PGCE - got a tough decision to make and I would appreciate some input from primary teachers

[MarionCole]

Some background:

I'm 39 years old and after 17 years building up a career as an accountant I decided to explore retraining as a teacher.

Four months ago I left paid employment and set up on my own. It's going slowly but if I stuck at it I could build a reasonable business. I have gained a handful of new clients.

I decided to apply for PGCE on the basis that if I didn't apply I wouldn't have a choice. Anyway, I have had an offer, so now I need to decide what to do.

The question I have really is this - what's primary teaching really like at the moment? I've spent time in the classroom but I don't see behind the scenes. And what chance will I have of getting a job at end? I have a languages background, which I hope will strengthen my appeal. And I will be cheap as a NQT.

I suppose really I need to know that, if I give up the career I have built so far, then I need to know that I won't regret it. I have no concerns about the classroom, it's the more 'political' stuff.

Thanks.

If you have children, I would say running your own accountancy business is more family friendly than teaching. Its also not the politics that gets you but the amount of paperwork (especially as a trainee and NQT).
But if you love teaching.....

I would second running your own business being more flexible. I live in SE England and job situation pretty dire here too. Think you need to absolutely LOVE teaching to stick at it now .

It's awful and about to get worse (academies etc). Employment prospects dire ime/imo. You are likely to only pick up short term contracts unless very lucky or 'know someone who knows someone' (again imo/ime). Workload for trainee/nqt very demanding. Stick to being your own boss. Besides, people will always need accountants, so its not as though you are at dire risk of unemployment.

Plus, sorry to say, your age will go against you (it shouldn't, but it will)

Universities who are providing PGCE courses are painting very rosy picture of job market, after all - they want to fill their seats and get money off you and the government...

register on www.tes.co.uk/
have look at job vacancies in your area, read forums for NQT's and also those who are looking for work

from what I heard SE and London - jobs are very scarce, I feel sorry for those who fall into trap of believing Unis about job prospects in teaching profession

Stick with your business and forget about the PGCE. Sorry to be so blunt, but it's the best advice I can give you.

I always wanted to be a teacher from the age of eighteen. Since then I've taught primary, secondary and at university levels. I don't care what age they are, I just love teaching (and learning!). There's always something new to learn, new ways of teaching, and, of course, the children's/students' faces change every year, giving you infinite variety.
What a great job if it suits you!

Wow, that's quite overwhelming! You pretty much all agree.

On TES there are 17 headteacher posts advertised in a 30 mile radius and nothing else. No teaching posts. Is that likely to be the true position? Do all teaching posts get advertised on TES?

One approach would be to do the PGCE while I kept my own business running as back-up, but then I think I would do neither properly.

Headteacher posts are always being advertised because no one wants to do it sadly . Most jobs are in the TES but you can also check your local council websites for a more definitive picture.

Supply teaching is a great way in for qualified teachers but I don't think you can do that as an NQT.

It really isn't positive at the moment - I'm in the process of thinking about ditching the job search altogether (looking for p/t work) and going self-employed and I never thought I would be considering that, but teaching just doesn't fit around small children (except for the holidays).

Only a superperson would be able to manage pgce workload, business and running home and family i would think (Ihad to give up tiny saturday supermarket job in the jan when training because of workload. Had no family commitments or even boyfriend at the time,) Please don't underestimate the time and energy needed to do a good job or you will burn out.

I work in finance (not an accountant, similar but on tax side of things!), DH is a teacher (albeit secondary). I think my job is ok, DH really likes his. But in terms of workload, you just can't compare. DH is an assistant head, I'm a manager and our full time salaries are very similar. However when I leave work, I can pretty much leave it - DH permanently has something to do. So although everyone would imagine DH to have the more family friendly career, it is far from it - e.g last night, DH left work at just gone 6, came home, had tea, and then worked from 8:30 till after 11 (not sure till when, I was long asleep)!

