To ask if I am too old to get into teaching?

[Yellowroses123]

I had my DC young, in my late teens. I went back into education once they were in school, and recently got a degree. I was considering doing a PGCE to become a teacher, but I am wondering if I may have left it a little late.

I am 33 now, I started my degree with a foundation year when I was 29. I would need to get some experience working in schools, so if I applied for the PGCE I would start next September and finish when I would be 35.

I often feel like I am playing catch up with my career now after spending a lot of my twenties looking after DC, so I am feeling a bit anxious about applying for teacher training when I know most of the other students will be early twenties. Can anyone offer any words of wisdom, or tell me if I am being ridiculous and overthinking it? 😊

thanks in advance!

Not too old

Not too old but the profession itself is incredibly tough. If you want to do it then make sure you get lots of genuine experience beforehand so you can go in (If you choose to) with your eyes open.

I will be looking at doing my PGCE upon graduation in 2024, at the age 43 so definitely not too old. Go for it.

That's definitely not too old! As long as you have 20 years after qualifying nobody batsan eyelid (and really as the average teacher "survives" in the job five years it really should be fine to have 15 years in you, although it can be an exhausting job and many wouldn't recommend starting in your 50s...).

If you finish a PGSE at 36 you'll have 31 years of teaching ahead of you, and you've already had your children so no maternity leave... you could have an extremely successful career!

Of course not. I just finished my PGCE in June at the ripe old age of 42, and am starting my first post next week. I can’t wait!

Definitely not too old! Lots of people go into it as a second career, some even 50+, especially in secondary.

Are you thinking to train in primary or secondary teaching? Have you had a chance to do voluntary work in a school or work as a TA?

Oh and also, about half my cohort were career changers/older people, so you won’t be an anomaly at all.

Qualified at 41 for secondary with primary aged kids myself.

I love my job but so much is dependent on strong leadership, supportive department head and team, clear behaviour policy... I've seen talented teachers be strung out and exhausted and leave the profession because of various reasons above.

In the right circumstances it's the best and most rewarding job in the world.

No of course not! I thought you were in your 50s by the title. That's a great age actually because you have life experience and a bit more to offer the job

You are an excellent age to start a teaching career. You have your degree which proved you are motivated to succeed. I was 44 when I completed my PGCE in English at Secondary School level. Teaching is hard work and long hours in term time. I had the advantage of not having to panic over picking children up from childcare in the early stages of my career. Before I retired ibhad need a Head of English, Head of Year, Faculty Head and had worked in both the State and private sectors I loved my career and could probably have gone further if I hadn't eventually decided on part time. Another advantage was that when I chose to go part time I hadn't been used to a higher salary for many years through starting late. Go for it op. If you find it's not for you, you will have developed useful skills which are very transferable. 😄

No, I started a new career last year on an advanced apprenticeship, I'm 47, and I'll have turned 50 by the time I qualify. Someone started with me and they were already 50. Just as long as you have researched the role properly, I have witnessed people younger than me who didn't, go in with rose-tinted glasses and have left already. They were quite shocked at the intensity of some of the training and the reality of the working environment. Even in those of us who have remained some are struggling to get their head around the reality of the work they now do.
So I think it's less to do with what age you are and more about how you prepare for the role you want to do and how you manage your expectation of what the role will be like in reality and how well you adapt to it. Sometimes the age, maturity, and resilience you have developed over many years can work in your favour.

No - I qualified at 31, taught for 22 years including Deputy Head/SENCo, did two Masters Degrees while teaching and now work internationally for a foreign government developing their SEN policy and advising on practice. Why limit yourself?

Absolutely not, go for it! You’ll have the classroom advantage of not looking like you’re young and inexperienced! Once qualified the kids will assume you’re a proper ‘grown up’!!!

Not too old. My dsis qualified at 35, then worked 26 years, ended up as deputy head of a primary. Go for it !

I’ve just finished my PGCE at the age of 38, after working as a TA for almost a decade. My partner teacher qualified at 42, and there were lots of people older than me on my course, you’re definitely not too old!

Definitely not too old!

thanks for this - I want to do early primary, I actually worked as a teaching assistant for a year just before I had my DC, but as this was over 10 years ago I wanted some more recent experience before applying.

I really enjoyed working as a TA and the school environment - I have only started reconsidering a career as a teacher after finishing my degree, as once I had DC I felt like I had missed the boat!

Thanks for all of the responses - really glad that the consensus is that I am definitely not too old! I know teaching is a challenging career, but I do really want to go into it and I feel like doing my degree has given me the motivation to apply for next academic year 😀

That sounds brilliant - good luck and well done!

You are definitely not too old if you have the energy for it.

I'm 42 and been teaching for 21 years. I'm starting to feel a bit exhausted by it now. I still love it, but my body just can't take the pace the way it used to- although for various reasons I often don't have weekends off at the moment, which doesn't help.

I have 2 more years of studying to get my degree before doing a PGCE and I'm 36 at the moment. I'm sure we'll all be fine 💪Good luck!

I’m starting my training year next month and will turn 40 during it. I think nearly half my training group are mature students, many older than me.

Go for it!

Hey, you are too young to be asking about being too old!

Lucy Kellaway famously left her life as a journalist* at the age of 57 to become a teacher and started an organisation called 'Now Teach' for people who want to. She also wrote a book about it and her experience of being a teacher.

Being a well-known journalist, her remarkable career change made a splash and there were, as you would expect, articles in the press at the time and if you google her name plenty will come up. It's quite a story and the circumstances very different of course but then everyone's story is individual and different. You make your own.

*I used to read her column in the Financial Times which, unlike anything else in the paper, was always amusing and quirky, poking fun about management and office life.

My good friend and colleague started working as a TA in her 30s. She trained recently and celebrated her 50th birthday during her first year as a qualified teacher. She's amazing at the job.

Of course you aren’t too young, go for it!