I want to be a teacher. Guidance needed.

[Mumblecrumbs]

I have been in a bit of a state the last few weeks trying to figure out what to do with my future. I have been a SAHM of three for over a decade and had health problems/mental health problems off and on during that time.
What I really want to do, what I've always wanted to do really, is be a History teacher in secondary.
The issue is I currently have no history degree (though am starting one full time via the OU in September) and no employment references etc for when the time comes to apply for a PGCE. I have tried to do some volunteering here and there but am always turned down as I have no suitable references that aren't family members. It also seems that even voluntary jobs these days are becoming increasingly competitive.

I just really need some guidance. I am lucky enough to have DH to support me whilst I try to build a career from myself but it seems like there is just obstacle after obstacle in my path that I won't be able to overcome.

Getting a degree is a good start! Have you tried to get volunteering positions in schools? Even primary would be a good experience.

I have been teaching for 15 years and it can be very tough, especially emotionally.

Have a read of the staffroom first to make sure teaching is as you expect. I worked as a TA before teaching so even I knew the score, 60 hour week, impossible targets, behaviour, constant moving targets but the reality of it was awful along with a worsening of teaching culture and obsession of seeing students as a set of data.

Assuming you already have c in English and Maths GCSE you will need a degree and then QTS for which the most common route is PGCE.

Jobs in history are popular and competitive. History is not a shortage subject. You are going to need to invest heavily emotionally and physically in teaching as a career.

It is going to be three years of your degree, then a year doing a PGCE, then you'll be an NQT.

When you apply for a PGCE you'll need to explain how your academic record and employment to date make you suitable for the classroom in terms of your skills and subject knowledge.

I have been a teacher for the last 10 years. It is exhausting and has caused or further exacerbated my mental health issues. Look at all your options carefully. You need to get experience volunteering in a school. I would sign up for temp agencies to at least kick start your employment history - I did a bit of everything - cleaning, data entry etc. Look at those 'get into teaching' websites the Government run - but again, history is not an in demand subject, so make sure you have thought through how to afford everything.

I'm finding it really difficult finding even a part time job and as I say, even volunteering roles seem hard to come by.
I'm hoping to get some school experience throughout my degree but as I'm going to be studying full time having any real employment history might be a struggle.

Why do you want to be a teacher?
What do you think the job involves?
It’s something that can take a hideous toll on your mental health, so is this a fantasy fuelled by an illusion of what teaching is? Or have you read through the TES website, and the staff room on this site, looked at the current state of humanities teaching, and still feel it’s something you want 100%?

Best advice? Don't.

(Sorry ).

What is it about being a secondary history teacher that appeals to you? Could you make a list of pros and cons? (It may be that people could suggest alternative jobs that would give you what you want without four years' study/training)

What qualifications do you currently hold? Did you work at all before children?

Also - how old are the DC? All in full time education now? (Just wondering how much time you will likely have available in which to work/volunteer while studying etc)

I second @Aleskas advice. My heart sinks a little when my 8 year old says she wants to be a teacher. There's better paid jobs where you don't get nearly as much shit from all sides - pupils, parents, SLT, heads, ofsted, government.

The issue is Dancing, that I have heard mixed opinions on teaching both online and from teacher friends. Some say that it is awful and will break you etc but yet someone else says that their experience is completely different and that it largely depends on the school you are at etc.
If I'm being 100% honest there is a tiny doubt it is something I want to do forever, but history is my passion. I would love to teach younger people and instil the same passion for it that I have and due to some physical disabilities many of the other careers I would have liked to do when I was in my twenties are now closed to me.
I would also like to look into teaching at A-Level so FE or even getting a PHD at some stage.
Due to various factors I find it difficult to imagine doing anything else. I want a real career I can build that won't depend on my ability to walk unaided as I may lose this in the future.

Honestly, I would never advise someone with physical and mental health difficulties to go into teaching. It is exhausting emotionally, mentally and physically, and it's pretty family-UNfriendly.

I have A Levels but had to drop out of university six months into a Theology degree due to becoming disabled. I have three DC who have just recently all entered school full time (which is what has started the "what now" panic)
I had a few little jobs when I was younger but nothing lasted as I wasn't on top of my health and no chance of a reference now, sadly.

Honestly, don't do it. I am a teacher and I want out, so do most of my colleagues. It's a shame because we all love teaching, but circumstances, as mentioned above, conspire to make it impossible.

