Those who think teaching is easy should put their money where their mouth is

[noblegiraffe]

Teacher training applications which rose during the pandemic have now fallen to 15% below pre-pandemic levels when we already had a critical teacher shortage. The government's decision to slash bursaries is now looking completely idiotic.

www.tes.com/news/teacher-training-applications-drop-pre-covid-levels

The only thing that the government has put an appreciable amount of funding into recently related to schools is £24 million to ensure that they will all be Ofsteded within the next 5 years. With inspectors expected to massively reduce the number of outstanding schools, this is a punishing schedule rather than a supportive one.

This is causing Heads to quit, on top of how terribly they were treated during the pandemic (this continued with an email late Friday telling them that they once again have to take on the job of the NHS and set up covid testing centres for January, with orders needing to be in by Tuesday).

We already have a critical shortage of headteachers.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/nov/27/ofsted-inspections-headteachers-quit

I've noticed lots of posts on here from people who think that teaching is easy, that school funding is fine and there are no issues in schools, that you can leave at 3 and get lots of holidays.

So isn't it about time they put their money where their mouth is and trained as teachers? We are in dire need of them, and it's such a doss it should be a pleasure for them. A bit of a holiday even. And as it would be a public service, it would be guilt-free.

getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

I train teachers in school. I have also run a SCITT.
Too many people get places on PGCE courses with zero intention of ever teaching. They collect the bursary and leave.
Many people get into their NQT year, realise it's tougher than they thought, and leave.
Many people make it to year 4, burn out, and leave.

It's the relentless workload, the demands for ever more with ever less, and the constant vilification, whether that be from parents, SLT, ofsted, the press, the students.

@Whinge

How is it the same thing?

You don't think people should drift into teaching after trying other things.

Others think teachers should have experience in a real job before becoming teachers.

No, I think it’s too easy to drift into a teaching postgrad at the end of an undergrad that might not lead to many other options especially because the pay scale for teaching isn’t impressive enough to lure people away from other professions.

Leaving an undergrad, working in a job or getting some kind of experience outside of education and still deciding to move in that direction probably shows more determination to do it.

Do you have an issue with career teachers? This definitely does seem to be a unique issue some people have with teacher - no one slags off a career nurse or firefighter .I don't get this at all. Fine to do a4 year BEd, but not 3 years plus a PGCE. I should have done another pointless job first, just because when I really only wanted to be a teacher? This makes no sense. I wanted to be a teacher, and I still am.

@Piggywaspushed

Do you have an issue with career teachers? This definitely does seem to be a unique issue some people have with teacher - no one slags off a career nurse or firefighter .I don't get this at all. Fine to do a4 year BEd, but not 3 years plus a PGCE. I should have done another pointless job first, just because when I really only wanted to be a teacher? This makes no sense. I wanted to be a teacher, and I still am.

No. I have no issue with career teachers. I’ve consistently and repeatedly said the opposite.

I’ve simply suggested a way to improve the retention crisis - by recruiting committed professionals with a reasonable pay scale, so they’re more tempted by teaching than (I think I said) pharmacy. That’s it.

So how are you suggesting you check they are committed because I think - with a few TF exceptions-most people believe they are when they start.

I assume you are a science teacher?

Can someone with a chemistry degree just go off and be a pharmacist?

In fact, despite so many girls being lured into STEM lots of recent studies show pay progression after graduation is poor for women. Teaching pays better than lab tech.

@Piggywaspushed

I assume you are a science teacher?

No, I’m not.

@Piggywaspushed

Can someone with a chemistry degree just go off and be a pharmacist?

No, I think they need a postgrad.

Does pharmacy have the same trouble with retention that teaching does?

@Piggywaspushed

So how are you suggesting you check they are committed because I think - with a few TF exceptions-most people believe they are when they start.

I’m suggesting that with a better pay scale, and a drive to sacrifice a different career in favour of teaching, we might be able to hold on to a few more.

@Piggywaspushed

Can someone with a chemistry degree just go off and be a pharmacist?

No, totally different degrees.

However, chemistry graduates have lots of opportunities out there and teaching ranks pretty low down the list due to salary and poor conditions. I studied chemistry and the only people I know from my course and professional acquaintance who went into teaching had a real vocation for it. Many are now no longer in teaching.

@Piggywaspushed

In fact, despite so many girls being lured into STEM lots of recent studies show pay progression after graduation is poor for women. Teaching pays better than lab tech.

That’s a different issue though. It’s awful, but it’s not really relevant here, unless you think teaching should remain a subject dominated by women.

Loads of studies have shown it is not about pay, especially not for women.

That’s interesting @Eleganz and what I suspected.

I’m suggesting that with a better pay scale, and a drive to sacrifice a different career in favour of teaching, we might be able to hold on to a few more.

Except we won't. We'll train a few more maybe, but retention problems will still be there.

I don't get how Eleganz's post confirms what you thought. She doesn't describe people drifting in. She describes people who really wanted to teach , despite issues over pay, and then the attrition of the job getting to them.

@Piggywaspushed

I don't get how Eleganz's post confirms what you thought. She doesn't describe people drifting in. She describes people who really wanted to teach , despite issues over pay, and then the attrition of the job getting to them.

teaching ranks pretty low down the list due to salary

@Bellfor

I’m suggesting that with a better pay scale, and a drive to sacrifice a different career in favour of teaching, we might be able to hold on to a few more.

Except we won't. We'll train a few more maybe, but retention problems will still be there.

So what are your suggestions for changing the retention crisis?

😂 at the idea that a teacher would post on AIBU in order to get their ego stroked.

Someone not very familiar with MN?

As for the idea that we don’t need parents onside

The government clearly don’t give a shit about the state of education, and hate teachers, so parents are the other group with skin in the game.

A lot seem blissfully unaware of just how bad things are. Parents need to start demanding better for their kids.

@noblegiraffe

As for the idea that we don’t need parents onside

The government clearly don’t give a shit about the state of education, and hate teachers, so parents are the other group with skin in the game.

A lot seem blissfully unaware of just how bad things are. Parents need to start demanding better for their kids.

So what do you suggest? How do they do that?

I’ve been a teacher for 12 years and I absolutely love the prt of my job where I get to teach children interesting things, see them learn to read and write, make friends, grow in confidence etc. Unfortunately, most of the job now is putting together long paper trails of ‘evidence’ for ofsted, preparing little kids for tests that have no impact on their future and following complicated and often boring schemes devised by mates of politicians. It truly is the children I feel sorry for. Head teachers should have more balls and tell ofsted where to go.

Raising awareness is the first step.

At least 463 people have read the OP. 👍

@noblegiraffe

Raising awareness is the first step.

At least 463 people have read the OP. 👍

Great! What next?