Advice on training

[Bumpette]

Could anyone please offer us some advice? My husband is looking into retraining as a primary school teacher. He has a 2.1 history degree and has also got about 18 years experience teaching first TEFL and then more recently functional skills to teenagers who have mostly been excluded from mainstream education. He is well used to teaching children with extremely challenging behaviour and SEN. We have three children so really need an option that comes with a salary. Both of us are getting bewildered by the different options. Looking into it nothing seems clear cut or to say exactly how much he would likely earn. Which, to be honest is the biggest driving force to which course he would go for. Literally because we have got to survive! We don't live in London so salary wise I think would be on the lower scale. Can anyone offer any advice?

The mainscale of teaching salary is pretty easy to find with a quick internet search.
If you are asking where on the scale he would start, it would be at the bottom I'm afraid. Schools are strapped for cash and unlikely to be willing to offer any more than they had to.

Thanks for your reply. Yep, I realised that it would be the bottom and of course that would only be right given he would be unqualified. We will try and have another Internet search and figure it all out. Probably being thick! Thank you.

I guess you mean you're looking for him to find a way to train on the job rather than a PGCE? If so look up Scitt or GTP. I think you can get bursaries on these. Possibly also with the PGCE actually.

It's very difficult to get a bursary for primary pgce. A couple of years ago it was only available if you had a first in physics or maths.

What he needs is Schools Direct or a salaried SCITT, which is the salaried route, or also Teach First but they aren't very interested in history.

have you seen this website?

getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/school-led-training/school-direct-salaried

Do be warned history is one of the very few subjects which has a surplus of trainees : so getting a job is not always as easy as it is in other subjects. But with his experiences, he has an interesting string to his bow.

Ignore the stuff about history : just realised he wants primary!

All the rest stands though.

No shortage of primary trainees either.

Depends where you are as every ITT consortium has a different offer. There are two main options, School Direct as a salaried trainee or SCITT. Have a look at Tes institute as the offer an excellent school Direct programme and also search for ITT in your local area there will be open days and information. If you are still struggling ask your local primary who their ITT provider is and they should be able to help. Most training courses will ask you to have some experience, so TA volunteer work in a primary. If you are Essex /North Kent please feel free to pm. Me as I work in ITT in these areas.

I am currently a trainee on Schools Direct. I earn an unqualified teacher salary, which is just over £17k. I got on the programme through the school I worked as a TA, as did most of those on my course. However, with your husband's experience of working with SEN / challenging behaviour, I'd say he has a big hook to sell himself to primary schools.

Good luck to him.

Out of interest Op, why primary? Nothing wrong with primary and men are under represented there! I only ask because teacher satisfaction surveys suggest secondary history teachers have higher job satisfaction than average.

Yep, I realised that it would be the bottom and of course that would only be right given he would be unqualified

Why would he be unqualified? Why wouldn’t he do a teaching qualification?

I think OP means while training? If you do Schools Direct you are paid an unqualified teacher salary.

Yes, I do. Thank you! I tried to reply to this earlier but Internet was playing up.

Thank you for all your replies. Haven't had a chance to look through them all yet as have three children and it's half term madness in our house!! But really appreciate all the responses.

Think he's had enough of teenagers 😂. We have three primary school aged children and he's always wanted to teach that age.

Apologies - I was skim reading, late at night, just lifting people off 'Unanswered threads'. I didn't pay enough attention to what you wrote, and read your op as if you were wondering what he would be paid as a teacher. Sorry.

No worries 😊