New career as teacher?

[baconsandwich]

Am thinking of retraining as primary school teacher. Am 45. Am I mad? Anyone else out there taken the plunge at this age? Do they even want mature teachers anyway?

Molly, I'm surprised to read your comment about teaching being good for anyone with a family. OK the obvious thing is the holidays, fine, but during termtime the total lack of flexibility is horrendous and I would say not family friendly, surely? You can (from some schools, not all) leave at 4ish to see children maybe but only offset against then working late into the night when they've gone to bed - this tends to impact on family life IME! - As in, grumpy knackered mum burning candle at both ends. Plus missing assemblies, plays, sports day etc and the massive guilt trip if your child is ill and you have to be off with them.

I'm in a somewhat different position these days, but recently met an NQT who retrained as a primary school teacher thinking that it would work for her and her family, and she is completing her NQT year and then resigning so that she can 'reconnect with her family', as she put it. She's not in a good place with it all.

yup my ds has had a meltdown about being in childcare all the time also, partystress. That's just how it is. I am lone p and need to work to make a better life for him longer term. It's do-able, no harder than I anticipated anyway. The worst thing for me is the confidence it takes to get up and be in charge all day and feel so responsible for something as important as dc's future. That can be quite draining.
Do they want mature teachers ... colleagues on my course have been told quite negative things in their schools. I have been told that 'old plus cheap' is an advantage! It's what you make of it I reckon. I do feel I have to work twice as hard as the younger colleagues without families just so that I am seen to be energetic and reliable.

OP would you consider secondary? It does sound like the grass may be greener and I suspect there are more chances for career development, if that is something that would make a difference.

Although at 45, the OP may well have children that no longer need childcare.

I have just accepted that I will never go to a play, concert, school event ever. However I think the payoff is worth it as we have school holidays together. I would hate to have had to plan childcare to cover school holidays.

Tbh I think combining any career with children is tough, I don't think teaching is any more difficult than most other professional careers. There are times when I think that the job intrudes on family life and I get a little resentful but then another holiday appears on the horizon and I forget.

Thanks one and all - great food for thought and will seek out the other threads. Have MA & think am up to the academic rigours of the PGCE. Live in Edinburgh so there is a full time course on my doorstep. Don't know much about vacancies but would be prepared to supply till I get lucky. Have worked in senior NHS management and run my own business in past life so am used to work not being cushy but appreciate the honest assessment of what it's really like. Feel more drawn to primary, partly if I'm honest because my own kids are primary age - better the devil you know and all that. Also my original BSc seems a very long time ago and dont know that I feel confident to teach science/ biology to high leve now.

I was thinking the same ... would you not consider secondary? Certain subjects are crying out for teachers whereas others are saturated!

I love my job and wouldn't do anything else...our head doesn't care if we arrive at 830 and leave at 3 so long as the job gets done..he also lets me go to assemblies and sports days so long as i am prepared to take unpaid leave or get a colleague to stand in for me voluntarily.

I don't bring work home now as get it all done in my frees, but you have to be very efficient to do that...i teach maths so much of the planning is in my head and marking is quick and easy..we teach 6th form too which is definitely a high light :)

But it is hard work..the constant pressure to get results, dealing with teenagers on a daily basis - you have to earn the respect in the classroom and anyone showing any sign of weakness, the kids will make your life a misery.

If it's what you really want then go for it...but don't take the decision lightly!

Good science teachers are needed in secondary schools, not so much biology, but it would be easier than other subjects to get a job.

Molly ' I don't think teaching is any more difficult than most other professional careers' - well I guess it's swings and rounadabouts. The holidays do help, but when my DC were little I found the holidays hard because i'd have the DC all day obviously and want to make up the time I felt I'd missed by doing fun things with them, then have to work very late into the evening to catch up with enough work to enable me to go back to work after the holiday feeling slightly more in control of things.

However, when I look at a friend who works in the city who went into school on Friday to talk about jobs in the city, juggles leave with her DP (who juggles hours to take the DC to school 3 days a week) to cover sports day/class assembly etc so that her DC almost always have someone there, then I do wonder. My Dc are still quite young, and do get upset if they don't have a parent at school for events - I've had the whole, "Why do you care more about the children at work than me?" question from my very sensitive DD, and that's horrible.

I'm sorry if I sound doom and gloomy. It's the irony of it all - I have been pondering on whether to start a thread asking for ideas for a new career for a disillusioned (M Gove! Aaaaaargh!) and worn out teacher......

I think primary must be very different, I do very little in the holidays and always have at least one weekend day completely free from work. My DH always attends school events. The children have had the odd wobble and moan that I care more about the children I teach than them. But they soon forget when we can spend a month travelling every summer together.

I do have disillusioned moments and I may not teach forever, there are other things I would like to do. But as I said a holiday is never very far away.

bacon, I don't know about Scotland, but in England there is virtually no supply work in many areas. Schools are using their own HLTAs to cover most absence (secondaries use 'cover supervisors') and so many people who previously made a living supply teaching no longer do so.

