Thinking about going into teaching

[thinkingabouteaching]

So I have a degree already. Many moons ago I started out training to be a teacher but gave up during my third year practice, which was hideous. I was in my early 20s and a very different person back then. I didn't have the confidence or resilience that I do now, and I've always wondered if I had had a different school or more support if I would have continued. I'm not going to lie, I also found juggling group work very hard and inventing everything from scratch.

As I say it was a lifetime ago. So I've now had a career, children, been at home, volunteered and I'm now working as a TA. I love it and I'm definitely not going to try and run before I can walk, but, others have been asking me if I have thought about becoming a teacher. And I have - despite knowing what it involves, the ridiculous hours, paperwork etc I can't get it out of my head.

But I've tried and failed (in my head) so no college would even consider me would they? Colleagues obviously don't know my degree history or they wouldn't be suggesting it. Not to mention my age (45).

I am happy with what I'm doing at the minute as I love being in the classroom.

Sorry for the long post. Kind of thinking out loud and wondering if it's a no-go from the start.

Go for it! Teaching needs wise enthusiastic people and you sound perfect to me.

I am a similar age to you and also trained in my early twenties. Whilst part of me wants to welcome you as the country is crying out for teachers, what is counter-productive is people who last for a year and then leave totally broken. This seems to happen increasingly because the job is so horrible.

Teaching was unrecognisable as a job compared to now, when I (and I suspect you) trained in about 1997.

Just be very clear what it was you didn't like the first time around and find out whether that bit/those bits are now much worse or not now. Talk to lots of teachers about it if you can!

I wouldn't think your previous experience would go against you (would you have tuition fees to pay?) as long as you are honest and reflective about what went wrong and how you could overcome it.

I'm a teacher and yes it's long hours but some of it can be done at home if that suits you. Also as you are older you no doubt have experience of how to balance your workload and how to prioritise things and lots of other skills that come with age. I think the thing I've got better at as I've got older is how to say no to things which younger teachers sometimes struggle with. And how to bin off tasks that don't matter. The pay is not terrible and goes up quite quickly if you can prove you're meeting certain standards.

Of course it's great working with kids but you already know that if you're a TA. You seem to be going into it with a realistic idea of the expectations.

My degree isin maths abd education but I think yes I'd have to pay for a PGCE - unless I went down the training on the job route. That I've not looked into properly yet. I suppose I wanted to know if I would get a straight refusal.

I'm going to give it another year as next year i will have more teaching of activities, recording, feedback on targets etc and see how that goes.

I'm just such a different person to back then and in our school staff are nothing but supportive to students - not at all like my student experience! But yes a completely different world to 1997!

I start teacher training this Sept, I'm over 50.
There is significant funding available for a variety of degrees, yes maths is one but also physics, chemistry, geography and MKL's if think. Obviously these are t teach at secondary. There an excellent website which tells you whats available.
In my current job, when I trained I worked in a particular area that was very stressful, at 21 I hated it, at 32 I returned to it and loved it and did it for 8 years. I think as we mature and get more experience, we cope with things differently.
I would have thought its perfectly acceptable and understandable for you to now feel you would like to teach and feel you can cope with it especially as you're now working as a TA.
Teacher's do work exceedingly hard and they work long hours but so do many others in many other professions and lets be realistic in many non professions as well, sadly this is the working life of many in the UK. Don't let this put you off, give it ago if its what you want to do..
Good luck.

I'd have to pay for a PGCE

Nope, you've got a maths degree, they will throw money at you to train. £25k bursary. You'll be better paid on your training year than as an NQT. That's assuming you go for secondary maths. If you go for primary, there's money for maths-skilled teachers too.

Sorry I misread your post I thought you said my degree isn't in maths but education therefore I'd have to fund a PGCE. From what I discovered whilst applying for teacher training there is a £25,000 tax free bursary for those with a maths degree who wish to teach maths at secondary. I never considered primary but I think there is little or no bursaries for primary. It might also be degree class dependent.
If you get a place on a teacher training programme and your training provider feels that you need to brush up your knowledge of maths you can also get funding for a "subject knowledge enhancement course" which I think can be up 24 weeks, depending in how much brushing up you need; Im currently doing a 16 weeks course for my subject (it's all done on line) and you can get paid £200 a week to do this as its very intense. But this is definitely degree class dependent you have to have a minimum of a 2:2 in the subject.
You can also apply for a student loan for the course fees and even a maintenance loan.
I also think if your applying for subjects where theres a serious shortage of teachers you get allocated a mentor who will help you through the application process. I found the whole thing very jargon/abbreviation heavy in the beginning but then I come form a completely different area and Im where we are equally jargon/abbreviation heavy so IM sure a stranger into it would day the same!
I attended lots of open days/evenings in my area about teacher training, there are loads out there, look on any school website, I listened to the same talk about the various ways of training two or three times, met various providers; single schools, medium sized SCITTS and very large SCITTS, grammars ad comprehensives, observed lots of lessons and talked to both students, current teachers and trainee teachers. It was big decision for me, teaching is a long held ambition of mine but as I have a very good job, that I hate with an absolute passion that I'm very good at and very well respected by colleagues and pays me more than I will earn when I start, I had to be absolutely sure I'm doing the right thing.

It's a 2:1 maths and ed combined hons degree (as I basically dropped the qts bit - we had to study our subject alongside so it was quite easy to transfer modules when I decided that I couldn't cope with my 3rd year practice.

I would look to primary teaching. But think I need a bit more experience as a TA first. At least I know that others don't think it's a daft idea

You might also want to think about whether you actually need a PGCE. I've just got QTS through Schools Direct and did do the PGCE with it, but I gather you don't actually have to. I'm science so I got a good bursary, but I still have nine grand in fees to pay, and it certainly wasn't worth that. Not sure what you actually pay in fees if you just go for QTS.
I'm 42 btw and would echo what was said upthread: if you're used to working in a professional and demanding environment you're at a definite advantage.

It's the same if you do the PGCE and QTS or just the QTS. My SCITT wants you to both, for others the PGCE was optional but the cost was the same.

Check if you are allowed to start another qts route having began one already.

Ooh that's a good point. Where would I go to find out such a thing? From individual institutes? I think that's the thing, whether I'd be allowed a second chance.

Although I was so exhausted come 4pm yesterday that maybe im just too old

Of course you're not too old. I've met people in their late 50's early 60's who are training.
At a guess I would say at least half on my course are in their early 40's.
Re finance look here there appears to be no bursary for trainee primary teachers so to get any significant funding you would either have do it through Schools Direct or Teach First. With regard to getting a student loan for the fees and your living costs you'd need to talk to the student finance.
Don't be defeatist OP before you've even started to find out anything.

Most SCITTS are around over the holiday, you could try googling your county/town SCITT I've just tried it, and ours came up straight away even though that's not its actual name. Also look on the website of your local schools under jobs most of ours have info about training. There's also the government get into teaching website which I think lists all the places you can train but if I recall correctly it's a bit confusing when your trying to find a SCITT. But then this was when I started looking I hadn't really understood how training worked, now it might be different

I will. I'm going to have a week to decompress drink wine and then do some investigation over the holidays. I will be doing more individual / group intervention activities next year as they 'wanted to use my brain' so I will see how that goes first. They may discover I don't really have one 😁