Secondary Teachers - do any of you actually enjoy your job??

[allgonebellyup]

Please tell me you do!

i am struggling to convince people that i really want to go into teaching (English). They all say i will hate it and will leave within the first year.. (including my mum, who IS a teacher).

I know there is loads of planning and marking, and terrible behaviour to deal with, but is it a worthwhile career?

Tell me about SAS? Im putting off PGCE til next year as cant afford full time childcare so this sounds interesting

SAS.

It pays well but it's only for a few weeks, done whilst on degree course in 2nd or 3rd year before doing a PGCE, but it will massively increase your chances of getting on the PGCE course.

The other better paid route is the Graduate Trainee but it throws you in at the deep end - spending some weeks seeing if you can hack it before embarking on it are a good idea - and requires you finding a school willing to take you on and give you a 70% timetable.

allgonebellyup... depends on where you teach. If you are in a 6th form college, then the pay is not too different. But I'm in an FE college (Officially, but in real terms it is a 6th form, as we only teach 'A' levels) and the pay is a lot less. I'm on about 7k a year FTE less than I would be earning if I taught in a school. It is particularly annoying because most of us teachers have got higher degrees (MAs or PHDs). But I knew that before I went into FE, and decided to take the pay cut to do a job I love and I can honestly say that I have absolutely no regrets.

I love my job. In my 6th year and wouldn't do anything else, except sahm! Unfortunatly don't have the choice and am returning v soon from maternity leave.
I really recommend working in school before any sort of training (technician, cover supervisor, etc), PGCE will look v favourably and it will give you lots of confidence and it will help get rid of that 'I still feel like a student myself, and can't tell them off' feeling.

The worst is data collection, and reports, but they get done coz they have to be and you soon forget till the next lot .
Nothing beats the feeling when a child suddenly gets it....