In need of some advice about moving from secondary to primary

[RubyRoses]

Hello, I am currently moving job (and house) and, although I am a secondary school teacher and enjoy this, I can’t shake the feeling I may be better suited to primary (especially the younger years). I keep coming back to this thought so feel perhaps now is the time to explore this option, but how? Surely a primary school will be hesitant to employ someone with no experience- should I try and get a primary TA role or do I need to retrain? Any advice would be really helpful please.

There are so many applicants for every primary job in my area that we would be very unlikely to consider a secondary teacher. TA experience might change that but we would still be reluctant as usually our person spec states ‘teaching experience in two of EYFS, KS1 and KS2’.

Why do you think you would prefer teaching the younger years of primary? I do that and it’s not as lovely as it seems IMO!

Are you moving house / area and will be unemployed whilst you look for a job for a while?
If so, then ask if you can volunteer for a month and see if it is really what you think it is like, maybe ?

I'd sign up for supply work and say you'd be interested in primary work. Good for getting experience and trying it out. You could also do supply ta work which would often be with early years as the staff student ratios are more strict than in juniors.

Financially could you afford to do supply for a bit in primary?

In my area (and I know it's the same in a lot of areas in England) we are no longer getting anywhere near the number of applications we used to get for teaching positions and certainly not the quality - so not the same experience as pp at all.

I know a few teachers who've gone from secondary to primary - have been a case of right place at right time and who you know more then what you know.

Unless you're an English teacher, most secondary teachers are a bit shocked at the workload in primary and the lack of 'frees'

Thanks everyone, really helpful advice and already getting me thinking about possible options.

I think trying to get some experience by volunteering/supply sounds like a good plan initially and then I can decide for sure either way. Thanks again

I worked in a prep as a subject specialist then moved across.

If there are Prep schools in your new area, write on spec. The older years in preps (Y5 to Y8) run like secondary schools with subject specialists, but often struggle to recruit them. (Presumably this is because subject specialists prefer to teach GCSE and A level classes)

Hi, I moved from secondary to primary by doing two years as a TA in a primary school , then a few months working on supply in primary before I got a teaching post in a primary school. I was lucky, because the teachers I worked with as a TA were fantastic and taught me so much

Where I am, there are not lots of applications for primary posts and I'd think you'd be considered depending on how expensive you are. Would you want UPS or main pay scale?

I’ve done this, by working as a TA for 18 months then going for an opportunity within the same MAT as a teacher. It is at least as hard work as secondary (and I was an English teacher!)

I can’t shake the feeling I may be better suited to primary (especially the younger years).

Can I ask why?

You will have to answer that at every interview you get so your answer should be rock solid.