What makes a good teacher?

Don't worry about the loan TOO much - if it's still the system I was on for my PGCE you'll repay 9% of anything you earn over about £1520 per month, which isn't that much.

As a maths teacher with experience beyond the classroom you could easily be head of a key stage within a year or two and head of maths a year or two later believe it or not - they are THAT short of people who want to be maths teachers let alone lead a maths department or faculty.

I had time in industry and the UN before going into teaching and it is the best thing I have ever done - I love going to work and while the PGCE was bloody hard work it was well worth it. I think many different types of people make great teachers; things that help me include enjoying working with young people; self-confidence but mixed with humility; and love enough of the job to be motivated to put in the hours which, certainly at first as you build up your bank of lesson plans and resources, are unavoidable.

I honestly think that anyone can become a teacher, with the right support and attitude. I don't think there's any one personality 'type' that necessarily does a better job than others. The only things you do need are resilience and a willingness to find and work on your weaknesses.

I'm sure it helps to be confident, charismatic and assertive. However, I was none of these things when I started - I was mousy, quiet and terrified. But I worked hard to improve and now I'm completely different.

It is extremely rewarding and at times I wonder at the fact that I get paid to do something so fantastic. At other times I feel like walking out because it's so shit.

As a maths teacher you may well get offered more money than teachers in non-shortage subjects. None of my maths-teacher friends entered on the first point of the salary scale. It depends on the school (and a lot of those are academies now, and can set their own terms and conditions for new staff). And you can often pick up extra responsibilities (at my school they pay £7 for a 20-min lunch/break duty and lots of people do several of these a week; you might also get paid for things like running the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme or being a numeracy coordinator). You can charge about £30 an hour for tutoring, too.

I'd agree about how hard a PGCE is. Tho I didn't get a job on finishing and am doing something else. Looking back I found teaching so like performing. At least until you're experienced. You stand in front of a class and you're full on for 1 hour. Making sure you're meeting your objectives and assessing the pupils and dealing with issues/behaviour. You can't let up or at least for me, if I did the lesson unravelled. Experienced teachers will be observing (scrutinizing) every thing you do and say at least once a week.

OP contact Bromley Schools Collegiate on www.bscteach.co.uk/
they are fab and may be able to help you get a GTP placement

OK repaying your student loan won't cost you much, don't worry about that.

I agree tho, you don't become a teacher for the big bucks.

You might find you get a bursary for maths (not sure tho - it's changed a lot in the past couple of years).

It is changing a lot - I have done a GTP this year (training while placed at a school all year, four days' teachign a week with one day a week at uni, plus a salary of £16k) which has been excellent, but next year's is the last one.

Wrt your age/date of qualifications, I did A levels in 1982 and degree in 1986, and no-one has fallen over at my extreme age so far!

I agree with those who say it is a tough year to qualify tho - this has been the most difficult year of my career without a doubt tho also the most rewarding and exciting! There were 39 in my GTP in Sept and seven have dropped out (for vairous reasons - but some certainly associated with workload/family commitments). I have had to drop a lot of my other activities this year and even then my family has suffered.

Really really think it has been worth it tho - if teaching is for you I think you will know.

I find a sense of humour really valuable in secondary. It often takes the heat out of a confrontational situation.

Please don't rush into this. I have just completed a PGCE and nearly had a nervous breakdown! The workload was punishing, and it will continue to be very demanding through your NQT year and possibly at least the following year after that. I, too, was a mature student (and a single parent) who had spent lots of time working in primary - secondary is completely different and education is completely different now to what you experienced in the 80s. If it's for you then, of course, all the hard work will be worth it in the long run but make sure you get lots of information, spend lots of time in school and discuss it very carefully with your family before you proceed. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'm an English teacher by the way, not maths - we probably have more (or at least longer) marking.

At the start, absolutely loads, back2work, I won't lie. It does get easier as you get more experinced at both planning and marking, but bureacracy seems to be increasing all the time. I love the actual teaching, but other things are beginning to make me wonder whether I need to get out - it isn;t the job I started doing 22 years ago. THat said, it is rewarding and the staff are usually great.

Your reaction is exactly why there is a shortage of maths teachers! I live it and wouldn't do anything else but you have to really want to be there! If you phone up a school and explain they will be more than happy to let you in for a day. We get loads of people. The only thing I will say is you will have to get used to being at the bottom. I have worked with many mature students who have had quite senior jobs before teaching and a lit of them struggled with being told what to do by people a lot younger. Some of them also tried to tell us what to do and how to work. Thus didn't go down well!

Not all GTPs involved a Uni, and you didn't get a PGCE (which caused people problems if they wanted to work overseas).

Secondary is very very different. You are teaching 4 to 5 1 hour classes a day, each with different groups of kids. So you need to learn about 300 kids names (Drama teachers can need to learn 1000). You will be teaching top set year 11 one lesson, then a mixed ability year 7, then a bottom set year 10 (who still don't get how to work out the area of a triangle, or can't plot points on a graph), then a mid set year 9 (lots of hormones) then sixth form.

I started a PGCE, and quit because I couldn't cope with it and family life (despite kids of 7, 11 and 14). The biggest difference between secondary and primary is the total lack of time. I spent 5 minutes with one girl, really made a breakthrough and boosted her confidence, but then realised I couldn't spend anymore time with her for 2-3 weeks, as other kids needed my time.

BTW there are more places offering SCITT from next year, there could be somewhere much closer to you, but not all of that information is released yet.

Have you considered doing primary teacher training? It sounds like you enjoy being in a primary school.

Actually have you thought about spending a year as a TA in a secondary?

There are also various online options; open university, hibernia and edge hill I think. Also have a look at school direct. Would definitely agree with getting some observation soon though (do you know any teachers?) I was very unsure about teaching until I saw it in action!

GTP (Graduate Teaching programme) is doing a PGCE at university - hlaf your time at in university half in a school. SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) is all in school but universitt assessors will come out and see you. SCITT folk are usualy paid by the school (TA rates maybe?).

Yes secondary is very different from primary I wouldimagine!!!!!

You may start on £25k but you get £1500 increments each year to about 32k ish. After a few years in a large secondary you could also be head ofyear, form tutor, head of maths, deputy head of lower school etc all of which would increase your grade and therefore salary.

But please go into a school first!

If you teach Maths you will more than likely get a bursary which will more than cover the tuition fees (it's upto 20K depending on your degree classification) so realistically you wouldn't need a loan.