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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Teacher training at 25 - too young?

27 replies

FaithLoveandHope · 11/10/2015 22:44

Hi All,

I've been thinking about going into teaching for a while. I actually secured a place on a PGCE (secondary) in 2014 after completing my masters but decided I was too young. I started doing a 3+1 PhD course but now I'm wanting to go back into the teaching. I absolutely loved the placement I did during my 2nd year of uni as well as the teaching sessions I did in preparation for my interview last year. I'm worried I'm still too young though? Realistically for me finishing the PhD isn't an option, I've still got 3 years left and the expectations placed upon me by my supervisor are too much when I'm not passionate enough about it. I like my subject, but not enough to give what my supervisor wants. So I'm either going to find job in my area for a few years, or spend the next year working part time whilst gaining more relevant experience and going for the teaching for 2016 start when I'll be 25. Does anyone have any thoughts / advice on this?

OP posts:
Izzy82 · 12/10/2015 00:20

Definitely not too young. I started teaching at 21 and loved every minute of it.
Now I'm older (33) and have been doing it a few years, I'm more cynical and my enthusiasm is waning.
Once you have a family (whether you're a man or woman) I think it becomes ridiculously difficult to train/ do your NQT years. So of a family is in your plans for the future... Train now

BoboChic · 12/10/2015 00:23

What is your subject?

noblegiraffe · 12/10/2015 00:25

Definitely do your training now before you have a family. It's a couple of years of hell which is not very compatible with family life.

Original poster
FaithLoveandHope · 12/10/2015 07:15

Thanks all. I'm in the sciences. I'd like a family one day but definitely not for a good few years yet. That's a good point though as if I waited much longer to do training it'd mean putting the family off for longer. At what point would you say things calm down enough to contemplate a family? It's very early days in my current relationship but it's definitely something to consider.

Also is there anything I can do over the next 11 months in preparation?

OP posts:
Haggisfish · 12/10/2015 07:31

No -I did mind at 27 and wish if started a couple of years earlier. Which science are you? If you're biology i would spend the next year getting to grips with gcse chemistry and physics. Also get copies of the new revision guides (out in a little while) and refresh your a level knowledge of your subject, too.

Original poster
FaithLoveandHope · 12/10/2015 07:34

Any particular reason you wish you'd started earlier Haggis

That's an excellent idea about catching up on the other subjects / getting the revision guides, thanks!

OP posts:
Foxyloxy1plus1 · 12/10/2015 08:21

Why not see if you can volunteer in a school, or try for a support staff job. That'll give you an insight into how things work. You'll also be able to get an insight into the level of work that's involved in being a teacher.

I'm a bit concerned about your comment about things calming down enough to contemplate a family. I don't think teaching ever calms down! Many teachers would say their work life balance is seriously skewed towards work!

That's why I think you could usefully get an idea of what is involved by working/volunteering before you embark on a PGCE. If you're 25 now, you want to be sure that the career you choose is the one you really want.

Bear in mind too, that teaching is not necessarily a career for life as it was some years ago. People move into and out of it far more regularly than used to be the case.

Floralnomad · 12/10/2015 08:26

Definitely not too young ,my DS is in his NQT year as a Computer Science teacher and he is 23 .

noblegiraffe · 12/10/2015 08:55

Out of interest, why do you think you are too young? What benefit do you think fannying around killing time in a job for the next couple of years will bring to your teaching that actually getting on and teaching in those years wouldn't?

Original poster
FaithLoveandHope · 12/10/2015 13:00

Foxy perhaps I worded that wrongly. I know things never calm down as such, but people always say it's like hell on earth to do PGCE / NQT year with a family, but I'm guessing it gets marginally easier after that? I.e. not completely impossible.

Noble I'm not sure really. I think a lot of people are telling me to stick with the PhD which is not something I want to do, I personally can't see how it'll help with the teaching tbh. Also when I think of teachers, they all seem to be early thirties+ rather than in their early-mid twenties. I think though a lot of my issue is other people's expectations of me rather than what I actually want to do.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 12/10/2015 15:02

When I did my PGCE, everyone on it was early to mid twenties. No one was in their thirties.

