Accountant or Maths Teacher career change - mid-40's?

[Valkyrie99]

Posting in AIBU for traffic as not getting response elsewhere.

I have worked in IT for the last 20 years. I'm now in mid-40's. I had to give up FT work to look after young DC and have lost my techy skills rendering me unemployable in IT. I am still doing a part-time job in IT resourcing but feeling the need to think about something that will give me better employability prospects in the future.

So i'm looking to re-train as either :-

1. Accountancy/finance officer/bookeeping/treasurer role. Worked for a relative over 25 years ago, doing purchase ledger work and accounts admin in school holidays. Thought it was ok. I'm happy to pay and study for CIMA or ACCA to become part-qualified before looking for work. However, not sure how easy it would be to get a job in my 40's without any experience ? Especially part-time work ?

2. Maths Teacher - i love Maths and always enjoyed helping others However, I have a lot of stress at home as have a child with SN, so fear that this will just add to my stress load. I would have to do a PGCE/SCITT part-time. And i would only be able to work part-time as a Maths teacher. Not really sure whether a school would employ me as a part-time Maths teacher ?

Any advice from Mumsnetters welcome.

Agree Euphemism. Part time has made motherhood and teaching a lot more manageable for me but I have plenty of very efficient full time colleagues who combine the two without any noticeable damage to anyone concerned!

I have plenty of very efficient full time colleagues who combine the two without any noticeable damage to anyone concerned!

I doubt that very much, I suspect they would consider themselves and their families as very badly damaged, however they appear to you

Camilila do you work outside of the UK?

no. I work in London

I am Science Teacher, so similar employment opportunities as a Maths Teacher - I have 10 - 20 emails, voicemails and text messages every day from headhunters, and I am not even on the market.

I don’t work from home at all, except to maybe answer a couple of emails. I get into school an hour before lessons start and leave 15 minutes after the end of the last lesson. I do my preparation and marking in my early hour and frees. I am a bit bewildered about the 70 hour a week loads.

Just as a quick FYI, there aren't that many places that offer a part time SCITT/PGCE. getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/part-time-courses has some info. Sorry if you already know this!

There is a massive shortage of maths teachers though- so you would definitely be able to find a job once you had qualified.

I retrained in accountancy. I did my AAT via distance learning, and now do freelance work (some accountancy, but mainly bookkeeping) from home. It’s not the worlds most exciting job, but there’s plenty of work, and I work flexibly around school hours.

From the people I know I would say accountants have a better work life balance and feel more satisfied day to day.

Teachers seem to mostly have a bloody awful time with the occasional wonderful experience that makes it all worth it. Apparently.

Neither are jobs where it’s easy to draw a line and say the work is ‘done’. Teaching especially, the work is never done and you have to be amazing at scheduling your time as well as valuing your skills and not getting taken advantage of by other teachers or students.

Depends what your personality would prefer I guess.

I am a bit bewildered about the 70 hour a week loads

well, I try and limit myself to 60 hours during the week, but so far this weekend have done 20 hours and counting.

so 80 hours since this time last week. May not get to bed tonight at all

Camilla are you private because your school sounds terrible.

no, its an academy and its not a terrible school its a good one.,

In my group of friends/DPs friends the majority are either accountants or teachers funnily enough. Half of the teachers have either quit or gone part time when other stuff (illness or kids) has 'got in the way' e.g. there wasn't any flexibility due to the long and unpaid hours. The CIMA exams are really hard and month end/year end does get stressful but it's rare i have to take work home and I'm fairly high up in my office. There will always be a need for both but it's a lot easier to get part time accountancy jobs and experience. Half of our office are part time and we all work flexi time.

Terrible to work for, Camilla. And if it’s terrible to work for, then that will have an impact on the kids. It’s entirely unreasonable to expect teachers to be on premises until 6pm and not to provide sufficient printing facilities.

You need a new school then!

Easter holidays I go in to do 2 days of revision before the exams - this is totally optional and not expected.
Summer holidays - any staff below SLT are not 'required' to go in at all but most go in for the results, which all come on the same day, and maybe the odd day here and there to get sorted for a new term. Don't think anyone darkens the door over Christmas.
School starts at 8.30 and ends at 3.40 and while most are in at 8 and there til 4 or 4.30 there's no expectation to do so as we can mark/write reports/plan at home just as easily. We do definitely put the hours in to get everything done but it doesn't have to be on the premises outside of school hours.
I think that working conditions in Scotland are a lot better than England though and jobs are more secure and not at the whim of the Head Teacher - we're employed by the local authority not the school as such.

When my child was younger I'd get in at 8.20 due to drop-off times for her in the morning and I'd leave no later than 4. I'd get whatever work was needing done once she was asleep which did make for a long, long day but it did mean that the usual before and after school care could fit my hours.
Our holidays didn't always quite match but all schools in the local authority have exactly the same holidays, and the neighbouring ones tried to have similar if not the same, so it was only the odd day here or there it didn't work out.

Jesus where do you work? We get the same sick pay as anyone who works for the local authority, same with maternity pay, decent if kinda toothless unions and while they aren't overjoyed by it we can take 2 paid days a year for sick children and a few more unpaid.

Camilla - your school might get good results but it sure as hell isn't a good place to work!

Thank you all for your comments. This is really helping.

slightlyglittermaned - That's good to hear about your job and that you are employing many part-time workers. I was happy in IT. You are correct. I've always been 3rd line support/projects. So I dealt with developers a lot but had to working overnight/weekends for implementations or I was on call for production problems. It hasn't always been this stressful at every company i've worked at but the one pre-DC was extremely difficult. I have been looking at returners programs - thanks, that's a good idea. I haven't totally ruled out IT - if i can find something IT locally that is part-time then i will be tempted to go for it. I have been made redundant a few times as well (team or company wide - not just me) and i'm fed up with the instability that seems to come with IT.

Euphemism - are you a secondary school teacher ?

Its a very good place to work because the behaviour is good, and strictly enforced .

Its the best working environment I have ever had in 30 years as a teacher

In my last school the abuse was constant, and teachers couldn't do anything about it, because there was no back up at all, in fact SMT were more likely to scold you in front of the child and tell you off for upsetting them, rather than support you

There is no stability in teaching either @Valkyrie

Camilla, school starts at 7:30am (with teachers on site before 6:30) and staff required to stay on the premises until 6pm??
If kids arrive for 7:30, what time do they go home?!

I am a teacher so I get we work
long hours, but I am a bit indcredulous...

Maybe see if you can do some shadowing at schools for a few days, look through planning/admin/marking etc. I used to teach secondary and though yes some days it was very satisfying, there was a huge amount of unnecessary admin. I would be in for 7am, leave at 5.30pmish have dinner then 3 out of 5 days get back on marking for a few hours until bed. Tried I give myself Saturdays off, then spent half of Sunday planning/marking. I didnt and still don’t know any teachers who do less than this (of any subject) - in fact in my last school I arrived later and left earlier than most! Teaching truly is a vocation and I think it’s something you really have to want to do, so the benefits outweigh negatives.

I also worked in an academy like Camilla where I do think they are more eager to dot i’s etc. So maybe that explains the hours.

Accounting! The job title fits the demand. Whereas teaching encompasses at least ten different roles and that's before you even get to the teaching part. Depends on where you are located, catchment areas, LEA or academy, private or state etc....

Valkyrie99

Yes I am a secondary school teacher.

Camiila your school may well have good behaviour, which would be a dream for many of us, but it can't be a good school if there is no regard for the duty of care management have for the staff. How many people will burn out under the conditions you describe? It sounds horrendous.