To want an entry level job that pays 22k

[Floandmash]

I am feeling incredibly low at the min, and need some advice.
Around Christmas time, I will have completed my first year of teaching (nqt), and after lots of thinking I have decided to leave teachingonce I have officially passed nqt in January.

Anyway, I have a first class 5-11 primary teacher degree, BA. I'm looking for a job that I won't have to take a pay cut (22k) entry level, that will accept me without a subject specific degree. I have never really worked outside of school, other than retail jobs/BASIC admin 4+ years ago.

So do you have any job suggestions for me that pay around 22k, and have decent future prospects (as a teacher I would have probably never earned more than 33k, which I would be happy with long term!)

I don't really want to have to do a master's, but it is an option for me if I can't find other work.

I am currently working in the north-west.

Thanks

How about applying for a leadership/management grad scheme at one of the big 4? If you're in the NW they have loads of offices in Manchester if youre close enough to commute to there.

Thanks for the replies.
I was anticipating a shower of disgruntled replies from teachers, but the figures speak for themselves. I didn't start this thread to get into an argument about teachers working conditions, there are plenty of those on the staffroom forum...
All I will say, is that there is a retention crisis for a reason, and I have at no point said I speak for anyone other than myself and my own experience (and that of friends/family who teach) in primary schools in my local area.

I will definitely look into civil service routes, and following some useful advice on here I have just found an interesting job advertisement at a university.

@h0rsewithn0name Would I need to train first in software development?

I work in the public sector and out of our office of 25, there are at least 3 people who have trained to be teachers and not carried on into that career. We just ask for a degree on application forms, it really doesn't matter what the degree is in although I imagine this won't be the case in all workplaces.

Not really, @overnightangel, the pay increases come quickly to rather high levels, the bursaries while training are generous, the pensions are good and the holidays - while fixed - are also quite nice!

@Floandmash, it’s in London. Some of our grads do have marketing/advertising related degrees but plenty don’t.

@Tippexy You must be secondary

If you are 22 and new to teaching, why not try teaching part time at a college or in the community for adult learning. I did my teacher qualifications the other way round - I taught TEFL abroad, then in the UK for adult Ed and at a university before doing my pgce. You could also try supply teaching to give you experience of other schools to see what they’re like or try tutoring. Also, you will end up earning more than £33,000. The top of the scale for a classroom teacher is roughly £40,000 and then more if you move into the senior leadership team.

I just started my assistant on £21k. Publishing. But that is very region specific, there’s not much publishing in eg Bolton or Dover.

Big 4 Accountancy graduate scheme - start at around 21k in regions and 28k in London.

Required to complete ACA training which gives amazing opportunities to move into private sector after three years. If you need any advice PM me - I did one with a first in Law (so not accountancy related.)

Graduate scheme at a big corporate. You don't have to have just graduated. I started at a FTSE 100 company 10 years ago, outside of London on £27.5k.

I think the 2 years between uni and started benefitted me as I was used to working and had some transferrable skills.

One tip if applying for administration type things is to not be too blazee about what it entails. I get a lot of teachers applying for my jobs who state things like 'I have admin skills from the admin side of teaching, such as typing up lesson plans, keeping registers etc.'

It comes across as very arrogant - and at interview they often fail to bring enough evidence of understanding mechanics of servicing committees, excel - pivot tables, v-look up etc, and just how complex admin can be these days.

Good luck with whatever you find.

If you can get an admin (e.g. library, HR, finance, school officer, exams admin, etc.) in a university there are often opportunities for promotion sideways moves into different areas, and they’ll usually fund or part fund your masters as long as it relates to your job. So, for example, they might not fund a masters in chemistry, but they may fund a masters in management.

@Invisimamma

I've come out of lurking to thank you for the Good Moves website tip! (Have recently moved to Scotland).

To answer the OP, I second looking at university administrative positions - once you get your foot in the door and prove your worth, there's lots of opportunities in various departments and the ability to work your way up. I did this and within 10 years trebled my salary.

How do you know you won't end up in an environment that's even worse and makes you even more miserable?

