if so many people are about to be made redundant in the country, why can't experienced individuals be fast tracked as teachers?

[elmouno]

Yes, I know teachers require different types of certification. But in these pressing times, if we have people being made redundant in every industry, why can't they be placed as extra teachers so we can get class sizes smaller? For example, if someone is already a scientist with work experience in biology, chemistry, etc surely they will be able to teach it at secondary level? Redundant IT engineers could teach what's relevant now in tech? HR or former project managers could teach English? Bankers teaching certain maths? I don't know but I think it is really important that we get more teachers (of course they would have to pass a background check). I mean perhaps we need to get more creative with curriculum and scrap the tests for now? Perhaps children who want to get into certain universities can take a SAT test like they do in America?

It just seems a shame that we have so many people being made redundant and we have such a pressing need to make more bubbles. Large bubbles imo, won't work. What will happen to keyworkers when their bubbles pop? It doesn't make sense to me. The only answer is to build more schools and have more teachers.

[Triangularbubble]

By that reasoning anyone with some background in science is probably qualified as a doctor too. Fancy letting them operate on you?

Be slightly respectful towards people’s hard earned professional skills.

[WhyNotMe40]

Anyone can apply to do a GTP and train on the job.

www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/teacher-training-and-education/routes-into-teaching

[ChaChaCha2012]

The government could stop treating teachers like crap. That would stop teachers leaving the profession and encourage others to join.

Teaching is very different to working in industry. You don't learn classroom management in a lab!

[NotAKaren]

I'm not sure many of the industries you mentioned are making huge numbers redundant. It would surely take some time to recruit and train people plus there is the lack of space in school buildings for more smaller classes.

[JemIsMyNameNooneElseIsTheSame]

How does being in HR make you a good English teacher?

[cologne4711]

They can be fast tracked - as a pp said, GTP. Also there was a "middle aged" version of Teach First, not sure if it still exists.

[elmouno]

@Triangularbubble

Not meaning to be disrespectful, but just wanting to find a way to smaller bubbles so kids can go back safely. Perhaps the teachers who are there could be given training responsibility, and be given raises? I don't know, just putting out ideas.

@WhyNotMe40

I did not know about that, cool.

[SimonJT]

There are a limited number of spaces in schools. Not only do pupils recieve inferior traching from student teachers, the teacher overseeing the pgce, GTP etc have a lot of additional work to carry out on top of their own usual duties.

The last thing teachers need right now is additional stress and an increased workload.

[GhostPenguin]

DH is a secondary English teacher, reckon he'd be pretty offended you think someone from HR could walk in one morning and teach romantic poetry to his year 10s.

[Saucery]

HR teaching English has really tickled me, for some reason

It takes a certain type of person to teach their subject specialism to teenagers, OP. It’s not just a case of being ‘good at Maths’ and being able to impart that knowledge to 30 Yr9s.

[CKBJ]

All these “clever” people do they actually know how to talk to and relate to pupils? My DS had a GTP in his class amazing science knowledge but kids run rings around him so dull and out of touch.

[Decentsalnotime]

* HR or former project managers could teach English? *

Huh?

[Piggywaspushed]

You can have all the extra teachers you like it won't happen but they need supervision and training and, assuming that can happen, where is the extra room for these extra teachers??

[motherrunner]

I’ve been an English teacher for 20 years. Are you suggesting anyone who can read or write can teach my subject? Please some insult me.

[Useruseruserusee]

Putting aside the issue of whether or not this should happen, any on the job training of teachers requires a mentor for training and then a mentor for the NQT year. It’s not as simple as just putting them in the classroom and hoping they do well. Schools need capacity to support and it isn’t always there.

I mentor both students and NQTs and therefore have seen a range of people come through, some of whom succeed and some who don’t. We had a banker who was retraining once, she could not cope with children at the upper primary school level who struggled with basic arithmetic.

Understanding the steps of learning and how to structure them is a real skill. We absolutely need more teachers but more pressingly we need to retain the ones we already have.

[motherrunner]

*don’t

[Piggywaspushed]

I, too, wonder why HR was the best you could come up with for English!!

I think of all roles, HR may current be safe (and a bit snowed under).

[Mrswalliams1]

In some respects I agree with the OP. I think some people who have experience in certain jobs would make great teachers with some training. They would bring real life/industry experience and hopefully enthusiasm to a classroom.

[Sidewinder30]

It takes a year of on the job training, then a supervised 'newly qualified teacher' year. Naturally trainees need lots of help and support. It would not be a quick fix.

[WhyNotMe40]

I heartily believe that the more people "try teaching", the more we will be respected as a profession.
It's not as easy as the experts make it look

[Kashtan]

I was a scientist, travelled all over the world, published loads of papers in decent journals, trained more junior scientists, lectured.
I retrained as a teacher. I was not instantly a great teacher. It took loads of slog during my PGCE, my nqt year and beyond, working really hard on my pedagogy, my behaviour management and my presentation skills.
Being good at your scientific job does not automatically make you able to teach GCSE and KS3 science well.

[Fleeflyyflooo]

Who would pay for these extra teachers? There aren't may teaching jobs about at the mimute in my area due to funding and I know of qualified teachers who can't find jobs. Some schools are letting teaching staff go and letting hlta lead sessions. It's been that way for a while.

[wonderstuff]

There are some pretty fast routes to teaching. Teach first train for a few weeks over the holidays and then do most training in the classroom. GTP is mostly on the job. I imagine the government will hit teacher training targets this year.

What won't happen is smaller classes because schools don't have additional space or budgets for additional teachers.

I imagine that when schools have an infection outbreak the school will close for a fortnight, either the whole school or particular groups. Schools have been told to have online learning ready and millions has been spent on Oak Academy.

[TW2013]

I imagine that many of the redundancies will be in travel, tourism, entertainment, retail etc. Those jobs don't lend themselves as readily to teaching.

[SayakaMurata]

1. Teaching is about more then subject knowledge. It's also about classroom and behaviour management just for a start.

1. Smaller classes also require more classrooms to be built.

1. These new teachers would need to be paid. Where is the funding going to come from?