Teaching without a qualification

[AChocolateOrange]

Hi all. Hoping someone can help. I'm a recent graduate- history BA with a first followed by history MA with distinction from RG uni. I'm hoping to have a few years off before going into a PhD.

I'd thought about teaching, but I don't want to invest time and money into the qualifications when it's not my long term plan. I've seen a few adverts for academy teaching jobs that don't require specific teaching qualifications

Is this commonplace? Would I struggle without one? Has anyone any experience of this?

Thanks!

[Alphvet]

Please don't think that having a first class degree from an rg uni would make you a better teacher than someone with a 3rd from a non rg. Some of the worst trainees I have known have had phds. The best two teachers in my department I would say have education degrees from a not particularly well thought of uni, although we do have someone who is also excellent with a PhD from oxford.

[Alphvet]

I don't think you would walk into an independent school either. They have more money to spend and are more picky about the quality of the teacher. I would think they'd go for a trained teacher with 5 years experience over you.
I say do the training. You'll pay 9 percent of what you earn over 21 grand. In all likelihood you'll not earn over the threshold to pay it all off. No offence but most people won't earn over the threshold to pay it off unless you went into a particularly high paying industry

[Eolian]

Teaching is not the kind of job you do for a few years to reduce your debt. It really isn't. And yy to what Alphvet said. Three things make you a good teacher - 1) Innate personal qualities which make you suitable for the job 2) Serious commitment 3) Experience. You may or may not have 1), definitely don't have 2) and won't get 3) if you're not planning on sticking around.

Being well-qualified and good at your subject just means you are... good at your subject. There are plenty of brilliant mathematicians, scientists etc around who would make awful teachers. And dare I say it, plenty of average ones who would make great teachers.

[rollonthesummer]

The worst teacher I ever had (a history teacher, interestingly!) had a PhD-he was truly awful. I was at a very prestigious grammar with no behavioural issues and the girls simply ate him alive. I expect he was a brilliant academic but he couldn't teach for toffee. Just as long as you are aware that because you are perceived as 'clever', it doesn't mean you will find teaching easy or be any good at it-it doesn't sound like want to teach at all and think you can do it without bothering to get the qualification which is a little arrogant.

Why don't you just do the PhD whilst you're in the studying zone?!