train to teach or not

[lou1221]

Need some advice please, I am a ta, and love my job. I'm going to uni to start a degree with the hope at the end if it doing a pgce/schools direct. Having spoken to colleagues, some new to teaching, others established teachers, the majority are saying don't do it. No time for family, 70+hour weeks. detriment to health etc etc.

I have a fairly young family, and a child who has emotional issues, which can erupt fairly quickly. I am in my early 40s. This would be primary teaching.

I wanted advice on whether, if you were starting now, would it be something you would actively go into, if you had family commitments?

If not teaching, what careers could you go into with Childhood studies degree? Many thanks

No chance. I’m lucky that I work for an amazing school and love my job, but these are few and far between and to be honest the thought of having to go through it all again makes me feel sick. When I leave this school I’ll be done with teaching for good.

Don’t train to be a teacher!

You'll be permanently stressed. You will end up sacrificing time with your own children to write a load of stuff for senior management and ofsted. Endless lesson planning, resources, marking. Don't do it!

Imagine getting your kids to bed, then starting work again. That's the worst bit. Working til 1am and still not finishing everything.

No I absolutely would not for the reasons in your post.

I’d look into play therapy if I was in a starting position again.

Don’t do it......for all the reasons listed above.

Just don’t.

I was a TA for a little bit before teaching and I found I could work part time but easily still earn more than as a TA. Full time’s hard and stressful but part time is much nicer. I’m also in SEND which I love.

There have been so many threads on this lately! Lots of people will say don’t do it... when I did my pgce last year lots of people in RL said I was mad to do it.

I’m a single parent and an NQT (secondary), mine were 8 and 6 when I started the training. It was tough, and there were some nights of staying up til 1am marking/planning/ essay writing but I got through it. I I enjoyed doing it, made some fantastic friends on the course and had a great mentor who I’m still in touch with now. Yes I sometimes work long hours in term time, but not every night- I usually stay in school until 5 and about twice a week I’ll end up bringing some work home. Usually do a few hours at the weekend. But I get all the holidays off with my DC.

It’s something I had wanted to do for a long time and I would have regretted if if I hadn’t tried it. Just go in with your eyes open. As someone said on a different thread, it’s not a job it’s a lifestyle.

It is s job though-it being seen as a ‘lifestyle’ is one of the reasons it’s been able to get to the place it has.

If you were a TA with a degree thinking of doing a PGCE then I’d say yes. But if you are starting from scratch so to speak then I’d say find something else. There are so many other jobs that are better paid with less hours.

The way things are going at moment, you aren’t going to need to be a qualified teacher to teach.

This makes me so sad. I am also a TA in secondary and adore my job. I’ve wanted to be a teacher my entire life but fell into having DC early. I still desperately want to train - I want to be at the front of the classroom not the back! I’m heartbroken that having DC, one with ASD, means I won’t be able to do what I’ve dreamed of.

I was a TA level 1 for a year. I did my level 2 and rather than go for level 3, I realised I wanted to actually teach.

I’m 6 months into my PGCE and I am loving it. I’m 38, 2 DC’s (10 & 6) and a very supportive DH.

I’d read all about how it takes over your life, the hours, bringing work home etc, so I went into it with my eyes open and my DH knew he would often not see me.

So far, it’s great. Yes, I put the hours in, but it’s been manageable.

Thank you for all of your replies. I am surprised by the amount that say don't do it. I spoke to a teacher yesterday, who was a TA, trained, but has now gone back to being a TA, and is so much happier.

I think if I had done this straight from school, before children, then maybe it would be different.

I am still going to do the degree, I'm looking forward to it, and tbh have spent the last few years getting level 3 and retaking gcse's.

Keeping an open mind about what to do in four years, but maybe not pgce

PGCE and NQT years are hard but it gets easier. Depending on the school, teaching doesn’t have to take over your life and the holidays are fabulous for families. I would go for it!

A million times, no.

Go for it, I love my job. You'll find teaching practice and your NQT year madly hectic but if you love the job you will cope. You will also be guaranteed six weeks off in the summer with your dc which is an amazing bonus!

MelanieSmooter it's not that you can't it will just be very hard. People are just giving advice so you go in with eyes open. If your working in school you know from being around teachers what it's like then go for it if it's your dream.

I'm a teacher with 2 young children. I do love it but it is very hard and much worse than when I was an nqt 10 years ago...

Good news, this morning I got offered a place at uni.

Congratulations Lou!

Ickle, I know I can it’s just that I’ll always put DC and their needs first, and that makes it nigh on impossible now.

Well done! What will you be studying?

Thank you, I'll be studying childhood studies, which even if I decide to not do a pace it will open so many doors for me.

I think that looks such an interesting degree. Congrats!

Re PGCE and NQT years, yes they’re hard but nothing compared to the following years which, ime, are far worse! Still, I’m ever hopeful that there will be a massive cultural shift in the ed sector.