Debt Free - Let's do this!! Medical related!!

anniestar

To teach you MUST have a degree in a subjct that has AT LEAST A 50% content of the National Curriculum(ie if perhaps you wanted to teach History you could do say Politics and History provided history was 50% of the course.) You suffer from stress, have you BEEN into school recently? Think this through VERY VERY carefuly. Whilst you have some free(ish) time in the day contact a school, most schools will be helpful, TALK to teachers find out exactly whats its like.Particularly talk to as many NQT's as you can, go on the TES website, talk to perhaps the NUT(they do a fantastic book called Don't smile before Christmas). Talk to students on a PGCE course and then, armed with ALL of the above decide if its for you. If it is then great, But for Gods sake please make an informed choice. It is a hard job, can be great and yes the money is good but don't get hooked into the "teachers get LOADS of holiday" guff a LOT of that is spent sleeping, going into school and preparing. I fully expect you to ignore everything I have said, but it is NOT a go, far from it. I have personal expierence of two people who were broken by teaching. One ended up having had a quite dreadful breakdown, she had a good degree, sailed through her PGCE, never missed a deadline, all her paperwork done and in on time. Got a job at a very supportive school and on the surface all was well. She was however really struggling with the work load and ended up self harming(cutting her arms) having health problems and 4 years after teaching ended up being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. I had a Christmas card from her she is better than she was but will never be the same. Good job? Ask someone like her. The second wasn't so lucky she was a very close friend of mine(we met as undergrads) the PGCE broke her in a way that I wouldn't have dreamed possible. She took her own life. Good job? NOTHING is worth that. That is why I beg anyone thinking of taking up teaching to PLEASE find out as much as you can. Like I say I know this post will be ignored, thats fine but I do wish you well and am really not trying to be unkind to you, or put you off pursuing a dream. (I really am NOT nasty or mean-look at some of my other posts) but your last post made my blood run cold. PLEASE do research before you jump into this. Again, I wish you well.

polki

I have to jump in to support anniestarr in this. I too have known teachers (very good ones at that) destroyed by the pressures of the job. Having said that, some people do still enjoy it.

Only consider it if you have done all of the research first.

miggy

I hesitated to say anything as I don't know you or what experience of schools you have, but there is a lot in this.
One of my best friends is in teaching and has told me a few times she doesn't expect to live long enough to retire. She loves her job and is very dedicated, and is only in her mid-thirties, but it is taking its toll on her too.
Two other teacher friends - one retired early because it was too much for her, the other has on-going health problems caused by stress.
I saw my daughter's teacher earlier this week. She has been off with stress and by the look of her and her behavoiur she really shouldn't be back. The job is breaking her up.
Having said all that, if you have done your research and have some classroom experience and decided it's still for you and you can go into it with your eyes open, go for it! Also, if you love teaching but suffer from stress, bear in mind there are options in adult education, where the chances are your students will actually have opted in to study and will be a joy to teach.

catman-without_wings

Mate, this thread is something else. Mind you made me go from being a lurker to the dizzy heights of a poster. I don't think you really know what you want to do and simply because of this you are taking one hell of a gamble. My mother, father, two sisters and brother are all in teaching.My first wife and I met in a staff room(I couldn't hack it only lasted 3 years) never again. I think that someone who in the course of a recently started thread has wanted to Work in Sainsburys, First Direct, Tax office, ADSA, Nat West, the police and now wants to do a degree is NOT CUT OUT FOR TEACHING. Deal with it.

learning_to_drive

Thanks for the feedback guys, believe me, its something that isnt being taken lightly. Ive got a 3 day taster course to go to early Feb, Its something I've toyed with since the age of 17, Ive jst had a good job (JS) or debts (last year) and being unable to go. Its something Im thinking about.

I will certainly read up on the sites that you mentioned, thanks for the feedback, certainly stoked up a debate!

I agree about the job thing catman, and I appreciate the post, its nice to know that I have got a lurker to post! It's something that I have thought about since the age of 17, and have researched, but believe me, after all that has happened, its something that WILL NOT be taken lightly.

CAFCGirl

learning_to_drive wrote:

I've done them before, lol, I'm 21 now, but I have to have a C in Maths to do teaching, and its something I want to get done before I go to Uni, no biggie If I cant get it done though before I go, can study for it whilst im there.

Miggy, studying business / management / ICT, whatever I get accepted for, all interest me, then with the teaching plan in place. Not doing a degree for anything else other than to teach.

I'm confused!

You're re-sitting your GCSE's to go to uni? Or re-sitting them so that you can study another subject to then go onto uni?

From what I know, my sister is a teacher, you have to have AS/A Levels with very good grades.... at least BBB at A level (thats from UCAS website for Primary Teaching)

How do you plan on being accepted for the course?

I know you feel a bit ........... from what people have said, but do try to see it from people's points of view. You have chopped and changed a lot but one thing does remain true and I've said this to you privately as well.

No matter what anyone says to you, or the advice they give, you will inevitably end up doing whatever it is you want to do.

I think thats why some people are struggling to give you any substantial advice since they may feel like it falls on deaf ears. I dont mean to sound cruel at all, but I think its important to be honest here.

I hope you achieve whatever it is you want in life, but I will still say to you I think you should concentrate on life right now, just facing every day.

Teaching and indeed many jobs will reduce people to the floor some days, you need to be flatly honest with yourself about whether or not you can ACTUALLY cope with that before you go any further.

I was diagnosed 7 months ago now with depression and I know in myself I would never be able to handle a job like my sisters, I can just about hold it together in retail!

But I do wish you luck. People are trying to help you, even when it seems like they're against you...........

GettingThingsDone

Hi LTD - for the second time, I'm going to second what CAFCGirl's just posted...

Gemmzie

learning_to_drive wrote:

Cant apply till March?

Maintenance loan of £ 2,265
Fee loan of up to £ 3,070 - subject to the cost of your course
HE Maintenance Grant of £ 2,659

Is what I got off the SLC website, I'm doing it all now so that I can concentrate fully on getting debts down, only will have one to pay off then

I'm lucky, but its high time I paid back some faith that people have put in me, an old teacher has agreed to write a personal statement for me, then it's full steam ahead! I need to put £15 into my current account tomorrow over counter so I can pay my UCAS fee!

Then it's graft for 8 months, and focus, and then its enjoyable focus time for a great job at the end of it. I'm going to do my GCSE Maths and Science again, I got 2 EE's at Science and D,D,D,E at GCSE Maths.

Sorting my life out, the more i think about it, the more im convinced that all this happened for a reason.

Hang on a second, the grants, loans etc you apply for from March. But the UCAS deadline has passed for this year.

You can't apply to UCAS until you have the new GCSE grades. What degree are you going to do? As far as I know, teaching requires a degree and then a PGCE.

Also, your teacher writes a reference, you write your personal statement which needs to be tailored to the (up to) six courses you are applying for. You have less chance of being accepted if you apply for greatly differing courses.

learning_to_drive

The UCAS deadline hasn't passed, I applied in June last year and got 6 unconditional offers!!

I have my GCSE's and A levels, however I need Maths to become a teacher obviously,

All my courses are business and ICT related.

CAFCGirl

but the courses you've applied to do arent teaching then obviously?

I feel like Im seriously missing the point here, obviously too early in the day for me