To encourage DD2 15 in to a career in Teaching.

[smokepole]

Those that have read some of my previous threads, will be aware of some of DD2s 'foibles'. However, over the last couple of years she has expressed a desire to go in to teaching , I have heard her mentioning it to her friends and just thought she was being a bit 'daft' It appears she is being serious after bumping in to her form teacher in town, who told me that she keeps 'pestering' her about teaching ( DD has had her form teacher since yr7 ) so is quite 'fond' of her.

I have two doubts the first thing at the moment, DD can get quite upset easily if something unpleasant is said to her. The second doubt is she can be a bit 'judgemental' about people and pointed out to me on another thread a bit of an 'academic snob'. DD struggled initially at her grammar school but worked very hard, so is near the top of her year 11 cohort. DD can not understand why kids who are struggling don't just work harder to overcome their problems.

DDs form teacher teacher thinks that if DD could overcome these problems, she could be an excellent teacher, but reading some of these posts teaching is the 'profession from hell'. DD could also have a tendency to be 'politically in correct' ( though right) when telling a pupil off for 'Lazy' or poor work.

DD would like to teach English as this is a strength of hers, to me she 'seems young' to be making career choices but going in to year 11 you have to make them.

I am also confused has to whether DD will be doing be doing 4 A levels in 2017 or 1 AS level in 2016 an 3 A levels in 2017 any help for that one ?

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

I don't think your DD needs to decide now. I think she needs to work hard at her GCSEs and when she gets her mock marks start thinking about A levels and beyond.

Plenty of DCs change their university course choices after AS levels. (And no I don't know what's happening with AS), I changed a year into uni, as did DH. He eventually changed again because he realised computing was far more employable than very theoretical science.

Let your DD finish growing up. I have a 16y, who's just got her GCSEs, they mature a lot in Y11.

[awsomer]

Going into Year 11 definitely does not mean that she has to decide now. As long as she gets a Grade C at GCSE maths, English and Science her options are open. If she enjoys English you could encourage her to take it at A level it please don't give it any further thought than that.

[Lottiedoubtie]

I agree way too early for her to decide anything. Encourage her to do the subjects she loves in sixth form. And if that turns out to be English then that'll be fine, if not then she clearly doesn't want to be an English teacher that much anyway!

You can't judge her ability to be a teacher on her teenage personality traits. Didnt we all hold ridiculous and strong opinions in our teens that we later felt about.

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

I would say not necessarily encourage but don't discourage her from it. I wanted to be a teacher but was told by my family and my teachers I'd be wasted as a teacher. I did a history degree then 2 years at law college and trained as a solicitor before dumping it all to become a secondary teacher. I should have done that in the first place. It felt like it was what I was supposed to do (career break to raise 3 children at the moment).

[awsomer]

As for Alevels, they are generally split into two parts: successful completion of the first years modules equating an AS and successful completion of the following years modules equating an A level.
Is that what you mean?

Lots of students will choose 4 Alevels they'd like to take and (hopefully) complete these up to AS in their first year, they then either continue their studies of these up to A level, or 'drop' one of the courses, leaving them more time to work on the remaining 3. Thus completing 6th form college with 3 A levels and 1 AS. But every student is different and will need to choose a course load suitable for them!!

[chumrun]

I'd have been a terrible teacher at 15

At 32 I'm an assistant head so not so bad after all.

Give her time!

[awsomer]

Gaining classroom experience would be a great way for your DD to get a better understanding of classroom life (although it's definitely not the complete version). When she's settled into 6th form/college she could contact some local schools and see if they're accepting any volunteers.

[Jessica85]

I recently moved to teaching from being and engineer, and I don't think it's the career from hell at all. If she wants to teach secondary pupils she has a long time to decide; she'd have to do a levels and a degree before moving on to teacher training.

As for her personality traits I wouldn't worry. She's 15 and will grow up loads before she starts teaching, and will probably learn what is / is not appropriate to say in front of a class. My mum was also worried when I made the switch cos I am a proper cryer when someone upsets me, but nasty words from kids aren't hurtful cos you know they're just children.