Haggisfish · 12/10/2015 15:07

I wish I'd started earlier so I could have gained experience and got promotions before having children. It's incredibly intensive work to get to a head of subject and then dept and very difficult to do with young children. My friend has shimmied up the greasy management pole quickly and will now get better maternity pay etc and be possibly more able to return to work part time/manage marking and workload than if she was just a bog standard classroom teZcher on full timetable.

Haggisfish · 12/10/2015 15:08

I didn't do that and had children while just being a classroom teacher-I copes but had to go part time snd my ambition had to take a back seat for five years. Lots of people will disagree with me though.

partialderivative · 12/10/2015 19:29

I took a year out between A'levels and Degree.

Then opted (post PGCE) to sign up with VSO, consequently I was posted to a very remote village in W. Africa for 2 years when aged just 23. It has changed my life.

I've been teaching ever since for 30+ years.

ConesOfDunshire · 12/10/2015 19:38

I'm really surprised that you would consider 25 too young to train to teach. You would be at least two or three years older than most of your peers on most ITT courses.

mizu · 12/10/2015 20:47

I started teaching at 22 in Greece, then Tokyo, then the Middle East. EFL so didn't do a PGCE just CELTA.

Coming back to the UK, I did a PGCE at 34 in FE while teaching in a college and with a very young family it was tough. 42 now and so glad I did it earlier rather than later, 20 years teaching and I still love it ( the actual teaching not the perpetual irritation of stats, targets blah blah).

Def do a PGCE while young with no family.

blueemerald · 12/10/2015 20:55

I turned 26 just before the start of my PGCE (3 years ago) and was definitely average for the course. There were people in their 30s and I was shocked at the number of 21/22 year olds but most were 24-28. Of those who have given up teaching so far a disproportionate number were in the 21/22 age group.

rollonthesummer · 12/10/2015 20:55

I'm really surprised that you would consider 25 too young to train to teach. You would be at least two or three years older than most of your peers on most ITT courses.

This!

CharleyDavidson · 12/10/2015 21:08

Yep. I went straight from A-levels to teacher training, as did most a lot of the teachers I know.

GinandJag · 12/10/2015 21:13

I turned 30 in my PGCE year having done 8 years in industry. I was comfortable with the timing of the career change and had acquired a lot of skills to deal with time managment, stress, communication etc. I also had two DCs.

Most teachers I meet now started out their careers as teachers, so they must have been training in their early 20s.

If you want to delay, a lot depends on what you are doing now. Do you have a productive professional career that will make you a better science teacher?

Original poster
FaithLoveandHope · 14/10/2015 18:35

Thanks all for your comments, they're all really useful.

Gin I'm currently a first year PhD student but not enjoying it. Some aspects (undergrad demonstrating / marking) could be useful for teaching but for the most part I can't see how it could make me any better at teaching than gaining actual teaching experience would.

OP posts:
GinandJag · 14/10/2015 18:41

As a first year post grad, how many weeks are you in? You need to persevere. You are in a prestigious situation that others would give their back teeth for.

A good teacher needs to exhibit the soft skills you are struggling with. Stick with it and set your eyes on the prize. Teaching can wait and you will the have schools fighting for your Dr title for their staff lists.

swashbucklecheer · 14/10/2015 18:45

I did a BEd degree. I was on my first teaching placement at 18.

Original poster
FaithLoveandHope · 14/10/2015 18:50

Gin could you expand on what "soft skills" you mean? I appreciate what you're saying about the Dr title, but it doesn't make me any more able / unable to teach. Life is too short to do something just for the sake of it or for the status. I understand it's a prestigious situation but it was a 1+3 course so technically am already in my 2nd year, I think I have a fair indication of how things are going and what I want from life.

OP posts:
Fourarmsv2 · 14/10/2015 20:46

On my PGCE it seemed to be the older students that completed and found jobs they wanted rather than had to take.

Lots of younger students dropped out during the PGCE or after the NQT year.

I remembered so little of my A-Levels / degree that I wish I'd started earlier. It's been an uphill struggle for a few years.

Try and get lots of observations in - find out what types of schools you'd like to work in.

Maybe if you post on here you may find someone local?

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