AIBU to consider retraining as a maths teacher in my forties?

I've not read the whole thread, but I suspect it's a lot of bashing of the teaching profession.

I have been a teacher for around a decade in two schools, both very good state schools which are locally very desirable. I have enjoyed teaching immensely.

At first the planning can be all consuming, but in my experience this becomes significantly faster and not at all a problem with experience. Marking will always take time, but this often comes in waves - for example when there are trial exams in multiple year groups all at once there's a lot of marking.
There are certainly administrative tasks, but in my experience, these are not unmanageable for a classroom teacher. If you progress up the ladder, these become much greater.

I think much of what you experience depends on two things, most importantly your colleagues. If your department is well led and the school is well led and SLT places high priority on staff well-being this makes a massive difference.
Student behaviour and culture of the school is second. But generally these things go hand in hand, if a school is well led it tends to have a good culture and good behaviour follows from this. As a new teacher, you will almost certainly experience behavioural problems, even in a great school. If you have a good supportive SLT and department they will help guide you through this, and you learn how to deal with it.

I've never taught in a private school, I think that the stereotype would be that behaviour might be better if it's a good private school, however, there can be more expectation on teacher time. In my current school, it's acceptable for teachers to leave sharp at the end of the day, this may or may not be the case in other schools - in a private school you may be expected to get involved in after-school activities, etc. sometimes the parents at private schools might be more difficult and more demanding, marking load might be greater etc. But these are all stereotypes. As I said I've never taught in a private school.

I think the teaching is a vocation, it's certainly not easy or fantastically paid. Even in a good school, there are challenging students and challenging moments. But if you're going in it to help young people and to pass on your knowledge of maths it can be very rewarding . I find it rewarding to look at their work and see the methods I've taught them and the style I use on the board reflected in what they've written and to know that I've imparted knowledge. It can be a great job.

Overall - get yourself in to observe and see what you think. Choose your school carefully because it makes all the difference.
Good luck

As @Moonlaserbearwolf alluded to, there are certainly some tinpot dictators and as running a school requires some charm, you can't always tell who they are till you've signed on the dotted line!

Regarding the salaries, I meant to add that if you fancy school management, you can progress very quickly and earn more on top of the numbers I quoted (cos no-one wants to do it), but you'll work all the hours under the sun in term time and a few of the parents will be HORRIBLE.

Are you aware you'll still need to do a significant placement in a state school?

I teach Economics, trained as a teacher in my late 30s and have been doing it 15 years now. I've taught in a grammar, a couple of highly selective Maths-school type sixth forms, an independent school and now a comprehensive. Bit random I know, but I had my reasons.

I've had a good time on the whole but so much depends on finding a decent SLT, and they're not so common!

The salary (once qualified) will top out at £35k or so out of London, £40k or so on the edges of London and £50k or so in inner London. Not all that much variation between state and private but working conditions and holidays and pensions vary between the two sectors.

Maths departments tend to stick together and I've met some very happy ex City types. I suspect most aren't relying entirely on teaching for their income and/or already own their houses, however.

@Enigma54 (and others who left feeling burned out) what kind of school/s did you work in?
I felt totally exhausted after a few weeks in one particular school (it happened to be a state school, run by a dictator). My current school is completely different. Not perfect, but anyone would be lying if they claimed every aspect of their job were perfect.
My (relatively limited) teaching experiences cannot be compared - OP your choice of school is key to enjoying a teaching career. As demonstrated by this thread, schools are so very different.

This 10000%
I did 10 years and burnt out completely.

This is true. Hopefully op has a good start to her pension already though

Bear in mind that many independent schools have come out of the TPS and their pension offerings are poor.

A lot of scaremongering on this thread. I have retrained (or trained as was home home educating my children for many years) as a Maths teacher at 50. I work in a SEMH school and absolutely love it! Can the students be challenging? Yes definitely but the wins are great and I go to work feeling I am making a positive difference every day and not everyone can say that.

I also have a good work balance. There are many different types of school and mine suits me.

I went in to teaching in my 40s. I did 17 years and absolutely loved it. Just retired for personal reasons not related to teaching.
The only thing I would say is that schools do not give a damn about your previous life experience. Staffing a school timetable is purely a logistical exercise. No one cares if you ran multi million pound contracts or tap danced in the West End in a previous life. They just want a competent body in front of a class for 22 hours a week. No more, no less.

Yes some do, via the SCITT program. If you do a fee paying SCITT then you get the bursary. If you do a salaried SCITT then you don't but you may get paid a similar amount to the bursary.

Some private schools are SCITT schools and I know of one top private school that is a SCITT Hub school for Maths and Physics. Of course you can train at a private school.

