Help! Want to get into teaching! advice please!

[tumble4]

Right...i always wanted to be a teacher, but ended up being a chef and then spending years in the prison service.
Now i am 31,working single mom, and want to start the long road into teaching.
I realise that i have to start at the bottom and that's the problem- you need to be working in a school to do a teaching assistants course at college, but i can't get a job in a school as i have no experience!
It seems to be one big never ending circle of closed doors at the moment!
Can some one please give me some advice on where to start!!!!
Thankyou!!!!

You need to have a degree which takes 3 years, preferably in the area you want to teach, then take 1 year post grad teaching course called pgce. I was also 30 when I started uni. You may need to do an access course at college first if you didnt get a levels. Dont go for primary, it is extremely competetive and lots cant get jobs. Secondary seems ok vacancy wise still. Good luck!

OK, do you have a degree in a school subject related area? Things like engineering would cover physics and maths, for instance.

If you want to teach you could train as a TA first, but lots of people go straigt in as a teacher. having TA experience would be helpful, but it isn't a requirement.

Withough a degree you can't get qualified teaer status. The OU is worth thinking about if you don't have one, as it is flexable.

You need a degree and a post grad qualification PGCE, GTP would do it.

Areas in secondary are OK to get into, some subjects have limited vacencies.

For primary you can do a BEd, and that would involve 3-4 year.

Thankyou poodle!
I have just looked up the access course at my local college..it looks really good, just what i need!
Thanks for your help! x

You need a degree of some sorts. If you don't have one now, you could do a BEd. If you have a degree already, you could do a PGCE or and in-school equivalent.

You don't have to be a TA first - but you do need to spend some time in school (voluntarily) to see if you like the ideal. Most schools will have a teacher that is responsible for training, and should be able to have you in school for a few days to give you a taster. If you do this at 2 or 3 schools, you should easily meet the experience requirement to get on an ITT course.

I did the 4yr undergrad BA/QTS. It would probably be the most straightforward thing to do as doing a degree and then join the mad queue to get on a PGCE course sounds a bit scary to me. Get experience anywhere - brownies, guides, scouts, local clubs and classes, special needs centre, anything in the age range you want to teach. And remember that being a mum is a huge advantage over the school-leavers, you know tons about child development first-hand! I had lots of 'mature-student' friends and thought they were totally amazing as they knew so much! I'd had a year of part time study and sports coaching part-time between school and university, the "greenest" of the lot who found it really hard were the school leavers who didn't know enough and had to learn all of it from scratch.

It is a very good idea to spend some time in a school to see if you would enjoy it. Are you thinking of primary teaching or secondary?

I think it is pretty much a requirement of PGCE courses now to have some recent experience in schools - certainly the place where I did my PGCE (Reading U) has this requirement.

Recent experience pretty much means around 3 days of classroom observation. I think most schools are willing to accommodate prospective candidates.

you can do a degree with QTS (qualified teacher status) in three years, do you have maths, english and science at gcse?

Degree (preferably in a 'shortage' subject) followed by PGCE. Agree with the advice about not going for Primary - I know loads of people who can't get jobs. Getting experience is valuable - even if you just arrange to go into a local school and observe for a few days. That's the best way to get a feel for the job, and it'll also give you specifics you can talk about when you come to apply for courses. IME, people who go into teaching later can often have a real determination and focus, and when you come to apply for jobs, schools may see your life experience as an advantage.