Routes into teaching

fish89

Hi all,

I am thinking of a career change and have always wanted to go into teaching. Turning 26 next month I want to sort my life out and do something rewarding.

I have a 2:1 in Business Management so Business Studies seems the best subject for me to teach and my A-Levels are in Law and Business. Since university I have worked in a factory as supervisor for 18 months and currently a sales representative earning less than I earned in a factory!

Currently I am weighing up Primary and Secondary Education but School Direct (salaried) apart I need to know what funding is available or how easy it would be to do an SKE in a subject that provides a bursary as I have to maintain a reasonable income that pays a mortgage and feeds my young family.

Anyone care to help me as I weigh up my options and get an application put together in the coming months?

robatwork

Start by not putting any quiz buzzers down your top.

No experience with teaching but in my day you would look to do a PGCE.

roosterpotatoes

Yes you would need to look for a PGCE, my friend took this route however, unfortunately there was no funding for her, she has a young family to support also but was fortunate enough to secure a job for when she finished.

She had to a year voluntary work to make sure she was making the right decision as well as making her look more enthusiastic when applying for the PGCE; there is a lot of competition for those courses.

I thought it was just NHS funded courses that provided bursaries but I could be wrong

Good luck

mustang121

roosterpotatoes wrote: »

Yes you would need to
I thought it was just NHS funded courses that provided bursaries but I could be wrong

Good luck

There are bursaries and funding for core teaching subjects such Maths and the sciences and for secondary subjects such as Geography, History and languages. Also depending on the grade of your degree.


https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/bursaries-and-funding

fish89

mustang121 wrote: »

There are bursaries and funding for core teaching subjects such Maths and the sciences and for secondary subjects such as Geography, History and languages. Also depending on the grade of your degree.


https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/bursaries-and-funding

I've seen that, but my degree or A-Levels aren't in core subjects. How easy would it be to undertake an SKE in Geography and pass quickly?

tomtontom

All the information is on the website fish, perhaps you could read up and then come back with any outstanding questions?

dawyldthing

I'd second what a lot of these are saying. I'd try and get as much volunteering as possible to see if it's definately for you (it's not like what everyone thinks that you go to work for 8 and go home at 3.30.) you do a lot of planning on evenings and weekends then there's training and a lot more stuff. it's more of a vacation in all honesty than a job. A lot of people don't stay on as its a lot about paperwork and less about the teaching, but it is very rewarding.

One advantage is with the baby boom and a lot of teachers nearing retirement we will need more and more teachers soon

amandacat

I did the PGCE 5 years ago in secondary. After qualifying I lasted for 7 months as a teacher.

Went in to the profession in my 30s as thought it was always my dream job but hated it. The terrible behaviour, kids swearing at me etc, feeling sick at the thought of going to work, working every evening planning lessons or marking work.

Most people leave teaching, something like 1/3 of newly qualified in the first year.

I am not trying to scare you off but please spend time in schools doing work placements before making your decision. Especially now you don't receive funding for most subjects.

That said I don't regret completing my PGCE as I now work in the training sector with adults and love it so it allowed me this option.

zagubov

dawyldthing wrote: »

it's more of a vacation in all honesty than a job.

One heck of a typo! Nothing could be further from the truth!:o

Where are you planning to teach? Inner city, in the countryside? Other posters here are right to warn you of the challenges. There's supposed to be around 400,000 qualified teachers who've left the profession and who're not teaching, that's almost as many that are currently working.

That should tell you about how major a decision it is.

Do voluntary work first. This may or may not suit you. You need to be sure.

dawyldthing

Vocation even lol