To tell my son he should do something that earns more than teaching

[NameChangeAgainAgainAgainAgain]

My son is good at everything. Parent's evening yesterday and all the teachers said he could easily get 9s at almost all his GCSEs but he's a bit lazy as he finds things quite easy.

He plays 2 instruments to grade 6+ standard. He learns fast. He's great at sciences, maths, computing.

He wants to be a PE teacher.

AIBU to tell him to think about doing something else? He could literally do anything and has chosen this. I am a bit disappointed I suppose, thought he might go Barrister/Actuary/Doctor or something.

I’m not sure that the world needs any more PE teachers. If he’s got his heart set on teaching, STEM subjects would be a better choice.

Has he had any careers advice or done any research as to alternative careers?

It's not that teaching isn't a sound/respectable career, it's that given his expected results, a lot more doors are open to him as well in better careers!

I think teaching is often a "default" for people who don't know any different.

If he's dead set on teaching, then try to encourage him to aim for a Maths, IT or Science degree, and then train to be a Maths, IT or Science teacher where demand is higher and there'll be more choice of jobs. He can still teach PE/Games but as a secondary teaching subject not the only one!

And if teaching doesn't work out for him, for whatever reason, he'll have far broader alternative career choices with a Maths, IT or science degree as opposed to having a PE degree.

At the end of the day, try to encourage him to follow his dreams, but at the same time, keep his options open for "plan B".

As a qualified paramedic I agree. I would actively discourage anyone from following this career path nowadays.

It’s far too early to be worrying about his career. However if he did decide to become a PE teacher, I know several that have done very well from it. Some in private schools, others have moved up the ladder quickly in non-private schools into more senior roles. PE as a subject may not be the most money making, but a PE teacher certainly usually has more personal characteristics that makes leadership roles (and therefore a higher pay grade) more likely.

A lot can happen between now and then!

But don't worry - if he does become a teacher he'll probably only do it for a few years before he sensibly gets out. There's a massive teacher retention crisis in education and the % of teachers who leave during the first five years is shocking.

He should be at least partially aware how much me and DH struggle, how tired we are (DH is a primary teacher). I don't know why he would want to follow in our depressing, stressed out footsteps, when he could do anything at all in the world.

We do try not to moan in front of the children too much. Maybe we should let rip properly about how hard it is to keep spirits up. Home, thankfully, is a happy sanctuary.

The question to ask him is why he wants to be a PE teacher.

If he wants to teach them probably wise to ensure he is qualified to teach a shortage subject as well as PE and if he understands the issues with a teaching career then fine, he should press on but keep his options open.

If the appeal is sport then perhaps support him in exploring other careers that are adjacent to sport.

I would ensure that he has good exposure to other career plans as well while not being too negative about teaching. He may change his mind.

It is valid to say he might want to consider keeping sport as a hobby and choosing a career that can give him the lifestyle he wants.

Go gently though, it is his choice and his life, but equally he is still very young.

Just keep encouraging him and supporting him to do well, and to do extra curricular things that he really enjoys.

Plenty of time for thinking about ultimate careers.

Most pre-GCSE kids haven’t even heard of an actuary.

While £30k isn't a bad salary, someone getting all 9s in GCSEs can easily do better.

Even back in the 90s as a teen I had the figure of £50k in my mind. Would be a lot more now.

And while money does not equal happiness, there is no denying it helps. My parents argued constantly over money as there was none. My DH and I never have to think about it.

Absolutely this. If this was my son, I'd suggest teaching in a subject that's transferable to other jobs. Who knows what will happen with the teaching profession in 20+ years' time.

Teaching needs people like your son. It's great that he wants to go into it as a career. You should encourage him.

My husband was similar. He was advised ‘keep your sport as a hobby and enjoy it. Once it becomes your job, all the joy goes out of it and you don’t even get a chance to do it, as you’re coaching others’

The PE teachers I know (teacher myself) are much less fit than the other teachers. There’s nothing appealing about being out on a field in Jan with 30 reluctant 13 year olds.

Talk to him and make him aware. He will start to see it differently as he grows up.

In my experience and as discussed on a thread on Mumsnet a while back, a lot of head teachers and Senior leadership teams in Secondary schools seem to be former PE teachers. So on that basis who says it's not a good career move?

Of he aims now to do his best and then follow sciences later on whilst keeping a receeational interest in sports, he will be able to become a PE teacher as well as keep his options open.

He could even teach sciences at an independent school or school with a sports reputation and offer support on the games field as "value added".

Teachers are not highly paid but they do OK if they rise through to SLT. I know it won't be the MN 100k salaries but most of the real world don't earn anything like that.

I was coming on to say that. Male PE teachers can often rise quickly to senior roles - less marking = more time for career climbing.

Wow, people are being rather unpleasant here.

The bigger concern about teaching is how many people don’t last in teaching beyond 3 years. The stress and nonsense involved is more of a concern than the money.

That said I have met many people who did teaching then moved to other careers. The most important thing is to ensure he does subjects that give him flexibility down the line if he does want to switch about.

Firstly, he hasn't even done his GCSEs yet. You have no idea what his future holds. He could easily change his mind about what he wants to do about a dozen times between now and the point at which he actually has to get a job.

Secondly, you could also easily not perform anywhere near as well in his GCSEs or A-levels than you think he will.

Thirdly, you can't control your child's career. Just because you want him to be a barrister, actuary or doctor, that doesn't mean he is interested in those things or even remotely well-suited to those careers. Being clever isn't the only thing that's required for those roles. It's not just about academic ability. Plenty of extremely academic people with excellent results in science subjects would make awful doctors, for example.

Fourthly, massive LOL that you think it's relevant to his career prospects that he plays 'two music instruments'.

The stress and nonsense involved is more of a concern than the money

Oh, and you think being a barrister or a doctor doesn't involve 'stress and nonsense'?

If he can't hack the stress of being a teacher he's not going to cope with being a doctor either.

It sounds like you're projecting a bit. And again, the careers you'd prefer for him are all stressful, very intense and very draining.

@KreedKafer yes they are, but you get more money which might be good

My brother hated school and wasn't academic. He wanted to leave and earn a trade but DM insisted he stay at school. He still holds that against her YEARS later.

And I had teachers who I still remember years later with gratitude for their commitment to and interest in the children they were teaching.

also @KreedKafer I just included that because it shows he does lots of stuff as well as sports. I didn't say it improved his career prospects (though grade 6 onwards you get UCAS points so maybe I should have done) Glad you found it funny though

I have advised my DC to look at the pathways they think they would enjoy, and then add in the earning potential and career options that pathway provides. So the equation is about balancing interest, earnings and options for the future. I don't think it's necessarily right that they pick something they would enjoy that has low pay and limited future options over, say, something they might enjoy slightly less that pays much better. It depends what choices they have available to them.

@Thisistyresome I am used to everyone being unpleasant on MN. It's a sad thing but people find a reason to be horrible in any thread on any subject