To retrain as a teacher at (just turned) 50?

[MyPearlCrow]

Just that really. I was a solicitor/partner in a law firm for my first career but burned out /got bored and cynical, so gave it up. luckily we can afford for me not to work which I realise is such a privilege.

I volunteer in a primary school now several days a week and essentially do an unpaid TA role. Here, TAs here are essentially teachers without all the planning/prep/responsibility, as in they actively teach the curriculum to small groups of children. They are highly skilled.

I have considered being a TA. I have been offered a paid role at my current school. But I’m still considering my options and it’s desperately badly paid. And all the TAs here are technically over qualified (all degree educated, or ex teachers, but don’t want the ridiculous workload of a teacher; entry requirement for TA role in England is just passes in gcse English maths and science) but they are paid peanuts. But it’s such a rewarding role and I love it. I think I could really add value.

Complete honesty here: I also realise that I’m used to running the show, in my old job. I suspect that in time I would want to make my own decisions on how to deal with my class, rather than carry out someone else’s instructions. I can already see ways I would want change up the teaching/approach for some children who are struggling. I am acutely aware that teachers just don’t have time to individualise the curriculum for 30 kids though, so I’m aware I might be looking at this from the 6-8 kids I currently take responsibility for in lessons and the ability to do this with a whole class might be much more limited.

i really love being with kids, I value education, I’m a good ‘teacher’ - as in I love to explain things simply and differently to children (or in my old role, to adults too).

Teachers - am I mad? I know too well how hard the job is these days. The primary curriculum here is crazy complicated. The breadth of ability and need is jaw dropping. But I truly believe in state education being a passport to a better life and would love to be part of that.

or do I just take the TA role, qualify up as much as I can in TA courses and accept I’ll be minimum wage forever but trying to make a difference?

important point: I have kids, so want to work part time. And train part time too. I know there are options for this but it will be competitive (I have top grades academically which I think might help). If I do a part time pgce, could I do my first year as a newly qualified teacher part time or is that not an option?

I don’t underestimate what a massive, difficult, demanding and at times (currently) desperately frustrating role teaching is. Am I too old for such a huge challenge? I’d love some wisdom from teachers and ex teachers please.

Ditto
You sound so passionate about wanting to support kids in achieving their full potential.
Go for it 😜

I like the teaching part. I dislike the behaviour management that takes up most of my time.

Because that’s the reality of being a teacher right now. I know quite a number of teachers and none of them are happy with their jobs at present and haven’t been for years and all say that the job and behaviour is getting much worse. It’s making some of them miserable to the point where they’re verging on a breakdown And that isn’t just in the UK. It’s also teacher friends in America, Australia and New Zealand. They’re reporting the same problems.

We have more than enough teachers - and many fantastic ones too @Jk987 The trouble is they’ve left or are ready to leave the profession. Recruiting more is just adding more water to a container with a hole in - pointless. It’s far better to fix the holes.

Likewise for teaching, fix the conditions, which have got worse not better. OP would be mad to go into teaching at this current time. People are discouraging her because they know how utterly shite it can be. They’re doing her a favour.

I've done both (TA and teacher), and worked in both primary and secondary (different role in each). If you're interested, why not do the PGCE and see how you feel. You could always get a job as a TA afterwards if you felt teaching wasn't for you.
Also I'd say schools are so different, workload could vary enormously between them. The primary school I worked out, they gave feedback while the work was being done, and children could also mark things themselves and do peer marking as well. And having several classes per year group, the teachers divided up planning and shared it.
Personally if it paid better I'd prefer to be a TA but sometimes I got a bit bored - teaching is more satisfying in some ways. But can be relentless.
I'd say try it.

There is no shortage of trained teachers in England. The problem is persuading them to stay doing the job.

Why are they all leaving and what would persuade them to come back/not leave? That is the question we should be asking.

You teach it yourself? Google? Read a book? No one teaches teachers the 'subject'

She won't have been taught the finer points of the NC. That comes from teachers doing it in their own time before they start the job and on the job being taught by existing teachers/mentors of which there are fewer.

There was an advert for teaching a few years ago that had to be legally stopped as it misrepresented not only teaching but the pay scales.

If you want teachers that are prepared to put up with the dire state of education you need to at the very least be honest about the state of education and what they are getting involved in.

Please do this! I'm a school governor and schools are desperately short of good people who'll teach. You're needed. You'll make a difference. This is important work! The people telling you you're mad may well be right, but at the end of the day we all want wonderful mad people teaching our kids. Where would we be without that? 😄

That is genuinely frightening! How do we know everyone has understood correctly? We don’t!

These are people with degrees and training in teaching. They are perfectly capable of understanding the content taught to primary school children.

I mean... frankly, if I had time, I could get myself up to speed to teach at least to GCSE in English, history, RS, geography. Probably not maths or sciences though - not my strong point! Primary school literacy- definitely.

Teachers are all familiar with the 'learn it on Sunday, teach it on Monday' mantra.

I would do it. And I say that as a secondary teacher of 17 years who is looking to get out sometime in the next few years!

You're obviously going into it with your eyes wide open and like a challenge.

