to want to retrain as a teacher?

[Justforlaughs]

I always wanted to be a teacher. Specifically, a maths teacher. I went to university but was too immature and wasted the opportunity through partying and drinking too much. I left, got married, had children and now work part time for a supermarket. DH will probably lose his job in February and will get a nice redundancy package. He wants to work part time and wants me to train as a manager and work full time. AIBU to say that I will happily work full time, but I don't want to be a manager in a supermarket (atm, I earn "extra pocket money") and I would like to use some of the money to go to university and train as a teacher. I am in my early 40's and feel it's my last chance. I love maths, I have teenagers of my own and relate well to teenagers and can explain maths well as well. Have already unofficially tutored people through qualifications (GCSEs and NVQs).

Get in to see a couple of different schools in your local area. Either email the schools directly or go through the School Expereince programme. You will need to show you have experience of a school in your application anyway. Also, you have to pass the skills tests before you start the course now. YANBU to want to be a teacher-heck, it is,a great job. Just be aware that the current climate is a particularly difficult one and you will need lots and lots of family support around you, to cope.

Go for it. Your kids are less dependent, you're still young. No reason why you shouldn't be a great teacher, and maths teachers are always in demand.

Absolutely go for it. But first thing is to go into a couple of schools as a volunteer or whatever and see it first hand before you embark on the training. Good luck!

So you plan on using his redundancy money to train for a year?
How does he feel about it, and do you have enough to live on as a family whilst you train?

£80k redundancy (after tax).

Go for it.

A couple of my friends are maths teachers and they bloody love their jobs.

Have you got a maths degree? (unclear from your post).

If yes, you will get a bursary to train.

No, I don't have any degree at all atm, as I left university before I graduated
Would just like to add that I'm not just hoping to be a teacher to get all the lovely Christmas Collection gifts mention on AIBU!

as others have said- arrange a visit to a range of secondary schools (most are very helpful) before you make the decision. I was very shocked at the change from what I remembered to the reality of secondary. You need to experience life in a leafy school and an inner city comp and therefore you will get a true picture of what the students are like now, the reality of being an adult in a school and get advise from current teachers.

Only A'levels atm, just taking an apprenticeship in retail including NVQ level3 in Maths, although I do have A'level maths - which was a long time ago. Sitting the Apprenticeship was more about looking good on a CV than because I had any interest in it tbh. And teh maths is a good refresher - I am amazed that I can remember so much of it - either exams really are easier than they were or.... I'm obviously a genius! Sat a level 3 paper this week, 2 hour paper, got interrupted with 8 questions to go after 36 minutes and got 81%.

If you don't have a degree then you're looking at a minimum of 3 years at uni I'd have thought, which the redundancy money probably wouldn't stretch to.

You could become an unqualified teacher, but that doesn't pay very well.

You need to get a clear understanding of what you need to do to become a teacher. To be a qualified secondary maths teacher you will need an undergraduate degree and then do a course which gives you qualified teacher status (eg pgce or gtp).

I echo what others are saying about finding out the reality of classrooms today but you also need to find out about how much there is to do outside of the classroom and ask teachers about what it is like to teach.

Good luck.

Go for it but be aware of what teaching is really like these days. Most teachers I work with are looking to get out sadly get some real experience in a school not just a couple of dats. Talk to teaches about their workload etc

My brother is a Maths teacher and my sister is also a teacher (albeit not in the UK atm). I did do teaching practice in some very rough areas, I know it was a while ago but I am not thinking that teaching is an easy profession. I believe that as they are so short of Maths teachers you can train from A'level classroom (up to GCSE level) in 2 years. (possibly why we are so bad at it!)
I know I'm being light hearted and slightly tongue in cheek but it's something I really want to do. Would you follow your dream, even if it was a struggle for a while or allow yourself to get stuck in a job you didn't like because it was more convenient.

Are you sure you're not looking at the subject knowledge 2-year booster route? This was offered at our institution, and is open to those who had a degree in a subject related to maths but not in pure maths. Alevel maths was needed alongside a degree in economics or statistics or similar.

Have you thought about studying Maths degree with open university? That way you could start off with a small course without too much of a commitment, you may even be able to start early next year depending on which course you want. With a Maths degree you may qualify for a funded PGCE.

After I left university and got married we tried to conceive and failed for a few years. I returned to university to try again to qualify, I was accepted onto a 2 year course, which would have qualified me to teach up to GCSE level, but not long after the course started I found that I was pregnant. At the time, it was the most important thing in the world and I left at the end of the year. I've never regretted the decision, but recently I've started wondering what my life would have been life if I hadn't left and now it feels like maybe this is my last chance to go for it. I spoke to someone "who knows" on the weekend, and she told me that some schools actually run their own teaching courses, so you qualify on the job, so to speak.

Ruby that's what I was thinking. I could study with OU while keeping my part time job, and then train as teacher afterwards.
I must admit that I find it slightly worrying that you can teach with so little in qualifications.

I would thoroughly investigate the options- four years is a lot, but if you can train on the job, or there is a quicker route, or your PGCE is paid, all of these may make a difference. But I think you need a degree in any case, even for on the job training or for the bursaries etc.

www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/subjects-age-groups/teach-maths.aspx?sc_lang=en-GB

I think you need to be realistic about what this will take- at the moment, it's not all about your dreams etc, but whether you could take four years to achieve them.

There are lots of different types of schools as well, some of which are tougher to teach in than others although in a shortage subject you may have more choice about where you work.

I teach Maths and you need a Maths degree. You can do training on the job (a gtp) but you still need a degree. You could do a BEd instead of a bsc but you're less likely to get a job if you don't have a Maths degree.

Don't forget private schools and Academies, they have more leeway about the staff they employ.

How long did you see this taking, OP, and were you planning on PT or FT training?

Are you sure you can do it without a degree? I would be very surprised if that was the case. I am a secondary teacher and everyone I work with has a degree. As a parent I expect teachers to be degree educated.

I'll also second what everyone else is saying about getting some proper experience under your belt. The teaching profession is undergoing huge and unsettling changes at the moment.

Good luck with whatever you decide.