I agree with this. I work in the private sector in construction consultancy. Evening and weekend working are pretty common place when deadlines have to be met. 9-5 is unusual except in the more forward thinking companies.

I know teacher have stresses, and some end up working long hours but I do get frustrated with the suggestion this is exclusive to teaching.

fail to bring enough evidence of understanding mechanics of servicing committees, excel - pivot tables, v-look up etc, and just how complex admin can be these days.

Great that you can do this, but in my experience, admin staff generally don’t have such a good working knowledge of excel. In fact, most often the technical staff I work with don’t either, and in my job those things are particularly useful.

I don’t think it’s true that you won’t earn more than 33k as a teacher .

I have a sibling who earns in over 55k in a management position in teaching .

You have to be willing to work hard and climb the ladder

Look on the target jobs graduation jobs section. Apart from law most grad jobs just require a 2:1 in pretty much anything. And I’ve never seen a grad job offering less than that on there.

It doesn’t sound like you have thought things through . The real reason you should leave teaching is because you don’t like it .

I personally think that teachers in senior positions are overpaid , in what they do in comparison to things like medicine.

Amazing holidays and working hours .

If you have a skill in another area then maybe you should think carefully about what that is and how you are going to make money out of it .

And if you were that keen to move out of teaching you would’ve accepted that salary drop .

22k dropping to 18 k is nothing after tax , if , on the 18 k salary you are getting the career satisfaction and prospects and opportunities that you are looking for to earn more .

But I think personally that you are probably being a little bit naive and not thinking things through

I actually think some PPs need to be a bit more realistic. I can’t really see the big accountancy firms queueing up to take on a graduate with a teaching degree. And the cheerful PPS telling the OP to get admin work at a local university have obviously got no idea that many universities have recruitment freezes, or even redundancies in this area. The civil service is probably more realistic - but still difficult to get into.

What about supply teaching for a few months, OP? It’ll keep the money coming in, and mean that you don’t have a gap in your employment history. You’ll be far more flexible if a job out of teaching comes up. And you’ll be able to sample local schools to see if any would be a better fit for you.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies that's taking a big assption as to what 'cheerful PPs' know I feel. I have a very clear picture of what is happening recruitment wise at universities having gone through freezes and redundancies very recently where I work.

However, where I work, the freezes are temporary, usually until student recruitment figures are confirmed and have no effect on the OP if they are able to find a role they like. And even whilst redundancies are taking place in one area, other departments still recruit, albeit sometimes for fixed-term contracts but it's still a way in.

The university I work at does everything it can to avoid compulsory redundancies and will always look to go down the voluntary/redeployment route through which they do to good effect and I'm aware of very few CR situations.

So I wouldn't discount universities OP.

Sorry - assumption.

Teaching is teaching, unfortunately. I think people who suggest a new school are often just wishful thinking teachers, who hope that the grass is greener elsewhere. In reality most schools are as bad as the next, because there physically isn't the time in the working day to get all of the jobs needed, especially with no/part-time teaching assistant support.

Not at all true. Clearly you're in a shit school if all members of staff are working ridiculous hours. If you want to get out of teaching then do so but don't presume all schools are like it.
You need to be in a school with realistic and achievable marking policies (none of this green/pink highlighter nonsense, in depth three stars and a wish marking crap), good team work where you can share planning and a supportive slt. They do exist.

I teach Y6 in a one and a half form entry. It's a well respected school with good outcomes. None of us work ridiculous hours. No everything doesn't get done in ppa time but we certainly don't work such long days as you describe. We plan foundation subjects between us and share English planning.

No idea where you got the idea that you'll never progress past 33k from. UPS3 is 40k...

I wouldn’t discount them either. I just don’t think it’s realistic to assume that the OP will be able to stroll into a job here. And a lot of PPs made it sound oh so easy, as though universities offer some kind of a charitable work providing service.

I don't think anyone was saying it would be easy to get a job in university administration - they are usually very competitive like most jobs - just suggesting it as an area to consider. On the whole I think they offer decent pay, holidays and opportunities to move into different administrative roles if you develop a good reputation within the university.