I want to be a primary school teacher

[IWantToChange]

I was pushed by my parents into going to uni to do something I had no interest in and I did 2 years (hnd but only passed first year so got hnc) when I was younger.

Would I be ineligible for student loans / grants for a degree to become a primary school teacher?

It's something that I'd really love to do but wouldn't be able to afford the uni fees without help!

TA is great, it's the best parts of being at school without any of the responsibility. I loved it.

The money, however, is SHIT.

I loved being a TA. The pay doesn’t reflect the type of work and I wish I’d known before agreeing to a week at camp that we weren’t paid for it. I guess it depends on the school.

If you think primary school teaching is not as manic as secondary then you need to get work experience in education before committing to anything.

Neither position is family friendly.

Isn't there still such a thing as an unqualified teacher, though?

The education system in this country is struggling and it makes me so sad. Unless some massive implosion happens and everything changes for the better, I certainly won't be returning.

I teach secondary. If I had my time again, I would still teach, but would change my subject. I teach English and our marking load is horrendous compared to other subjects, plus we are constantly under more pressure due to being a core subject.

My understanding is that the workload in primary is worse than secondary.

The first few years are the worst, the. You start to hit your strides. The problem is with the contestant monitoring and changing of goalposts. Oh, and everyone thinking they know about your job just because they went to school. And don’t even THINK about any hint of a complaint to others. Your holidays will be thrown back at you. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for the holidays.

When I trained eight years ago so many teachers told me not to bother. I’m really glad that I did. I’m leaving now, but to pursue something that I only could have done with teaching experience and would never had considered had I not taught.

I’m leaving because I want to have children and have more flexibility to spend time with them, and because the career progression is all management based, which I’m not interested in.

I’d second those who say get some experience, volunteer, speak to the teachers who you work with. Although you might not get the whole picture, you’ll get a feel for if you are stimulated and enjoy it. If you are then you could do a lot worse.

brutus unqualified teachers usually have degrees or equivalent experience but not teaching qualifications.

op you don’t sound like you’ve got a fully realistic picture of what it’s like to be a primary teacher. I love it but it’s bloody hard work with long hours and a lot of stress.

Oh dear...ignore my typos. I’m connected to my charger cable and things went a bit haywire!

Ok so 4 yr all in.either B.Ed with QTS or 3yr degree and 1 yr Pgce
On a practical note,whilst you’re studying and/or placement who’ll collect your kids etc
What support do you have?is your dp or family able to help
Have you spoken to teachers about course,job etc
You’ll need experience working with kids preferably in education setting

And good luck

You simply COULDN'T do it if it wasn't for the holidays. I'm sure plenty of teachers end up in early graves or signed off with stress related illnesses, and that's with the holidays.

You simply COULDN'T do it if it wasn't for the holidays

Absolutely! I’m on half term this week and utterly done in.

Ah, thanks for clarifying, Purple.

sally - I'm being ever so nosey but would love to know what you're doing now! Advisory work? Don't worry if you'd rather not say for anonymity!

Primary teacher here...I'd NEVER advise it to anyone asking if they should do it. EVER!! I work 70+ hours a week in term time and part of every holiday too Just. Don't.

The first few years are the worst, the. You start to hit your strides.

Except you often don't. My best years of teaching were pre new curriculum when I spent several years in the same KS2 class. I could re use resources and planning, improve my lessons year on year and generally really get to grips with what I was teaching.

Then all the goalposts started moving, and staffing issues meant that I was moved from KS2 to foundation, then back to a different KS2 class. All good for CPD but I was never allowed to settle back into a class and reuse anything which massively increased my workload. Add to that the new trend for tailoring each lesson to the specific interests of that cohort and..... Well, I'm not teaching anymore

@sallywinter curious...what are you leaving to pursue? Xx

If you enjoy paperwork, planning in minute detail, then replanning when things change, having every part of your work scrutinised, working probably twice as many hours as you’re paid for, every evening and weekend, then see if you can volunteer in a school.

Even then, you won’t really see what it’s like. Being with the children is, these days, just a small part of being a teacher.

Teaching has surely gonto be better than working 12hr shifts 6 days a week, with 3 week’s holiday a year. All for minimum wage?

Ok, you've all put me off quite a lot! 😬

Do it! I trained as a primary school teacher at the age of 35 and love it.

It's very rewarding and yes, it's hard work but no more so than what I was doing before. Plus you can recuperate in the long holidays which you can't do in normal jobs.

I really recommend it.

Redwine, the thing is, the hours aren't much different to that, or weren't when I did it. I was working 6 days a week ( DH made me take Saturdays off!) and on weekdays I was in school 7.30-5, then doing work at home from 6 til about 9.30. Yes i did get the holidays but spent all the half terms planning. So I took a week off at Christmas then usually took 4 of the summer holiday weeks off. So I had 5 weeks holiday a year and the rest of the time I was doing a job that nearly killed me with stress, for what worked out to be less than minimum wage. (Year 5, very deprived area, had to plan 3 separate maths and English lessons for each one lesson on the timetable as I had some kids who couldn't read at all or add single digit numbers and a handful who were working at y6/7 level).

thisusernameistricky When I said hitting your stride after a few years, I mean as a secondary teacher in one subject. I don’t know how you cope in primary being moved around like that.

The last couple of years have been tumultuous - mainly due to the legacy of Gove - but things seems to be settling again. The problem is is that education is now politicised and everything can change on the whim of the Government and the Education Minister. Especially when they regards us teachers as the enemy or ‘the blob’ to quote Gove.

I love teaching. It works for me, it’s not an easy option though.

Sorry, not what you asked. Grants/etc will depend on whether you’re in Scotland, England or Wales I think.NI different again. Good luck with what you choose.

Wow! All the negative (but probably realistic!) posts!!!

OP - if you still want to do it after this thread, you are probably just the right person for the job! Sounds like you need to b pretty dedicated, hard working and determined!

I always think it's important to follow your dreams! (Just seen the lovely 'coco' film, which is probably adding to this sense right now!!) so if u r determined and v hard working, DO IT!!!

It's true that it is crazy hours but one thing I love about being a teacher is thst I get the holidays to spend with my own children and that's worth a lot.