Return To Teaching and Change Age Phase?

[JoffreyBaratheon]

Anyone done this or known someone who's done it? Any advice?

I trained to teach primary. My favourite ever job was abroad where I got to teach a class of kids aged 9 - 13. My TPs were all with Y 5/6 and my working life, before I had to give up work to become a Carer, tended to land me with Y 3/4 which I liked a lot less.

Over the years I occasionally volunteered in my kids' primary, which confirmed for me I no longer wanted to teach primary. But as my own kids and their mates grew up, I realised I would much prefer to teach secondary. My subject was English. I have a degree in that from a posh university and a PGCE

I know once you have QTS you can change age phases. But now my carer status is only intermittent (son got into uni) and I find myself in my early 50s, and only ever trained to do one job.

I also know the Return To Teaching courses have gone. Which seems eminently sensible of the tories, just as there is a predicted teacher shortage.

How do I go about getting back into the classroom? I was on with a very well paid supply agency but now my references are 15 years out of date. Where to start?

Watching with interest as I too would like to move up to secondary (trained in primary 3 - 8).

I moved from Secondary to Primary and did so via TA work, supply work, and volunteering until I was confident enough. Don't regret the change at all! I really wouldn't go into it blind. Secondary is vastly different from Primary and whilst the skills do transfer, the style and content is hugely different. You will need excellent specialist knowledge to teach secondary. The subject knowledge requirements to teach GCSE and AS/A2 are massive.

I think it's probably easier to move down rather than up.

Yes, I'm confident with the content as I had a fairly high flying first degree and have tutored English A Level in the past. (Part of my problem with primary was finding the content all so boring and I always preferred the older primary kids). I have also spent most of my years as a carer doing workshops for adults (craft related, not English), which I enjoyed as well!

I'm reluctant to TA as I have a number of qualified, teacher friends who for one reason or another have done that - and none have ever managed to get back to teaching after being a TA. But I need uptodate references. Volunteer then supply, maybe?

What I don't get is - with a teacher shortage looming, why aren't there incentives for returning teachers as well as proper training available?

Because the content of the curriculum has changed so massively that practically any teacher who has had a few years out would qualify!

Supply would throw you in the sharp end and you'd get to see the differences quickly.