What I LOVE about teaching is that the day flies by. You do feel like you’re making a difference and the students do make your day.

I echo a previous poster though in that I think you would prefer secondary. Less micromanagement, more scope to ‘make a difference’ in terms of whole school policy, and slightly more chance to develop.

What I’m struggling with is that I only ever wanted to teach (worked in industry before) but as merely a ‘teacher’ ie without additional responsibilities you soon get pigeonholed and bored. 17 years doing exactly the same thing gets jaded.

Anyway. Go for it! I’d advise taking note of the differences between the schools that you train/observe in and in your first few years look to try and move schools until you find one that fits you.

Check out how oversaturated/ undersaturated the market is too (ask frank questions of the school and university)

Eg in my area primary massively oversaturated, lots on supply waiting for a role. Business studies/economics/maths at secondary you could have your pick of schools, jump to MPS 2 or more pretty much straight away and probably ask and get part time/additional training/ position of responsibility straight away.

And from what I’ve heard the easiest years are 2,3,7 and 10-13, the hardest early years, 4,5,6 and 8,9.

Had parents evening this week and 15 parents saying thanks for everything you do (and a 14 hour day) does make you a little teary!

I’ve been a teacher for 25 years. I’m SLT/Senco and safeguarding lead. I teach a bit too, I love it still but hate parts of it. I’m super stressed at times of exceptionally high workload and ridiculous expectations but I find it very rewarding, especially knowing I’ve made a difference to children with SEND and their families, or children and families who need support in other ways. I work long hours to stay afloat (60+) and it can be detrimental to my own wellbeing at times. I have a child with high needs myself and one without who I spend the weekends and evenings ferrying about to clubs. Utterly exhausting.
My advice to you would be to take paid employment in a TA role whilst you find out about different entries into teaching. You will gain so much insight. School may be able to offer you an apprenticeship or school-based PGCE if you like it.

Exactly! I find the ‘obviously couldn’t hack it’, ‘weren’t good enough’, ‘not up to the job’ etc narrative deeply offensive and insulting. If you actually look at the number of teachers who have left and the hundreds of thousands looking to leave at the moment then you will see that the problem is not the teachers’ abilities or suitability. Performance management in teaching is up there with the toughest of occupations. The chances of a teacher who has taught for 20, 10 or even 5 years not being up to the job are virtually non existent.
We all started off full of enthusiasm, I must have been an alright teacher because I won awards in three separate schools and my practice was judged to be sector leading in one school.
I left because I was bullied by SLT, subjected to terrible behaviour and not supported, blamed after an unprovoked attack from a student and generally made to feel like shit. I was one of many treated this badly in each of the last 3 schools I worked in.
Saying that good quality teachers are needed is offensive and insinuating that the rest of us must have been shit!
Its not the quality of staff that needs to change, its the behaviour of the management, an overhaul on bullshit behaviour strategies such as restorative approaches and a reduction in workload.

I am in a rush as I'm away on a much needed holiday but I'm in my 40s and currently retraining as a teacher (I've been doing the job unqualified for a couple of years).

PM or ask on here if you have specific questions about the current ways of training. I'm an apprentice so work 5 days a week on an 80% timetable. I do my Level 7 teaching qualification and a PGCE in my spare time!

Well that puts my concerns re knowledge/expertise into perspective. But I’m a bit horrified.

Ooh I will, thank you! Enjoy your holiday.

Thanks to everyone for your responses, I’m reading it all.

I don’t think I have the skills for secondary as don’t have a subject in which I’m an expert. There’s no way I could teach my a’level subjects for example, I can barely remember them! I’m too old now to do new a levels and start again.

I’d feel a total fraud. My kids teachers (state) have degrees and doctorates in their chosen subjects. The education system doesn't need mediocre, cobbled together expertise in my view? It needs expertise, by definition.

So I left a job in London on a Wednesday and started teaching the following Monday - as a maternity contract at a private school. No qualifications at all. Now many years later I'm still teaching and my second school paid for my training. I was 35 when this all happened,!changed my life, best thing ever. I was very much learn as I went with the subject material, but had liked and loved aspects of the subject since I was a kid, so I have a genuine enthusiasm for my subject. I say go for it, good luck.

I have top grade exams, top degree and numerous post grad qualifications, as well as 20 years in a top 10 international law firm. I am humble enough to think that qualifies me only in law, not anything else. And even then, only in my particular legal field.

I do not underestimate the primary curriculum, it is inordinately complex (I’m talking the spag stuff here) and I don’t believe your average person could just teach themselves the content overnight in a way which would allow them that required deep understanding so they can teach it well.

It doesn’t matter, because you can be directed to teach any subject. There are plenty of people employed as PE teachers who teach 12 hours of Maths every week. Here are the bursaries on offer to train:

Art and design
£10,000

Biology
£26,000

Chemistry
£29,000

Computing
£29,000

Design and technology
£26,000

English
£5,000

Geography
£26,000

Languages
(French, German and Spanish only)
£26,000

Languages
(all other languages, including ancient languages)
£26,000

Maths
£29,000

Music
£10,000

Physics
£29,000

Religious education
£10,000