Retraining in my mid-30s for EYFS teaching, any advice or experience?

[Rubberduck76]

Hi, I am wondering about retraining as a nursery EYFS teacher through a teacher training programme (if I can get on). I have a 2:1 history BA and a Masters in Social Work. I have one young child not at school. Before starting my family I was working in a Special Needs school as a teaching assistant with the idea that it would be suitable around family. Timing all feels off to go back into education. I'm applying for Teaching assistant posts to gain experience ideally in mainstream to keep building up. I am mid 30s. Does anyone have experience on advice of whether this is a good move? Anyone have experience of awareness of teacher training SCIIT programmes? Any advice or experience would be really helpful. Please be kind and sorry if this is garbled.

What made you not go into or leave social work? I think it maybe an out of the frying pan and into the fire situation.

It was getting to the statutory placement I realised social work wasn't for me. I was near the end of the masters so finished knowing I wouldn't go on and be a social worker. I went into the third sector and worked with bereaved children and young people. Thanks for your reply.

There is a board on MN for teachers called ‘staff room’. I left teaching nearly 10 years ago and then being in the classroom was amazing but the paperwork and politics and the work load was too much for me. Everyone tells me it is much worse now. I taught secondary but it used to be that primary teachers worked on average 55 hours a week and secondary around 50 but in some subjects it was higher.

You were working as an LSA prior to having your children with the idea that it would be suitable around family?

What changed? Did you find that it wasn’t suitable?

As someone who has left teaching after many years, I wouldn’t recommend it to my worse enemy but I’m interested in knowing what’s making you feel it’s a good idea?

I told both of my daughters that I would not top of their student loans to the maximum if they decided to do teaching, I was so against it 👀

So my husband is a teacher so I thought it would be a good idea for holidays. I started as a temp and then got a permanent role and i wouldn't go back to the school so maybe they are all bad? I would say they were some of the worst people I've worked with for bitchy pettiness e.g open bitching about head teacher. With it being an SEN school it was very high staff ratios so it wasnt like a discreet comment between a couple of staff, it was made to multiple staff. I found it really unprofessional and awkward. Best thing about it was the children. I could see staff especially teachers were stretched and worked long hours so maybe I have my answer. Thanks for thr replies.

Make sure it's a course with QTS not EYTS - with QTS you can teach any age and any school/sector. With EYTS you'll only be able to teach up EYFS and will be stuck in the private sector with long hours and low wages.