Teacher help needed, moving into teaching!

[dreamonlucid]

With what seems like so many teachers on here I wondered if I could ask for some advice.

I'd like to move into teaching at almost 50 but with 30+ years experience in my field I'm finding the options for retraining confusing.

I'd like to teach GCSE/a level as my experience is in creative industry's? I've seen some schools would accept me straight from industry and do a QTS? But I'd rather do some training first.

I'm just online now looking it all up and trying to find the most effective route to prepare myself for making the move in the next 1-2 years.

Thanks in advance.

Do you have a degree in the subject you want to teach?

Have you considered teaching at a university? For creative subjects, industry experience is often valued more than academic qualifications like PhDs. You will likely need to do a PG Cert in teaching adults, but you can do that while working and it's a lot less intense than the school teaching PGCE.
If you want to get into teaching at a uni, contact the staff teaching relevant courses at institutions near you, and offer to give guest lectures/workshops or even mentoring/portfolio reviews. Once you have some teaching experience you can start applying for full/part time roles.**

Yes, I have degree in branding/ graphic design which I'm assuming maybe wrongly would also cover art and photography roles as I have. Foundation and all other qualifications in that area?

I wonder if I'm better suited to a levels where the students maybe looking at careers in the specific areas?

Or if can also teach art?

I did some tutoring many many years ago, and enjoyed it but feel I'd rather work with younger children, but it's great to know what I'd need here as well.

With this background you might be quite limited in what you can teach. In a standard secondary school setting art and possibly some DT but you’d be unlikely just to get exam classes. You might be bettor teaching art foundation level.

Academies can employ you without you being qualified to teach. QTS is what you gain when you complete a course to become qualified. It's just worth noting that to teach GCSE and A level, you'd have to teach Y7-Y9 as well unless you work in a college only and teach just A level.

Unfortunately, you don't have any routes that give you detailed training first: they pretty much just throw you into the classroom. You'd have sessions on educational theory but would be expected to be teaching a reduced timetable alongside. For some courses, this would be alongside an existing teacher in their classes but there are other routes that would give you your own classes from almost the very start of the year.

Most trainees don't feel properly ready to be a full time teacher by the end of the training course. That's one of the reasons why the Early Career Teacher programme is now a further 2 years with regular weekly training rather than the loose 1 year programme it used to be. That's what your real training would be: you're just teaching full-time alongside.

If you are working in a secondary then you will be expected to teach Ks3 unless it’s a high school in 3 tier system but these are rare.

You will need to speak to some universities and SCITTs to ask about their subject knowledge requirements. You may need to undertake a ‘subject knowledge enhancement’ (SKE) to teach Art and Photography. If you really don’t want to teach KS3 then you will need to work in FE or a 14-19 upper school.

just apply for the PGCE, you will get in, nobody is being turned away from teaching right now, are they. And who knows, if the strikes work, you might even be joining at a time when conditions are improving. If not, you will just go through three years of hell, then leave, but anybody standing in front of a class for three years at the moment is a win for the education system. Nothing to lose

you will need to teach 11 upward, unless you find a job in a stand alone sixth form, which will be paid less

It’s probably also worth saying that in addition to a lot of current teachers there are a lot of ex teachers on MN, many of whom have had really difficult experiences and are understandably still very angry. The consensus you find on MN won’t necessarily reflect the reality of the wider profession at the moment.

I've seen some schools would accept me straight from industry

You can join an academy as an unqualified teacher but you’d get paid on a different scale (less). I’d do a PGCE, but unless you do 16+, you’ll be expected to teach below that.

Actualy, I say I’d do a PGCE, I wouldn’t. If i had my time again, I would run very fast from the idea of teacher training!

I'd look at what else you can teach. Eg pshe, business, whatever you have a levels in are a possibility to gcse. Then apply for jobs, either straight away or after a pgce.

Schools direct is train on the job. Academies can hire unqualified and train through various providers online etc.

Ok thanks,

I don't mind teaching younger I just assumed I'd be restricted. I could teach business as I've run one for over 20 years but would need to learn how to "teach" I also have strong IT skills etc.

So the pathway into teaching isn't clear, I'll start looking at the roles and maybe as some suggested it's a case of applying and seeing which can take me.

I've got some work experience locally for 2 weeks, so I may try and find some more places that will let me do some work experience.

Thank you, I think a view of the negatives is helpful as well.

Probably best to talk to an advisor at Get Into Teaching, OP: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

Why do you want to become a teacher?

It could be worth looking at Now Teach for support.

A few reasons, I have worked hard and built a business that is being sold and don't need to earn tons of income anymore.

I employ lots of graduates and younger staff and really enjoy time with them and would like to be more involved.

I have raised my two children to uni age and have time to give.

I'm passionate about the importance of creative subjects in education and I'd like to try something different with my life.

Thanks

In general (although it does depend on the school) most like you to have an academic qualification in the subject you want to teach. Business GCSE/A-level isn't "how to run a business" as such, it's the study of business as an academic subject.

I think you could teach Art/photography, some schools also offer graphics qualifications. As others have said, the best thing to do is to speak to a local PGCE provider, or SCITT and see how they would view your application.

If you get QTS first, you'll be paid on a higher pay scale, but for the training year, the only funding available would be via student loans. Would that be financially viable for you?

I'd recommend deciding on what subject you want to teach first, and then applying for a PGCE. I moved into teaching later in my career and the PGCE really helped give me confidence in pedagogy and also there's more of a community than doing school-based training.

If you're more interested in A-Level you could look at working in colleges or sixth forms but you would need to train/get QTS as a secondary teacher first.

You will need recent state work experience anyway for the PGCE so it's a good idea to organise some across some of the departments you might be interested in teaching -- this might also help clarify your path going forward.

Just because you train in art, for example, doesn't necessarily mean you have to teach art for the rest of your career. Schools will look at your industry experience but, as you say, you need to learn to teach first and these will be decisions and discussions when looking for your first teaching job.

Alternatively, have you looked into adult education or even working in prisons? These tend to work with more industry-based subjects that may suit your experience better.

its perfectly clear, just apply to do a PGCE. What is not clear?

@Nimbostratus100 because so many positions have different qualifications attached to them? And most say QTS etc as a non teacher it's not "clear" what needs to be done.

If you think it's clear that's great, is you have any other advice thank you.