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?

OP, have a look at the Researchers in Schools website, it's is a teaching programme recruiting PhD graduates to teach in state schools and apparently there are some advantages compared to other routes into teaching. It's a pretty bad time to become a teacher I believe, but it's worth a try if you find a good school.

Hunting I have been thinking about plumbing lately I'd love to hear from any women who trained as a plumber in their thirties.

I think as someone holding many publications, you would have plenty of interesting opportunities in the private sector. Have you considered a career as a research analyst/manager? Some sectors may be willing to hire you as a consultant straight off the back (one of my friends did this half-way through their PhD and never completed their thesis!).

If you have any quantitative skills at all, then I think that you're set in an extremely good position in the career-market. I don't think 40+ is something to hold you back from this (especially considering how little you'll be initially earning as a teacher).

The last suggestion I have is academic writing services - one of my friends did this following PhD and actually enjoyed it. There's a range of different options within this sector - from ghost-writing assignments to creating simple journal articles for public consumption!

Give the poor woman a break, sounds like teaching is out, so what else?

Dental Hygienist looks goodish to me at the moment. Not sure about other people's smelly mouths :-)

Recruitment Consultant? You need the hide of a rhino & willingness to lie through your teeth (not all work this way, only about 80%)

Cleaning company?

Doctors receptionist.

What appeals to me about teaching?
a. It would use my qualifications and experience - I was apparently quite good at lecturing.
b. I might be able to get a job

What puts me off?
a. The lack of autonomy or control or initiative given to teachers
b. The fear of violence from kids in the classroom

Could you not get a full-time lecturing position? Non-research related roles in academia are less competitive than post-docs. Although I understand you might be limited in where you apply for lecturing positions due to being tied down to one geographic area.

@Smellfunny - I have applied to over 20 such posts in the past two years. I shit you not. Massive, massive competition.

People reading this thread and not in the sector need to realise that competition for academic jobs varies WILDLY between fields. There are some areas of the arts and humanities where it is almost impossible to get a job without 2 or 3 books behind you. There are some areas of the social sciences that are desperate for people and will employ them before they even have their PhD. This is no reflection on the quality of the candidates - it's simply a supply/demand issue. OP sounds like she's in a very competitive area, and it is not unusual for people to struggle to get an entry job in those fields.

Oh and OP, please ignore the stupid advice about 40 being 'too old' for an entry-level job. It isn't.

OP, I’ve never had any violence against me and I’ve worked in two of the poorest wards in the country in really badly run schools.

If that helps :)

I'm laughing at the suggestion that anyone would be able to get a full time lecturing position in a university nowadays. For every job (few and far between) you're competing with hundreds of applicants from all around the world, and universities prefer to hire internationally to boost their multicultural image so a local candidate stands very little chance.

Do not teach. You need to have passion, energy and enthusiasm. You need to be in good physical health and have real commitment to it. You sound completely unsuited. Children and schools deserve the best.

Lecturing is nothing like teaching in a school.

I don’t see why plumbing is a bad choice? Well paid. You can be self employed

But you're limited to your own physical strength. We had a female plumber who was brilliant for the small stuff, i.e. leak repairs, new taps, replacing small radiators, etc. Unfortunately, whenever we want anything "big" doing, she can't do it, i.e. new boiler, new large radiators, as she simply can't lift them around. Same with a small radiator we needed moving - she could move the radiator itself, but she didn't have the strength to pull up the floorboards so she couldn't get to the pipes to plumb it in. In the end she gave up and got a job teaching plumbing at the local FE college as she said she couldn't earn enough on the small jobs and couldn't physically do the bigger jobs where the money was.

Bellamuerte not that ridiculous from my experience.

From my PhD cohort within social sciences, 3 close friends (from 5 graduates) were able to secure lecturing positions. All 5 had initially been going for post docs but after over 100 applications each had got nowhere with them. Lecturing was comparatively much easier, albeit only one of them ended up at their first-choice university. The remaining 2 were able to secure lecturing positions abroad.

smellfunny - see my post above about the difference between fields.

And full-time lecturing posts are like hens teeth in universities. Local college lecturers tend to be paid hourly on short term contracts.

University admin? Go in at mid to late £20's then progress. Maybe option for some hourly paid teaching as well once you're in.

Can you tutor, or is that out due to your area?

Hi op, are you in the Southern East?

Auto correct fail. South East.

I have many friends who work as school teachers. They work harder than anyone else I know, and have extremely long hours during term time. They often work through the holidays, too. It seems it'd be a real struggle - maybe even impossible - to forge a career in teaching if you weren't keen on doing it (unless you go to a private school, where your PhD might be sufficient qualification without PGCE and the class sizes might be more manageable). If you're willing to train for a bit, but aren't enamoured with teaching, what about a different sort of training? E.g. A social work MA.

Would echo Civil Service. Social researcher jobs available across the country with salaries up to £43K in London.

A PhD is a completely irrelevant qualification for school teaching. A PGCE can be a really useful one, even if you work in a school where no teaching qualification is required.

I am desperate to be a teacher.

I went to a SCITT interview last Friday and I was worried that maybe i was too enthusiastic about wanting to teach.

After reading your posts, I can see that over enthusiasm is definitely preferable to apathy so I am not as concerned now.