Do you have school age children OP? I would recommend if you can work at the same school - otherwise I think there are too many cons. I moved from finance to teaching in my 40s so feel free to PM me if you’d like to hear the pros and cons from my perspective.

You absolutely can train at a private school. However, this is more likely to happen in shortage subjects (eg chemistry) when the school struggles to find a qualified teacher. Maths might be ok - though my school (top independent) always has lots of experienced maths applicants.

I doubt if you can qualify by training in a private school.

I've just retired after 30 years teaching. It's a job I absolutely loved and would absolutely NOT recommend to anyone. Can you do 5 hours a day of standup and improv? Because that's basically what your teaching day will consist of, including being heckled by the audience.

There is no work/life balance, even if you are teaching maths and have considerably less marking than an essay based subject. Maths is mandatory up to GCSE so you will have every kid in the school taking your subject, including a lot who don't want to and don't like Maths. It's not something they have chosen.

In any school you will be considered responsible for the grades your students achieve. Whether they are good at maths or have put any work in or not. In a private school the pressure and expectations from entitled parents is generally even worse.

It's not unreasonable to consider retraining - I'm being made redundant and my payout and other stuff will support me retraining. I wouldn't go straight to teaching unless you really love think you can make it work.
I totally get that you feel burnt out and very much over the corporate life (I defo am) but I would look at all retraining options.

I would strongly recommend you do a years sabbatical and then go and do a years or a terms work experience /learning support job in a secondary school to see what it’s like. They’d love you to teach maths and business studies or Economics I’m sure

Absolutely not!! Being a teacher nowadays seems like to be about 20% teaching, 20% mental health worker, 20% prison guard, 20% babysitter and 20% administrator.

The entitled parents, the entitled kids - no thanks!

The only part I would half entertain is adult/older teen teaching at a college.

Have you arranged this with any of the top private schools yet? They tend to be less keen on trainee teachers as parents don't like it if they think the quality of the maths teaching isn't up to scratch. Maths is probably the subject they focus on the most. Top private schools also generally want teachers who can teach further maths as well. If your subject knowledge is shakey, the children will rapidly discover this weakness and will pick up on it and complain about it.

State schools are more challenging when it comes to behaviour but they will also pick up on poor subject knowledge and be quite brutal about it.

When you start out as a young person you are used to being out of depth a lot of the time. You are also fresh from doing A levels and a degree so more familiar with the curriculum. There is no easing in gently to teaching, so you have to develop your skills in front of a class and sometimes you won't be very good at it. That can be quite difficult for people who are older and used to being very on top of things at work.

Having said that, I love teaching but you need to go into with your eyes open. Work life balance is difficult for the first couple of years but if you are efficient and on top of your subject it is ok. The holidays are amazing!

I went to uni when I was in my 40s and have since had a successful career in teaching. It's a wonderful and very rewarding job. However, I will say that there are always piles of beaurocratic crap to wade through, which can be overwhelming.

Go for it.

@Curioustoteachmaths I have to say that some teachers do have a satisfactory work/life balance and do take the holidays. In my experience as a school governor, we are keen to not overwork staff but it’s a steep learning curve for new teachers. I think, ultimately, the key is being very organised. You need your family life organised around you and work smart! In your current job you are probably doing that and many job changers make a great success of teaching. You must like dc and an independent school or selective school is easier in terms of behaviour. Dc who want to learn are wonderful.

Do private schools train teachers? If they do, I assume you wouldn’t be getting the £30k tax free bursary to train?

Have you watched Ann’s maths lessons on Amandaland?!
Teaching is the best job in the world mind!
( Said on a sunny Saturday afternoon after coursework has been handed in! )

the trainees who want to give back often burn out

I strongly agree with this. No one should try to "give back" or "give their all" to a job as you'll just burn out.

I consider it my own responsibility to protect my own evenings and weekends. I have little sympathy for colleagues who pipe up and volunteer for lots of extra stuff but then complain endlessly that they are overworked. Say no!

Do a week in a school to see what it is like.

i’m retired now but i was maths teacher for twenty years and my ExH worked in finance in the city.

in term time I did more hours than he did. Holidays different obviously.

we had a fair few mature trainees at my place. Honestly the ones that wanted it for logistical reasons (school holiday childcare etc) were the ones that stuck with it as the trainees who want to give back often burn out.

the office politics in schools is much worse than in more corporate environments and they are much less professional generally.

one guy who moved in from the civil service had it right - people are people wherever you are and if you are managing them (whether teens or teachers as a hod) they don’t really change. I think he regretted leaving his well paid job,