Contemplating training as a Primary School Teacher

[Nicky898]

A relative is at this stage after working in the hospitality industry for a number of years since graduating in Biomedical Science from a south coast university. She earns good money but works very long hours including week-ends and late nights. Her family think she would make a superb teacher. She loves maths and has A level and Higher/Further maths qualification.
Reading round posts here, now several years old, I am wondering if it is still the case that entry to permanent primary teaching posts is extremely competative and that very high numbers of applications are chasing very few vacancies? It was suggested that schools (for budgetary reasons) tend to manage with NQTs and tempoary posts, and that changes to pensions arrangements and the rise of Academy status are depressing the sence of reward individuals perceive. Is this still the case, or is there reason for optimism?

No I'm genuinely interested. Why not do something else?

I posted ages ago in the staffroom about leaving teaching. Without going into my family, my health and my career so far, I'm stuck in teaching for the foreseeable.

Being with pupils, training staff, launching new initiatives, great. Staffroom politics, regional machinations and constant pressure/ moving targets, not so much.

I'm hardly a lone wolf - hence the teaching crisis. Over 80 posts to fill in my region alone.

Because you get trapped into needing the money and the security, and you often get so used to the constant criticism and overload that you don't think you can do anything else.
Or sometimes you are just too knackered to manage anything other than surviving the day and plodding on to the next one.

applauds Hag

That's hardly exclusive to teaching.

You've just described every job out there! Need the money and too tired at the end of the day to job hunt can be the situation in any job you care to name, if you don't enjoy it.

it is worth looking at the bursaries currently available for secondary - in the shortage areas they are very generous and when I trained a few years ago, I received an additional bursary for having relevant experience in industry. With the student loan and childcare grant etc. on top, I did very well financially. It is not so generous (not nearly so generous) to train in primary although it's worth saying, you train to teach and can get a job in primary even if qualified in secondary - although you might have a job getting a headteacher to give you a go. Some subject areas - particularly MFL - offer the opportunity to work a few sessions in primary depending on the secondary you work at as a kind of 'outreach' and 'recruitment' to the school 'thing'.

To get on a course, she will need to spend some time in a school - training providers really want people with their eyes open as schools are constantly evolving and the older you are, the less they look like they did when you were at school!

The vacancy thing seems regional. She should look at tes for jobs in her area - even in shortage subject areas, jobs aren't necessarily easy to come by.

I love teaching. I am secondary English in a state school. It's bloody hard work. It is a different type of stress from other jobs (I began teaching at 30 after a high pressured career in IT). I never thought that I would be so stressed and thought like some of the posters on here 'all jobs are stressful' etc. the teaching, the planning, the marking, the paperwork, the counselling, the refereeing, the nursing, the relationship guidance, the drug counselling, the duties, the target setting, the parents etc. it's not a 9/5 job. I don't come home and forget what child a told
Me about her stepfather that has now been reported. I don't stop worrying about child b whose mum is dying. I don't stop thinking about the child whose dad has just killed himself ...

Only just the response to my saying that i feel I need my holidays.

Yes, other people do need holidays but I've done several other jobs and haven't found any of them as exhausting as teaching. Neither did I find them as enjoyable mind you.

Thanks to all those who posted. I have taught but not school subjects and largely on a one-to-one basis. It started out being very rewarding but was both highly demanding and stressful. Gradually that eroded my enjoyment and sense of achievement. I found myself highly unsympathetic to those who wouldn't make an effort. I found those who did learnt quickly and enjoyed the process which brought me satisfaction. At least I didn't have to worry about work-politics and backbiting. I do not want to be a deciding influence in this persons decision but I can see that she is being influenced to go for a 'proper job' by someone close to her who was similarly influenced at the same age and made the wrong choice. (Not teaching but accountancy.) They now regret it - as always too late.

The subject's own education was divided between mostly independent, (single sex) and 3/4 years co-ed state. She has debt as student loan to show for her degree and is of an age where she might get hitched and want children in the next five years. My own views tend to favour secondary rather than primary, and independent not state. I think she has altruistic reasons behind wanting to teach and wants to benefit the many not the few; hence state. She is very earnest, kind hearted and conscientious. I worry she lacks the ruthless streak for self-preservation and has too thin a skin to find comfort and fulfilment in teaching.

I am seeing her next week for a get together. I shall have to be very diplomatic. Being more than thirty years older I know the value of hindsight so what I want to do is ask her to read some of your gems and mull them over. As I see it she should spend time in the classroom as a voluntary helper before going any further with this idea. Problem is her current situation does not allow that and she is under increasing pressure from another to act!

In my area, primary jobs are very easy to come by. When I trained nearly a decade ago, it was tough to get a job, with lots of applicants. Now, teachers are leaving by the bucketload, disillusioned by lack of work life balance and fed up with increasing pointless paperwork every year.

So don't let the perceived lack of jobs deter your sister, it should be more the reason behind the mass exodus that concerns her!

You should only train to teach if you really want to teach, gone are the days where graduates can slip into teaching as something to do, the job is very different these days hence the high proportion of new qualified teachers leaving (not to mention those who don't make it through the training)

Has she considered higher or further education? Dh has just switched to lecturing and really enjoys it.

Left teaching last year for a lesser paid job - no regrets! Full time teaching was the worst ever job I have had - I worked every night - most weekends - it was hideous ! I have worked in manufacturing and done 12 hour shifts before but nothing was as bad.

The constant observations, book scrutinise, learning walks, etc etc. Target upon target upon target...... Nothing to improve the actual teaching it felt but like a tick box exercise - I loved 'teaching' the children but not the other stuff.

Most people I know who are teachers are desperate to get out - !

What job do you do now amiveryunreasonable?

Summergarden a quick search on TES and eteach within a 30 mile radius of me shows three primary jobs advertised.

No way is there a shortage of teachers round here.