As for the new a level system, it is currently out for consultation, and teaching won't begin until 2016 so anyone starting yr 12 before then will be on the old system, albeit with new subject specifications in some subjects. This is all iirc, I don't have all the details in front of me right now.

[noblegiraffe]

If she is starting A-levels in 2015 (which I assume she is if she is 15) then you are right to be confused about what she will take. Some subjects (inc English) will be switched to linear courses from then, and will not have AS exams in Y12 forming part of her final grade. Other subjects (maths, geography) will not be switching till 2016 so if she takes them, they will be the same as now and she could drop them at AS as now. And I don't think anyone is clear about what's happening to the rest (e.g. Languages)

The subjects which will be linear and only examined in Y13 from first teaching 2015 are:

Art and Design
Business studies
Comp sci
Economics
English (all types)
History
Psychology
Sciences
Sociology

AS level will be available in those subjects should students choose to sit it at the end of Y12, however, crucially, it doesn't count towards A-level. If they then decided to continue with the full A-level, they would have to sit those exam topics again.

[coffeewithchips]

It's not the career from hell really. During the most stressful times, it can be grim but so can every job. The main advantages are the holidays and the interaction with the kids. Every day is different and it's definitely not dull.

If your DD decides to go down this route, she might get the "you'd be wasted as a teacher" type comments (which tbh, I find quite offensive - like teaching is a lesser profession than any other and reserved for useless people who couldn't do anything else. However, that's another thread!)

I didn't decide to be a teacher until I was about 20 so your DD has plenty of time. People change hugely from Year 11 to adulthood. I was much quieter, more sensitive and anxious as a teenager. I'm a lot more confident now and less fragile, which is important for a career in teaching. As long as she gets good grades in English and Maths and solid A-levels, she can make the decision later if needed.

[noblegiraffe]

She doesn't need to make any decisions now. She can concentrate on GCSEs, A-levels and a couple of years of Uni before even needing to think about teacher training. In the meantime, once she has left school, she might realise there are more jobs out there!

[Mrsjayy]

Of course encourage her she is 15 they all get senstive if criticised and often just say stuff because they are 15 her personality has years to mature, a woman I know wants to discorage her child from doing vet nursing because the mother doesn't want her upset as she cries at animal programme s

[jopickles]

as someone who works in a teacher training department I would agree with what everyone else is saying, encourage her to concentrate on her GCSEs as these are a national requirement for teacher training and I believe the requirement may well change to them needing a B in Maths and English (Science as well if teaching at primary level). She would also need to think about age range and subject she wants to teach so A levels in these subjects would be good but a broad range of subjects helps and teaching in secondary schools requires a subject specific degree so this may need to be taken into consideration for her A levels. I would also say encourage her to get involved in youth clubs, reading groups at school with younger children and when she can gain some actual classroom experience as this is what will set her apart but also allow her to see what is required and if this is what she really wants to do

[whois]

She's only 15, doesn't need to decide now. Get good results and do a degree in a solid and daughter after subject. During uni she can look at getting work exp and see if she really wants to be a teacher.

[smokepole]

Noble. I think she will be doing 4 A Levels then ( GCSE Grades permitting) Thinking English Lit ,History Politics ,Chemistry at the moment . DD predicted grades for GCSE= English Lang/Lit A History A Chemistry A* French/Latin, Biology, Physics, PE A Art B.

DD says things at the moment, without thinking what she has said, but then realises and says 'sorry'. Two examples she was 'nasty' to her older sister who was nervous about her A2 results and then very loving and caring afterwards. The other example ' if I become a teacher I only want to teach in grammar or private schools' ( when I pointed out to her that she would not have taught me or her sister) she apologized and said I want to teach 'everybody' and did not mean it .

It is of course being '15' and saying things for effect , I just wish she would 'think' before coming out with stuff she does not mean.

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

Can i just say something about Alevel choices. When I did mine I was a good all rounder at school so I took the four subjects I liked the best. These being History, French, Chemistry and Physics. The mix was not complimentary and I should have done either all arts or all sciences. It can (I've been told ) also hinder you in applications as you are not showing a commitment to one branch of study.
Just something to think about. It may have changed since I did mine (old gimmer) but I wish someone has told me that before I was committed to doing those four subjects.

[chilephilly]

The way Govt policy is going, she could be in a classroom by the start of the new term! !

