Retraining to become a primary school teacher

[Wheresmemum]

So I'm 51 and totally fed up with my current job in mental health. The pay is appalling and job opportunities not so great. I was a teaching assistant years ago and really enjoyed it. I'm thinking of retraining to become a primary school teacher but wondering am I too old at 51? Nearly 52. Would really love to hear about others' experiences including your routes into teaching 💕

Teching primary school children is exhausting, even for the young and fresh! Imagine being in a room all day with 30+ young children with all their differing personalities, needs, issues (just think of all the school child issues that get mentioned on this forum) and having to not only teach, but entertain, behaviour manage, provide for their wellbeing needs etc etc. all day everyday. On top of that you have to plan, assess, mark, do break duties with sometimes hundreds of kids, after school clubs, deal with parents (again, think of all the parent-related issues you read about on this forum), the constant threat of inspections. The list goes on..... but if all that sounds like fun to you at the age of 52, then you should go for it 😁

Ps. I've recently spent a lot of money, time, and effort to retrain to leave teaching in my late forties.

Don't do it. It's an impossible job. I've left after 18 years and so have many many other very good teachers.

You’re not too old to do it but I would not advise it. The pay is not great, the job is endless, bullying a massive problem. Being TA, you leave the job behind each day. This is never the case for teachers

To much work for not enough money. I know someone - single, late 20s, no family money to fall back on - who’s left the profession to work in a library. They’ve effectively taken a huge pay cut of £9K.

I would strongly advise against it also.

What do you do in MH? Perhaps you could do something in an educational setting related to this? Councils often employ people in this capacity, but depends what you currently do!

What do you currently do?

I am 53 and in reasonable health. I find teaching secondary physically and mentally draining, and I can't imagine what it would be like in primary.

Don't do it. Yes, 51 is too old to begin the process. The oldest primary teacher that I know who is still working FT is 57. She is leaving at the end of this year. I do not know any primary teachers 60+, even PT.

Best case scenario - you graft through a PGCE/ training year and then the fresh hell of ECT, and at roughly 54 you are a fully inducted teacher. You may have 3 or 4 academic years left before you simply cannot keep physically doing this to yourself.

I found shocking ageism in the profession when I trained at 40. In my 50s I couldn’t get a job - plenty interviews but never a job. I gave up and got a different job in education.

I probably wouldn't too it. Not because you're too old but because the worst elements of the job are much easier to handle with experience behind you e.g. new initiatives with no benefit to the children.
The days with the children and developing relationships with families are the best parts of the job and I could do that part until retirement (I'm almost 50).
With your experience I think you should look at something you don't need additional training for. Maybe worth looking at jobs around children out of mainstream education. Or universities are employing mentors supporting students through academic life.

That’s not actually true. As a TA we have to put reports onto cpoms ehdn there are issues with children such as bullying, safeguarding etc. These have to be done in our own time and are unpaid. I spend at least one hour a day doing this. We are also expected to attend bingo nights, open evenings etc with no extra money.

I think you are too old to make it worth it. Apart from the couple of years of training it takes several more to become an experienced teacher and for the work load to feel more manageable. I’m a teacher and I enjoy it (I work in a lovely school though) it is very hard work though. I’m younger than you by a couple of years and now in a senior position, I can’t imagine starting now. I think I’d just be too knackered and I’m not sure how I’d feel about training with a bunch of early 20s - they seem so very young! Do you have family? How do you feel about working in a the evenings / at weekends? I’ve done ‘homework’ every evening since October, usually finish at about 9. It’s brutal!

New teachers generally need a lot of support and do make mistakes - how would you feel about being coached by much younger colleagues?

Please don’t put yourself through this, it’s hell I promise. I’m a TA in my 50’s and it’s physically and mentally exhausting. Schools have changed so much over the years. The behaviour is horrific and schools do not give consequences now as it’s all the new softly, softly approach. Just dealing with parents alone comes either it’s own kind of special hell. Many are rude and unsupportive of their child’s issues. Most days we (TA’s, teachers and heads) are physically and verbally abused. When you finally crawl home exhausted, you have hours of marking, emails to read etc. I get so sick of people moaning about our long holidays, me you need them to recover from the constant illnesses you contract and to restore your MH to a good place.

you said that you used to be a ta a long while ago?
the job has changed massively, even in the last 10 years.

it is very rewarding, I’m sure you could do it if you wanted to.

you need a very thick skin .

Also in primary school we have a lot of contact with parents, and quite frankly they need as much support effort and time as the children do , and seem to need more every year .

you will give up breaks , lunchtimes , evenings and work hard, and still manage to receive a complaining email almost daily, or even better parents ranting on Facebook about how the school does nothing to support their child. It’s extremely demoralising.

having said that , it’s very rewarding and if you have a great team around you, it can be a very happy environment. We have a fantastic head and experienced staff members that do feel like family, and that does help when parents threaten to report you to the police for stealing their child’s pe hoodie that they have lost 🤣

you also have to be ok with being called a fat cunt from an 8 year old, and parents thinking it’s hilarious when they are told 🙄

you also won’t go on holiday again , as you are limited to out of term holidays, but sadly pay is so poor that you can’t afford it.

I know I’m not selling this very well 👌 I actually really love my job , and you do see the children that you make a difference to.

Also , parents send their children in sick .

children tell us , nearly every time .

there is nothing like being told - I was sick In mummy’s bed last night, before they promptly vomit on the floor. And as their stomach muscles are pushing the sick out, you can hear liquid poop coming out the other end .

hours since last cleaned up sick : 22

Going against the grain here. I recently trained as a teacher after a totally different career and graduated at 40. I absolutely love the job. However, I'm not teaching in the UK, where OFSFED sounds horrendous and teaching seems very different. I'm so glad I did it!

I'm 51 and I teach six and seven year olds. I just said to dh on Friday when I finished for Christmas that I don't think I can do this much longer. It's totally consuming.

And I'm in a school with good SLT and an amazing head. And it's two form entry so half the planning.

Please don’t do it to yourself! I trained in my early 20s, pre children and it nearly broke me after 5 years so I quit. I would never go back.

My goodness I really feel for you and for everyone else here who has shared their teaching stories! Thank you for being honest I needed to hear what it's like in real terms! I read online that a significant percentage of people in their 50s retrain as teachers! Not sure of the actual number but it was high. Yeah I don't really fancy cleaning up sick I'm one of those where I end up vomiting too if I see and smell vomit 😭

Can I ask @oopsohdear what are you retraining in? I'm exploring options so would be really interested to know x

Goodness that says it all! 😲 after reading the messages on here I have to say teaching sounds horrific! X

I retrained as a primary teacher, but I was 15 years younger than you. I already had a degree so just did a one-year PGCE. I've never regretted it - I ended up as a headteacher. So if you have the energy, go for it.

Yeah if I was called a fat c* I wouldn't be happy and neither would the parents of that kid because I'd be having words! 😊 which I know nowadays is a minefield in itself with parents being unsupportive of their children's behaviour etc but I'm not the sort to not do anything about it! I've had many an argument over the years trying to right wrongs! 💪🏽😉