In Scotland, at least you are guaranteed a 'first year' in teaching - though this does mean that most people have to leave their first job after a year to be replaced by another 'newly qualified' and so the scramble for jobs starts a year later than in England. Do you have the funds (or another job to fall back on) to manage for quite long periods until a job comes along? I do know Scottish teachers who have had to take telesales type jobs after their 'newly qualified' year just to pay the rent while looking for work.

'i teach maths so much of the planning is in my head'

We have to submit detailed plans for all the subjects every week, so in your head would be a non-starter!

Also, do you have a supportive partner? I am blessed in that my DH has, for the first time in his working life, a job that doesn't expect 8 - 8 pm at least 6 days per week. That has meant that we can juggle childcare to a greater extent, and that he can occasionally go to e.g. school plays or concerts or take a day off in the holiday to look after the children while I go in to school to work. He is also very tolerant of the fact that he doesn't really see me in term-time.

In one school I worked in we had to submit detailed lesson plans in advance, I left after about two years.

This is where secondary has its advantages, as a department we spend INSET days planning scheme of work on a rolling programme. This means no real planning at home, unless I want to tweak something to suit a class or my style. There are also lots of resources out there on the internet that you can use or adapt.

I think a supportive partner is key, although again I think that is the case for all people who work and have families. During term time he tends to run the house with some outside help.

Hi,
Hope this proves useful to you. I love my job and there are many pros to being a primary teacher.
However...I work on average 8-5.30 at school,then 2-3 hours each evening as well as approximately four hours at the weekend. This time increases significantly at certain times throughout the school year. If you want to do it well, it's VERY difficult to switch off and you're never 'finished'.
It might be worth you signing up to TES as you'll be able to browse the forums on there- very useful.
On the other hand, I find it admirable that you want to follow a dream at this stage in your life and, as others have suggested, getting a job will be hard but not impossible.
Good luck in making your decisions!
:)

having a supportive partner must be a plus but is not a necessity, at least in training! my provider has commented that lone parents do well on the course due to resilience which tbh was lovely to hear and v refreshing too

Have MA & think am up to the academic rigours of the PGCE.

I don't think there are any academic rigours with the PGCE to be honest-it's not an intellectually challenging course (well, mine certainly wasn't).

The challenge is far more about working constantly duplicating endless reams of paperwork that doesn't make your teaching any better and leaves you 2% of the time you should have to actually think about lovely lessons, never feeling like you have acheived what you should have. If you add to this being constantly being 'got at' by SLT, parents, the press (!) for failing to single-handedly sort out all of the ills of today's society then take away a decent pension and throw away the pay and conditions (and I think the holidays will be next)-the job sadly loses its appeal. I decided I was going to be a teacher at the age of 7 and whilst I thoroughly enjoy it-I wonder if I could turn back the clock, whether I would choose something else.

Check the jobs in your area, check the NQT forum of the TES and speak to local teachers. I know three secondary school teachers who are trying to get into primary teaching, along with NQTs and mums who have been out of teaching raising babies; none of whom can find regular work. 50 people looked round our Primary for the last job advertised. A lot of supply is being covered by HLTAs and cover supervisors and, right or wrong, there is not a lot of supply out there. I am thankful that I went p/t after having children rather than leaving entirely like my SIL did as she can't get work other than being a cover supervisor.

Apologies for the rant but I really wouldn't go into this lightly.

I see your in Scotland,the nqt job market is abysmal
I would be v sure it's really doable option. The teachers I know don't like teaching and wouldn't recommend it

Scotland has the nqt induction year,then cheerio as another nqt fills post for year. Go visit school, shadow teacher, meet pgce students

Look at local job market,in primary it's ferocious to get a post
Have back up plan what will you do if you struggle to get a post after the nqt year?
How will you manage financially if no jobs what are your financial commitments etc

I too was considering retraining as a primary techer. I thought that the loss of salary (currently about 60K for very busy part-time ) would be offset by the holidays; ability to work closer to home and being able to take kids out of private school ( saving of 20K a year). I was attracted by the creativity of teaching compared to what I do now.

Will have to think again - judging by this .

Our teachers leave by 4, 4.30 if running a club. Except on staff meeting day, but it's a small rural school.
They commute and have DCs of their own, I don't want them hanging about and I'm happy they job share.
They don't get stressed, they don't leave and we get continuity and very few days with supply teachers.
Everyone wins.
Off curse OP the only jobs we've had have been maternity leave ye port posts.

I have to address Scottishmummy's point, of all the teachers I have worked with only a few have actually not liked teaching. In my present job I can only think of one person and to be honest I think she loves teaching but has a lot going on in her life.

wobbly creative isn't the first adjective that springs to mind about teaching for me (except poss eyfs)

I hate it when teachers manage to put others off what is a fantastic profession with a lot of perks and an immense amount of job satisfaction. I appreciate I am secondary and it does sound as if primary teaching is more demanding but it really is a fantastic job that I feel very lucky to do.