Different avenues for teaching English

[Buttercup53]

I hope you all don’t mind another career advice thread, but this seems like the ideal place to ask.

I’m currently on maternity leave from my role as a senior writer for a marketing agency. I’ve been in the position for 6 years, will return in my 7th year. I have a BA in English Literature (2:1) and I’ve been contemplating teaching for a while, but I don’t know the best avenue to go down (if any...).

I’ve done lots of volunteering in secondary schools working in a variety of departments. I enjoyed working with vastly underachieving students best in special classes led by HTLAs. I’ve also enjoyed working in the more standard classes but found them more daunting in terms of behaviour management balanced against the more complicated lesson plans, the workload difference is really clear.

I basically don’t know what my next step should be. I interviewed for a librarian role in the last school I volunteered in, and was told by the head of English that I should train as a teacher instead after working with me for several months, but I am very worried about investing all of my time and money in something I don’t know that I’m cut out for. However I’m put off by the atrocious pay for HLTAs especially during training and TA period as I’m earning fairly well now, which is especially important now I have a child.

I don’t know if I should just go for a PGCE and train as a secondary English teacher, take the route I feel a bit more comfortable with as a HLTA or do something completely different like English as a second language for adults or working with a younger age group in primary.

I’m not sure what my question is really though I’d appreciate talking to anyone who has experience in any of these roles about the day to day reality, and if it can be balanced with a baby/toddler at home. Whatever I do, I can’t do it immediately as I’m tied into a contract at work for 3 months post-maternity. Pay is an influencing factor for me as I am currently the higher earner at home (for the sake of clarity I earn £28,000 currently). I’m absolutely miserable in my current role and will be doing something new at some time, and teaching has the biggest drawer to me as I really enjoy working with teenagers and I love English as a topic, but I don’t want to leave one bad career for another if I can avoid it.

I'd train as a teacher if I were you. Higher earning power. You could then look to move back into publishing in educational publishing. You never know : teaching might suit you. When it is your class and your domain, it is a different ball game. You sound like you have a great background for it.

People will tell you no on here : but if you are already stultifying, you have very little to lose.

Do you have family support around you?

@piggywaspushed thanks for your reply, I do feel that I have a strong background for teaching, already got the degree under my belt and I do have experience in schools so know some of the reality and still feel excited at the prospect, though I know committing to it as a career is very different to volunteering!

I have good family support, my husbands job is flexible so he’d be doing most of the travelling with DS when I’m back at work anyway, my mum retired early when I had my DS so she can provide childcare and my MIL is a childminder so lots of childcare available. I suppose my main concern about taking the leap now is that I don’t want to sacrifice my sons childhood for the sake of someone else’s, and I’m not naive enough to think that English as a topic doesn’t have a massive workload outside of the classroom. On the other hand, though, he would have me during the holidays, and there’s something to be said for having a mum who is satisfied and happy with work than one who is anxious and miserable due to their job.

Oh, there is! The question is whether the answer to that is teaching...

I worked full time throughout my DCs' childhood . My main regret is not having any support networks nearby, but I managed. I am a live to work type, mind.

Piggy has already given some good advice.

If you think it could be for you it might be worth having a look at different routes into teaching. Personally, I think there is a lot still to be said for the PGCE route, though some school based routes are also good. I would ask around for how your local providers (especially school based ones) are viewed in your area.

I think having done other jobs before teaching helps with teaching as you have a point of reference of what is normal or acceptable in other professions. You can't compare like for like all the time, but when I trained, I found career changers to be the ones most likely to say a lesson was 'good enough' and better at knowing when to stop.

Good luck.