I've been in the game for 25+ years, it's not the job I came into. For that reason I wouldn't recommend it.

[Mandyandme]

I don't want to be thought of as unreasonable but for the love of god don't let her be a teacher. I actually think your worries about her attitude to others less able than her speak volumes. From what you say is she only going into teaching so she can show off how bright she is and thinks everything is about working hard to get results. I had an English teacher with that attitude who made my life such hell that to this day I have never willingly picked up a pen and paper to write anything. Thank god for iPads.
Having 2 dyslexic children, dd diagnosed as in the bottom 1 percentile academically but perfectly intelligent where it matters and a ds who is due to see the Ed Psych this term. Both have been on the receiving end of teachers who thought they were lazy and stupid and with my son put him back years and wrecked everything he had worked hard to achieve and with another totally derailed dd's confidence.

[titchy]

She is a minimum of six years away from being a teacher. I assume she has changed in the last 6 years? Do you not therefore see that she will change in the next 6 years?

Don't encourage or discourage. She's got years before she needs to decide! And as she gets older and wiser (she will, even if you can't envisage it now!) she'll learn what she can and can't say or do.

[ilovesooty]

You could just let her develop, mature and make her own mind up.

[afterthought]

I'm a teacher and I love it. I think I was probably like your DD at 15 - I was at Grammar school and had similar views about those who struggled. I did a degree in my favourite subject (keeping my options open) and then went onto teaching.

I wanted to teach at a Grammar but ended up applying for a comprehensive to get interview experience and got the job. When I started I taught top sets and loved it but discovered I had a talent for working with those at the opposite end of the spectrum. I found it incredibly rewarding and also found it fascinating to learn about the factors that can impact on learning. I'd never go back to top set teaching!

I am not the same person I was at 15. I would suggest like someone else that she gets experience of working with children. I helped at Brownies at that age and it was fabulous for me and really helped at my PGCE and job interviews - it worked in my favour as they knew I had some idea about what working with children (and their parents) was like.

[DeWee]

My dd2 says she wants to be a teacher, she's year 6 though so a lot of time to go. I don't think it will be the right career when she comes to it, however I wouldn't say that to her. Whatever she does I think it will surprise us though!

What I have said to her is that I think she is much better to do a degree then a PGCE rather than a teacher training degree as it will keep her options open. She thinks that sounds fine and is currently planning on a maths degree followed by a PGCE. That way she does still have the choice even after a PGCE what to do.

I am also aware that, even at 15yo, I don't think I was actually aware of all the different careers there were. I think I'd have split it into along the lines of: teaching, in a shop, office, armed services, medicine which really doesn't cover anything like. I'd have dismissed "office" or "shop" as boring, "armed services" or "medicine" as not something I wanted to do, leaving teaching.

[primarynoodle]

make sure she takes at least 2 national curriculum subjects for a levels (I.e. maths, pe, science, art etc) then when she is 18 she has the option to go into teaching or something else?

most teaching degrees want at least 50% of a levels in NC subjects but have a look around some of the unis

[smokepole]

Primary. That's why I am thinking English and Chemistry, because she could do either at university and teach the other one as a additional subject having achieved good A level grades (hopefully). Her elder sister is just about to start Forensic Science with (Chemistry) @ Leicester ,DD1 has been set on joining the Police Force since being 14 and was more 'grown up at 15' , hence the reason I did not have any doubts about DD1 at the same age.

Afterthought. Thank you for your advice, I suspect like you she may find it my 'rewarding' teaching struggling pupils rather than top set pupils. DD2 missed an opportunity to work in her old Primary School for year 10 work experience, instead she went to the placement I sorted out.

[Fabulous46]

I think you need to let her decide her own career path tbh. At 15 I doubt many people know what they want to do. I know when my lot were 15 they chopped and changed their minds. Only one out of the four have gone on to follow a career they had talked about. When one of my DD's was 15 she had her heart set on becoming a teacher. She's 23 now and is cabin crew for Emirates. "Living the dream" as she calls it. One of my sons only wanted to play in a band. He's now studying medicine. I think it's unfair on kids to point them in a certain direction career wise. They should be able to choose for themselves.