To wonder if I could/should get into teaching

[Whattodo182]

That really.

I'm looking for a career change, not an easy life FWIW.

I have a degree in a pretty vague humanities subject, but probably would be looking to get into history/English/social sciences teaching.

Is there a demand for these subjects? Lots of info online for funding for training but seems to be mostly science/maths. Could I take this route despite not having a relevant degree?

Any opinions/advice welcome

FWIW teacher drop out/attrition is lowest in humanities, especially History (and PE). Highest in core subjects.

Flip side of that is that history jobs are not ten a penny. Training availability in eg sociology is quite area dependent but is great to get into if you can!

Don't do it. Almost all the teachers I know are looking for ways out. Many are off work due to stress. The only way I have found a work / life balance is to work 3 days a week. After 28 years, this will be my last. The positive I have is that supply teachers are in demand in my area, so I can do that instead.

Geography teachers are in short supply so that would be an employable option, English has a huge marking load along with history and Re. The easiest planning and marking can be in maths and there are maths and geography SKE sourses that you can take prior to starting your training to upskill your subject knowledge, they range from 8 to 16 weeks. I would also strongly suggest you arrange to observe teachers in the subjects you are interested in and talk to the different subject teachers about workloads. I still enjoy teaching 22 years on but I am now part time.

Yanbu. I know teachers who are happy and content and do a great job. It isn't for everyone though, plenty of ex teachers will tell you that!

Tbh a lot of professions will discourage you from joining, a lot of people don't enjoy their work, it's not just teaching that has unhappy staff.

I’m a teacher and I love my job. The students are great and the SLT are sensible. BUT it is only manageable because I am part time in a small FE college. That means that I earn a pittance. It’s hard to get both the money and the enjoyment.

I was considered a successful secondary school teacher for many years. Would I choose to go into it if I had my time again? Definitely not. The demands became increasingly unrealistic and all the things I loved about teaching such as being able to talk to and actually get to know the young people in my classes disappeared; replaced by incessant lesson observations and requests to meet virtually impossible targets. I loved the children and the teaching but the ever increasing red tape nonsense sucked the joy out of it. I understand that many people will have had more positive experiences but I would say, don’t do it.

So much depends on where you work: if you are lucky to find a school with great behaviour and an authentic commitment to staff well being and work-life balance, then it’s a brilliant job. Still hard work, especially in a marking-heavy subject like English, but very rewarding.

I’d recommend you some local schools and arrange shadowing days after Christmas, talk to everyone you can, and you’ll get a better idea of whether or not it might be for you.

Same here. Qualified in 2004. Only managed 5 years full time before going down to 3 days per week after my first mat leave. Don't plan to ever go back to full time if I can help it!

The practicalities are that yes, you are likely to need a relevant degree. I just went for a biology job and they clearly asked for a degree in biology or another science. I’m pretty sure that now and again it is overlooked, but people with a relevant degree are generally going to get better access to specific teaching jobs.

With a humanities degree, you are probably more suited to a humanities subject or English.

I have personally been teaching since 2002. I enjoy my job, but it is very difficult and I do sometimes look forward to retirement a little too much. The hours are much longer than people realise and you will work unpaid in your own time more than you think you will, especially to begin with.

Expectations of teachers tend to be extremely high, sometimes unreasonable and you will absolutely not stay in your job more than a handful of years, unless you’ve become a teacher for the right reasons…that you have a passion for education and working with children.

I am also a middle leader and student teacher mentor and my students often have really bad days. Days when their planning fails; the pupils behave atrociously; they put their foot in it with SLT; forget to attend an important meeting or forget to be professional for a moment and end up receiving a complaint from a parent, or even one of the pupils. I’ve had students in tears, saying how they can’t do this.

BUT, if you really want to be a teacher (and it definitely not for the holidays because believe me, that isn’t worth it) then go for it. Know it will be harder than you can imagine and you will need to be resilient, but if you come out the other side, you will have days where you feel the rewards. Those days when a child comes to say goodbye at the end of year 11, with a beautiful hand written note of thanks for everything you’ve done for them, or that day when a year 7 pupils let’s you know that you’re their favourite teacher because…that’s why I do it.

SLT are a headache. The LEA is a headache. The paperwork is an utter nightmare. The hours are long. But there are moments of joy that I just couldn’t imagine experiencing in any other profession.

Best of luck and if you need any advice, please do post.

Currently doing a PGCE.
I would volunteer at a school before applying for PGCE. Speak to existing teachers. But make sure you actually shadow them and do the full day. A few lesson observations wont give you the real deal. They dont need anymore history teachers but they have put a 15 k bursary for English PGCE 2023/2024.
I was working at a nursery so I knew the daily grind - loved the children and actual teaching- pay was barely minimum wage.
The PGCE is brutal - wonderful to work with the students and teach them- but the workload is immense. The teachers at my placement school have told me to treat it like a job but the reality is teaching is a vocation - it gets better after a while- but prepare to sacrifice a lot for the first 3 years ( 1 PGCE + 2 ECT) . Teachers at my placement school have 15 years under their belt but work 7.30 am till at least 7.30 pm and take more work home plus the weekends ( they will take one day off on Sat but are back on emails by sunday eve ).
Of course it is a rewarding job but the government is still struggling to keep teachers in the profession. This is very telling

I am doing a pgce at the moment - in science - I like it - its a lot to learn and definitely had its tough moments but that applies to lots of jobs (had a few different ones!) I would say if you do it choose your training provider carefully as workloads differ a lot - I got a lot of support from now teach who support career changers

As someone who did it for 8 years, absolutely do not do it. The workload is ridiculous even if you're lucky enough to be in a decent school that values your wellbeing. And it's not family friendly in any way apart from the holidays.

The government have made education a political football for so long that all they do is chop and change their policy position constantly, and the burden of those changes falls on teachers every time. Reporting and assessment requirements are astronomical, not to mention planning, and will eat into all your time outside of the actual teaching. I've heard it said that it's one of the few jobs where you have a full time job to do, on top of the teaching that you do all day.

If you value your physical and mental health, do not touch teaching with a bargepole. And I taught Early Years btw, which is loved by many as you work with sweet little teeny ones. Even the kids could not make me go back.

Unless you REALLY want to teach, don't do it. Your heart has to be in it, as it is a gruelling career. If you're asking Mumsnet I'd guess you're not committed.

I'm a teacher, have a good work/life balance, I care deeply about the kids I teach and I get good results. I genuinely think it's a great job. I'm in Scotland. I think England have a rough ride with governors etc.

I've taught for 24 years in some state but mainly independent schools. It's been great. I earn nearly 50k and have 18 weeks holiday. I work very hard during term but not much at all in the holidays.
It hugely, massively depends on the school/leadership.

Please do consider it Op , we desperately need teachers in this country so you would be able to pick and choose.

I wouldn’t wish a career in teaching on my worst enemy and none of my kids want to touch teaching with a barge pole.

I would join the ‘Exit the classroom and thrive’ Facebook group and take some time to read what people are saying their reasons for leaving are.

Mhm, what Appuskidu said.
That FB group is a really great starting point for a realistic expectation of what the profession is like.
I'm in a great school, have taught for 25 years and am pretty good at my job (and love the pupils in my school to bits!). But I absolutely wouldn't recommend teaching and for this reason have requested to not have to mentor PGCE / BEd students anymore.
And EmmaDilemma can't be serious.

I work in a school

@EmmaDilemma5 What’s your role/working hours in school?