Hi,
I wonder if anyone could offer some advice..? I'm thinking of re-training as a teacher. I'm nearly 34 and have a First Class Hons in English and a Masters in Radio. I've been working as a journalist/editor for the last 10 years or so and have three children (7 yrs, 5yrs & 10 months). I realise that it's going to be a hard slog to get trained while still having such a young baby, but I'm hoping to do a part-time PGCE over 2 years. I had looked in to the Schools Direct route (which I think used to be branded as the GTP). This which would be preferable to a PGCE course as I like the idea of being placed in a school immediately, learning on the job, and the possibility of it being salaried. However, I've been told by a local school that this route is only for people able to train full time. Is this correct?
My other concern at the moment is whether to teach Primary or Secondary. It is very likely that even after I finish my training I won't be able to work full-time for some years. Are the job prospects for part-time teachers better in Primary or Secondary? Is the workload heavier (on balance) in Primary or Secondary? Obviously teaching English at secondary level would mean lots of marking, but my friends who teach Primary say being responsible for a class is incredibly demanding (and they usually spend a day each weekend on preparatory work).
I would also be really interested to know any teachers' experiences of home tutoring. From what I understand this is now incredibly popular, and it may be a good option for me (while my children are still young). Do you need to have a certain numbers of years of experience in teaching before being able to do it?
Lastly, it's possible that we may be relocated overseas at some point in the future. Has anyone got any experience of training overseas? Can time spent in an international school count when it comes to clocking up teaching experience for a PGCE?
Advice from teachers gratefully received. Thank you!