made you decide to go into teaching as it sounds like it was a career change for you?