To think entry requirements to be a teacher should be higher

[totteringlump]

AIBU to think too many teachers (obviously not all) don’t have particularly good qualifications themselves and so struggle to teach the syllabus to the class? People are able to pass but not excel and these teachers often struggle to advise students about gaining entry to Oxbridge and other places plus about high paid careers.

If students don’t have this advice at home they cannot know.

[Mightymucks]

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

On what evidence are you basing this generalisation?

(note - I am not a teacher but an interested parent with a different experience)

[Graphista]

They're teachers not career advisers there are other people for that teachers have enough to do.

Oh and what's YOUR postgrad qualification in op? Classifications? From Oxbridge? Aye right!!

[KirstenRaymonde]

What qualifications do you think a teacher needs but doesn’t have...?

[Forgottencoffee]

They're actually lowering the requirements to be eligible to train to be a teacher (e.g. 3rd class degree instead of at least 2:2), the number of 'recruits' for 2018/2019 students is low across the board (at least around here) so they're desperate to attract more people.

[taffett]

Well if you think you can do a better job then go ahead.

Seriously do you think all teachers should come from an Oxbridge uni? Or they should all have PHDs?

(Not a teacher)

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Is a degree not good enough?

[loobylou10]

Yes because that would help attract more people into the profession wouldn’t it!!

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Here's a novel idea, cut the bureaucratic crap that teachers have to deal with, give them proper sanctions to deal with unruly pupils and pay them more.

I doubt you will much problem getting people with high qualifications applying then.

[HighwayDragon1]

A degree and a postgraduate study isn't enough? Jesus!

[ILikeMyChickenFried]

Two of my university friends went on to be teachers. Both has 3rd class degrees, one because she scored 0 for a quarter of her final year due to plagiarism.

A couple of Facebook friends are primary teachers and have dreadful grammar.

It takes a lot of dedication for a "better" candidate to want to be a teacher though, it's a pretty tough job with a salary which isn't fantastic. I've put better in commas because I appreciate someone with good academic results might not be a good teacher.

[LaurieMarlow]

You seem to be talking about 2 different things here.

With regards to teacher qualifications, they can't recruit enough as it is, so requiring more of them would be counter productive. More needs to be done to make the profession attractive to new graduates.

Careers advice is a whole different issue. That's not a teacher's job, that's a separate role usually. I agree that the standard of careers advice in schools (and universities) is poor.

[Anasnake]

Yes because that will solve the recruitment crisis won't it ?!!

[HeddaGarbled]

I think there's a big shortage of teachers, isn't there? Especially Maths & Science. So that sounds unwise.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

Or, they could improve the working conditions so it became a job that attracted more candidates? I think they're desperate to get anyone to do it at the moment as so many experienced teachers have had enough and are leaving.
(experienced teacher, had enough, left).

[MrsDesireeCarthorse]

I am a teacher and see your point. Some teachers are not good enough for the job nor that well qualified. Someone I know teaches geography as her extra subject. She has a D at A level. I would be so fucked off as a parent if she taught my children.

[scaryteacher]

I trained to teach, not be a careers adviser, and every teacher has to have a degree.

I think it's insulting to say they can't teach the syllabus. At KS3, it's not hard to teach the syllabus, and at KS4 it's perfectly doable. A level is harder, and I think every county should have specialist sixth form colleges, as they do in Hampshire. Teaching A level is a different ball game altogether.

If you have sixth form colleges, then you can staff them with the correct careers advisers, and liaise with Oxbridge colleges.

As for advising about high paid careers, not every one wants one; not everyone wants to leave their part of the UK and move to London to live in a cramped room whilst making their way in the City.

Arguably, with information now so freely available, most kids have an idea of what they are aiming at for medicine etc.

You can give them all the careers advice you want, but it won't always be taken. My ds is currently doing an MA; but we have wildly differing views on what he should do thereafter, and what will be available jobs wise.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Teaching A level should not be a different ball game altogether for a specialist secondary teacher. Because they should have a degree in it!

[ILikeMyChickenFried]

Teaching A level should not be a different ball game

My A level maths teacher didn't have a level maths herself. She was going through the text book about a week ahead of us!

[DuchyDuke]

Top students to put it bluntly can get paid more money elsewhere. To give you an example - cousin was offered 45k to start at an investment bank with her 1st class in maths. It’s hard work, long hours, but so is teaching and yet teachers get paid a pittance. If the UK schools want top students then they have to pay top salaries.

If anything I think teaching qualifications need to be expanded to consider people with just professional qualifications. Some professional certifications such as ACA / CIMA /ACCA / most IT programming certifications produce more numerate professionals than degree courses. And many experienced professionals might be willing to consider teaching as a second or retirement profession. Students might respect them more too & might get taught employable skills as a result. It’s such a shame that, that is currently not an option.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Probably would have been better if she'd been properly qualified then. Which is the point of the thread!

[FreckledLeopard]

I can understand your point. My cousin is a primary school teacher. She has no degree and her Facebook posts are littered with spelling and grammar errors.

Similarly, I was lucky enough to go to an independent school and all teachers there had excellent undergraduate (and often post-graduate) degrees in their subject. Language teachers were fluent and we usually had a language assistant (normally a native speaking university student).

When DD has tutoring, she has it from someone who is a specialist in his or her area. So by that logic, then school pupils should be taught by specialists.

However, we don't live in a perfect world. I could never be a teacher - I don't have the patience or the inclination. Nor does the country appear to have anywhere near the resources it needs to be able to run schools effectively (which is why I sent DD to a private school). But I do think teachers should be specialists in their subject, should be able to raise aspirations and give sound advice about universities and careers too.

[Caribou58]

FreckledLeopard said I can understand your point. My cousin is a primary school teacher. She has no degree and her Facebook posts are littered with spelling and grammar errors.

Really? How did she get into teaching without a degree? Are you sure she's not a TA?

[Wellmeetontheledge]

As a primary teacher I teach almost all subjects. I cannot possibly be an expert in all of them. I have a very good joint honours degree from a very good uni. One of my degree subjects is English, however a lot of the grammar I now teach I wasn’t taught at school or university because of the curriculum changes.