In saying all that, this is not a "hard done to teachers thread" - as I put above, DH loves his job, I don't. So it all depends what you want! But don't necessarily assume teaching = more family friendly, particularly if you get to management. I have to work a lot less in finance to get the same money!

no chance to do PGCE and work at the same time
PGCE lesson preparations are very time consuming

the problem is that many lessons do take much longer to prepare tha you think, if on top of that you go to train in a school with poor scheme of workk and you have to literally prepare each lesson from scratch it is well over one hour each (mayne 3 on occasions)
I can't remember the number of lessons in the end we had, something like 16 a week, some woudl duplicate, but some weeks each has to be prepared
add the marking on top of that - when would you have time to do your work?
add commuting, etc - impossible

if you want to try it - do it, but prepare yourself that you qualify and would go back to do your old job
I don't regret doing PGCE as it taught me lots of soft skills invaluable in the workplace, but all is at a price + time you invest

nedless to say - I am back doing the job pre-PGCE :)

It's not right, is it. I hadn't realised how much the budget cuts were hitting schools until I started this process.

Had a conversation last year with some staff at school. They were trying to convince me to do PGCE. The more we chatted the more convinced I was that I should not do it. It completely backfired on them, so now I am doing an NVQ3 as a TA. This way I can still raise my family and spend time with them and enjoy the work - as I love it there.

To be fair I'm not sure it is a matter of budget cuts. In "nice" areas there has rarely been a problem recruiting at primary level (non management roles). It's at headteacher levels across the board, and at some subject areas at secondary that there has been a shortage of teachers.

I think you really need to decide if teaching is a vocation worth striving towards or not!

Don't do it.

You'd be crazy.

The job market for teachers is terrible, I know, I am always looking.

The pay is not good either, and the hours are long. Very long. Plus it is very stressful in your first few years especially.

I would give my right arm to retrain as an accountant instead of a teacher. I am looking into all sorts of things I can retrain as.

Accountancy is much better, especially if you work for yourself. And money is much better.

Teachers are very badly paid you know. And the paperwork and beaurocrasy are huge, and the assessments and everything else...

Don't do it.

You will regret it.

It's not just budget cuts, but also, once a teacher is in a nice school in a nice area they rarely leave. The vacancies are usually to be found in more deprived areas in worse schools.

Unless your heart burns to work with children, and your only dream is to spend all your energy dedicated to educating 30 odd children against a very strong tide making your job difficult, why bother? It is hard work and often soul destroying (but also very rewarding if you like that sort of thing)

Don't do it!!!!

I think the main problem is in some areas there are over 300 applicants for every primary teaching job. Even in rougher areas, I know for a fact I was 1 of over 100 applicants once for a teaching post. At times, I feel furious with the universities and the TDA for recruiting more and more trainees, when they must have known there would have been enough jobs for all of us. I honestly think it was a way of keeping unemployment figures down, when lots of people in finance industries lost their jobs in 2007/08 and were encouraged to try teaching.

Sorry, should be more than once, not just once.

Could I make a suggestion that you consider becoming a school business manager. With an accountants qualification that is going to stand you in good stead and there are formal qualifications that you can do (or were until the impending demise of TDA).
At a primary level you would be taking a significant pay cut, but many secondary schools are now employing at a relatively high seniority someone to run the business side of the school (plus site issues and anything else the head does not want to do)

I have been in teaching 14 years and love it, however I was relieved to have a year out on maternity leave and now working part-time is heaven compared to the stress I used to have. This isn't the best time of year to be looking at jobs, April onwards would give you a better picture. The pay isn't that bad. The thought of teaching past 60 fills me with dread having seen so many teachers crash and burn about 55, I think the government underestimates what the job entails and will have a huge long term sick leave/early retirement problem. The hours are horrid during term time (I'm primary) with most of one day at the weekend and nearly every night planning, marking and making (& also about a week in the summer, most of Easter as reports have to be written and a day or two at half terms). Nothings ever good enough (& that goes to the children too, unfortunately). But on the flip side no one would teach if it didn't have is plus points. The children make it for me, learning about them, knowing youve made a difference to their life and seeing them get something. Teachers are privalledged. You have to be called to be a teacher and if it is your calling then go for it! You only have one life! Best wishes!