anyone moved from secondary to FE?

[cricketballs3]

following a really rubbish couple of weeks at work I quickly threw in an application for my subject at a FE - just been invited to interview.

I haven't really considered FE before even though I do much prefer teaching older students and as I will be giving up a TLR it would be a drop in pay (£2,500 together with increased travel costs as it is 30 mins further away) I am not 100% sure if I will even attend the interview so has anyone got any experience, would you change?

I did many years ago.

There are still pressures, but different ones, and they vary slightly depending on your subject/course. The days are longer (9-5) but you teach a lower proportion of those hours. The pay is lower, the holidays are as long but summer is slight earlier. Fewer teaching weeks in a year so more time for planning. Marking can be heavy especially on vocational courses.

I do wish we got some of the pay rises and funding schools get, but not enough to go back to teaching in a school!

I did. 6 years into FE now and progressing much quicker than I would have at school. I much prefer it. Yes shorter hols but for me higher pay and generally better students. You couldn't pay me enough to re teach year 8 now. Lots more safeguarding though and mental health issues

I already teach vocational courses (L2 and 3) so used to the marking load - didn't think about the holidays being different, but just looked and they finish in the summer before school, started back a week earlier that I did in school.

I'm thinking that I will attend and find out more details re length of day etc, as this was something else I didn't think about.

Can I ask some other questions if you don't mind @StainlessSteelCat @IgnoranceIsStrength

re things like duties - is that something in FE i.e. do you have to cover break times, end of the day?
Do you have to cover absent colleagues? (this is another bone of contention atm in my current school)
Are there any behavioural issues?

Duties are only covered my managers - we have coach duties as majority of students come to college on coach and then 2 managers every hour on duty just walking around college to keep an eye on behaviour etc. The behaviour is very variable depending on the department. As a generalisation poor behaviour tends to be higher in the boy heavy subjects like business, sport and public services. In the girl subjects you get more online bullying. (I am aware there shouldn't be boy/girl subjects but there really is)

By managers not my managers. Also unfortunately yes to cover which can be an issue

"As a generalisation poor behaviour tends to be higher in the boy heavy subjects like business" - great 😭

What types of behaviour compared to school?

Thank you by the way for answering my multitude of questions

Most classes ok, and older students means more maturity.
Problems I encounter are to do with students not engaging, so on phones, doing hair/make up, eating, chatting ... Lots of mental health/anxiety related issues ... Students who didn't succeed at school not seeing the point in trying at college ...but there's a more equal relationship between you and the students, most respond well to you trying to teach. As Ignorance said, nothing like year 8 thankfully, I find it's a few individuals who cause most of the issues so it's easier to deal with.

Me. I would never ever go back. Granted, my set up is quite different but the things I hated about secondary have gone.