how can i transform myself into a primary teacher?

[yogabird]

i currently teach in an independent secondary school, A level Business Studies and it's time for a change. I have always wanted to teach primary and applied initially to do that but was told thet my business degree didn't directly relate to an area of the national curriculum and i just backed down and trianed to teach secondary - that was 13 years ago and now it's time for a change.
Does anyone know what i need to do? Or where i can find out?

[Bubble99]

Surely your teaching experience would cancel out the fact that a business degree didn't 'relate?'

We have primary teachers at our school who have 'American Studies' plus a one year PGCE.

You might need to do some primary placements though?

[Reallytired]

Are there any middle schools near you or could you get a job in a prep school?

[yogabird]

Thanks Bubble
yes i am happy to go off and do that(watch lessons/help out for a bit/gain experience) and would need to cos it is such a different game of juggling different things but i am sure that a state primary would want me to do something more than this. A prep school would probably just employ me but i want to widen my scope for possible jobs as much as possible. Has anyone else done this or does anyone know where i can find out exactly what needs to be done?

[Hulababy]

There are conversion courses you can do to convert from secondary to primary. You may also be able to do a return to teaching course, but go on the primary course.

Try and get some experience in primaries - you ma need to do this as volunteer work or unpaid helping out.

[Blandmum]

Middle schools are quite rare in most parts of the UK. They were an excellent idea (IMHO) that didn't get the funding to make them work.

can you contact a teacher training establisment andsee if there are conversion courses that you can do to move to primary?

BTW jobs in primary are hard to get in most parts of the UK.

[yogabird]

Thanks reallytired but middle schools are likely to be too close to what i already do i think - i want a complete change (but with the holidays, obviously )

[yogabird]

mmmm! interesting martianbishop, hadn't really thought of actual job prospects, just had a rosy picture of me reading stories on a carpet to interested and eager cross legged angels and not an apathetic teenager in sight. I wonder why primary jobs are hard to find?

i need to contact the uni to see, don't i?

[pointydog]

I'd change that mental picture!

[Reallytired]

You already have QTS.

I realise that middle schools are likely to be close to what you do already, but you have think of the long term goal.

Middle schools would get you experience with keystage 2 pupils. You could then get a job with a conventional primary school on the experience you got in the middle school.

Prehaps the other alternative is special school if you want a change. Many school school teach quite a wide range of ages.

[yogabird]

special school...yes, that could work. But how? and surely there are even fewer jobs in that field and aren't they all being closed down in a mad policy to integrate everyone?

[Blandmum]

primary jobs are v hard to find in most parts of the UK. It would help if you can offer a 'specialist' topic, like science or music, that would allow schools to give you a range of classes while other teacher shad PPA time.

Much of primary job searching is 'dead (wo)mans shoes' IYSWIM, there is quite a large excess of training opriamary teachers in respect to the available market for jobs.

[swedishmum]

I did a return to teaching course a few years ago that qualified me for primary teaching - lots of areas run these courses. I'm missing my dodgy Y9s though...

[Reallytired]

Some counties have more special schools than others. Where I live there are still has quite a few special schools left, but it varies quite a bit across the country.

Special school jobs are not particularly popular. Special schools often have quite extreme behaviour although there is the advantage of small classes and lots of adults.

The special school I work at finds it quite hard to recruit teachers, although once teachers are recruited they tend to stay for years as it is a nice school.

You would also have to decide whether you wanted to work with kids who had severe or moderate learning difficulties or had behaviour problems. It is essential to visit the special school prior to the interview so that you know what its like. (and what you are letting yourself in for.)

[cazzybabs]

You don't have to retain - I am guessing you have QTS which means, if you can get a job, you can teach what ever key stage you want. You could also try some supply...to get experince and paid (depends on how confident you are mind you!)

[cazzybabs]

BTW they are not all sweet angeleic things you know!

And if you teach in a private senior school - what about a prep school (they go up to year 9)

[clam]

Why do you say primary jobs are hard to come by, Martianbishop? That's not my experience. There are loads advertised in our county's internal circular, and we actually have had problems getting a wide enough selection of applicants for interviews.

[Blandmum]

Lots of articles in the Time ed saying that these is an excess of student primary teachers, who are then finding it difficult to get jobs.

Obviously there will be variation across the country

[roisin]

Hideous surplus of primary school teachers here. TT College continues to churn out graduates, but no jobs. And if people have family/ties and are unable to relocate, they're jobless.

We currently have at least 3 (that I know of) qualified primary teachers working as support staff in secondary school, because of job situation.

[yogabird]

i have spoken to Dfee today and yes it's right, once a teacher QTS then that's enough i can technically teach anywhere but would obviously need experience and i do like the supply idea (hadn't thought of that but i will have to volunteer a bit first, confidence is ok but i wouldn't dream of trying to go in cold!) Easter offers a good opportunity to try if i can as we have completely different holidays to the state schools here.
Reallytired, how can i find out where any special schools are? i don't know what the spectrum of needs are really and whether i would like it unless i can see a range. That surely must require some training i had thought but thath wasn't the impression i got from Dfee today. There's no substitute for experience though i suppose
thanks all for your help so far!

[yogabird]

oh yes the other thing is that i can do lots of games and am very used to extra curricular activities (those old women's shoes aren't trainers are they?) would being a fan of maths be an advantage, do you think, my music is a bit feeble but i could teach the recorder. Science... i have o-levels and am confident and have just been reading/researching and teaching to A-level at the risk of offending/patronising people, how hard can it be? 'ducks dowm to avoid avalanche started by angry science coordinators!' - please be kind if you need to tell me that it is in fact very hard! I'm a rather sensitive soul

[Reallytired]

Prehaps your local county website has a list of schools. Or look on the OFSTED website. You can get the OFSTED report and addresses of all the special schools in your area. It is then a matter of contacting individual schools.

Special schools are often happy to have people come in and observe especially if they are seriously interested in teaching in special schools. Even if you decided that a special school was not for you, you would learn new teaching ideas.

[HFH]

I am a qualified secondary school. Last year I started going into my children's primary school to listen to readers, this developed into being asked to apply for a 2 day a week TA job that came up in the school (in my experience these often seem to go to people who are already helping out in the school). I got the job and I have recently been asked if I would like to do the odd day of supply teaching. They are aware of the gaps in my knowledge but as I know the children/school and they know me, they seem happy to take me on. I have since been told by several people that this is not an uncommon way of getting into primary after secondary training. I appreciate that it is a rather long winded route and there are earnings issues but it is working for me. I have also been told the only way to make the change 'officially', as it were, would be to do a second PGCE in primary or get an on the job training post with a mentor, as far as I am aware there are no longer any official conversion courses. Funnily enough I found this page by googling 'conversion courses from secondary to primary teaching' - or words to that effect.

[yogabird]

HFH sounds like a plan i might follow... i do like the idea of prep school too though. Need to investigate further. Am only PT at the moment and so when dd2 starts school next JAn i could use my day off to help out/volunteer in a primary (maybe not hers though, methinks)
thansk for all the advice

[Hulababy]

Where we are there seems to be no problems for supply teachers n primary schools My friend has been on the supply list for 3 or 4 years now and never has any problem getting her 3 days a week (which is what she lies tow ork) - and regularly has to turn work down.