to retrain as a teacher, when I don't want to teach? If IABU, what else could I do?

[BuddyToBhaskar]

Because my only other career options, it seems, are in admin or care work - or possibly in "taking in ironing" (whatever the that means). I have a PhD in the social sciences-humanities interface, oodles of work experience and a neat handful of publications, but I cannotcannotcannot get a postdoc. I'm also the other side of 40 with numerous kiddies and am tied to an economically crappy area of the country by family. I need a professional or a skill which will tide me through to retirement.

Is teaching really that bad? What other options might I have?

I am training to be a teacher. Get into a classroom and see how you feel. Three is no point teaching if you’re not passionate about it as you’ll be in this situation in five years.

I did it because I couldn’t think of anything else to do post university and I really enjoyed it :) so why not! Better than care work!

Please don't teach - spare our students from your disdain and total lack of enthusiasm. You would be a terrible teacher with this attitude and the students would suffer.

Service industries are clearly not for you. I'm sure you're well aware what 'taking in ironing' means. There's no shame in it. Shame on you again for your disdain.

I suggest you do what the rest of us mere mortals do - try to find a job that we like and then work our way up from the inside by proving our commitment and ability.

Teaching is not a career to train for without really wanting to do it. It's sufficiently demanding to not really be a good choice to make to tide you through to retirement. During the term it isn't very family friendly either.

Have you considered seeing a careers adviser through the National Careers Service?

From what I've heard teaching is a shitty job when you ARE passionate about it.

Your thread title is stupidly provocative, so no you shouldn't be a teacher. You sound like like you want job you can coast. Good luck with that, and stay away from teaching, for the sake of the pupils.

You don’t have to have a burning passion for something to be good at it.

It depends on why you don't want to teach, I think. From your OP, it sounds a bit like you don't want to just because you've heard people saying it's awful. If that's the case, I second the poster who said to go and get a feel for it yourself. I know lots of teachers who changed career when they had children as they didn't need to worry about childcare in the holidays and they're perfectly good teachers - the pupils certainly don't suffer for their lack of burning vocation. I presume if you have a phD you have probably done some bits of university teaching anyway. If you enjoyed them, there's no reason you couldn't enjoy classroom teaching. Top tip: look at the independent sector! Your academic credentials will put you in good stead and you may well get a job in a school that will train you while you're in post (in my experience, the PGCE is definitely the worst bit of teaching...)

@TQ It's not disdain, it's despair, coupled perhaps with the numbing effect of all the painkillers taken for injuries sustained during my many, many years as a cleaner and care assistant.

And if you're numbed by painkillers I don't think you're going to be able to manage teaching quite honestly.

Teaching is definitely not for everyone, what's your first degree in as you need a solid subject specialism to get into a school that isn't clutching at straws. Non specific social sciences often aren't what they're after, more within the curriculum is better.

But if you don't want to teach, then why would you teach? There are plenty of other jobs out there. Teaching isn't the kind of job you can do for 8 hours then just clock off. If you don't want to do it and you're not passionate about it, look elsewhere.

I know quite a few teachers who changed careers for the same reason, well, that and the holidays. They are all good teachers. Actually, the ones who have made a pragmatic choice to teach, rather than those who are passionate about it, find it easier to roll with the punches through all the endless changes of curriculum and fashionable pedagogy.

Teaching is hard going. Really hard going and that’s even when you love it and want to do.
As others have said don’t do it to yourself or the students!

Have a look at the Civil Service Jobs website. You might be surprised at what's out there.

Speech therapist?
Loads of work to be found privately (so therefore very flexible) as the NHS has cut provision so much.

Have you applied for any teaching only posts at universities? These can be a fall back option for people who can't get the standard post docs, plus you don't need to do any teacher training before you start. Lots of the new universities seem to offer these sort of posts and with the new TEF, it's likely to be a growth area.

Otherwise as PP suggested just apply for all jobs advertised locally that you like the look of and see where that takes you.

Teaching is incredibly demanding and a lot of teachers ‘burn out’ - not to mention all the trainees which drop out of their degrees, or during the placement process. It’s not for everyone and you need to be driven by passion, not just because it ticks that ‘career’ box.

My friend is doing Scitt training to be a primary teacher. Although she could also do secondary with her degree. She is also the wrong side of 40 and decided to do it because it’s ever more impossible to get back into her area of work. She is really enjoying it and was basically told she was good to go at Christmas despite having to train for the rest of the year. I’d have a good think about it, perhaps see if you can volunteer at a local school and see how you feel.

Am I missing something on this thread? What's all this talk of ironing and care work?

I wouldn’t recommend teaching if it’s not what you want to do. I always wanted to teach, and my degree was developed for people who had that as their ultimate goal...and of all the people from that course who went into teaching, only one is still doing it. It’s hard work and you really need to want it as a vocation rather than just a job!

Teaching is really really hard work and if you don’t have a passion for it you will easily burn out. Even those who love the profession find it tough going.

I agree Madonna

My personal feeling is that it is potentially quite damaging to say or imply that only people with a burning desire should teach or be any good at it. Emotional investment is fine to a point but if your whole identity is swept up in teaching then that leads to very high stress levels when it isn’t going well. It’s also off-putting to potential new entrants.

You do not have to have an overwhelming desire to teach. I think you need to like young people, enjoy sharing knowledge, have a sense of humour (vital!) and be quite a patient person - the latter was probably the biggest challenge to me when I first started.

Let’s say someone has an incredible God given talent for singing and they discover it quite by accident. Would we say to them they shouldn’t use it because the desire to sing hadn’t always been in them? That would clearly be nonsense, so why do we apply it to teaching?

Teaching is a brilliant job, lots of fun and very rewarding.

But only if you love it!!

The hours are long, demands very high and the job is a performance so very tiring.

Please do not even consider teaching unless you are passionate about it and love being in the classroom.