There are so many better options.

Most universities have volunteer co-ordinators. I’m not sure about the OU.
When I was a student I volunteered in a few schools (through my uni voluntary services) and that was what got me into teaching.
You could try approaching local schools to ask if you could volunteer with them.
I will say though that teaching isn’t really about the love of your subject but more about loving working with the kids. That has to come first imo. Otherwise you’ll hate it.

The only other career I can see myself doing and loving is a Librarian but have no idea how you would get into that.
I am in the process of finding personal references to do a bit of volunteering at my DC's primary school also.

It’s incredibly stressful, especially during the first few years after you qualify. I would have sone serious reservations going in with a past history of mental health issues.

Well done for getting started on your degree.

If you're on the open university then it's 3-6 years so you have time.

To get onto a PGCE providers like to see you have had work experience but this doesn't have to be volunteering jobs. For secondary it's much less common for people to have volunteered in a school for long periods of time. Work experience shadowing is much more common. Many schools will take people for a few days to a week shadowing staff. Personally, I would advise doing 2-3 days at a time in different schools so you see a range of settings. You don't need references to do work experience either.

Once you've done some work experience, you could use the head of department from there as a reference.

Other useful volunteering can be helping at youth clubs / guides / scouts / Duke of Edinburgh / being a phone counsellor for teen mental health charities etc.

I'd also advise talking to a range of teachers in a range of schools. The Staffroom board on here generally has lots of people with a range of experiences and they're willing to share the good and the bad.

Assuming someone is a strong teacher, whether teaching is good or not as a career is very school specific once qualified. Get a nice school with supportive leadership and it's amazing, get a toxic school with unsupportive leadership and it can be a horrible drain.

I’ve got nearly two decades of teaching under my belt, and my advice is to do something else. It takes so much to become a teacher, and it takes a massive toll on your family life and your mental health.
Also, if walking unaided is an issue, would moving around a cramped classroom be easy? You need to be able to get to every student.

As a teacher I think it would be worth your while contacting tour local schools directly to see if you can come and shadow and gain experience. You would need a dbs check prior to going into schools so get that sorted first. I think you need to see first hand the day in and day out.

Yes it’s incredibly long hours lots of admin and Changing of the goal posts but it can be incredibly rewarding too.

No advise about teaching but I'm doing a full time degree with OU and also work part time, as do many of the other students so you should be able to find time to volunteer.

I looked at this thread as many people keep telling me that I would make a wonderful teacher and I was starting to have my head turned to doing my PGCE.

I have been a foster carer, care assistant and childminder but it doesn't sound like teaching is for me

Teaching is tough. Teaching in a secondary school if you have physical disabilities and mental health issues would be beyond tough. Getting around school to different classrooms, assemblies and meetings through corridors crowded with teenagers may be a serious problem, as may getting around the classroom if walking is an issue. Dealing with students with behavioural problems and with their own mental health issues can even break teachers who started off in perfect mental and physical health.

I'd suggest asking to do some observation in a school - maybe shadow a teacher so that you can really get an idea of what their daily job is like.

It's great that you have a passion for this subject - but have you considered the downside that very few of your pupils will naturally share it, and the challenges of teaching the ones that actually loathe it - or you? Teaching takes a bloody tough skin.

Ex-teacher here, also saying don't go for teaching unless you have strong mental health. It's not the actual teaching that wears you down- that was lovely. It's everything else thrown at you from above, the underfunding and lack of appreciation of the hard work and long hours.
Maybe look for a Teaching Assistants job, which isn't quite so stressful?

Mumble, my friend became an archivist and she loves it. Low stress, high interest, training is not too long either.

Just RTFT and despite the negativity - I have also decided I want to be a teacher. I specialise in IT but only have a Foundation Degree at the moment.

A top up degree would cost £6k via OU and I haven't even checked QTS costs.

I've been looking for a new career for a few months now and this is honestly perfect. I once worked in a school as a HLTA and it was HARD and the teachers were miserable. HLTA isn't much of a thing anymore (locally anyway) and I think I am more suited to secondary.

Although the thought of teaching a teenager like myself makes me shudder terrifying!!

Saying that - I have tutored 2 teens with ASD who were both expelled from secondary schools (twice each) and both are doing well - and have become happy young men with qualifications and first jobs.

Thanks OP for your thread