Teaching jobs for unqualified teachers

[Enidblyton1]

Does anyone know if it’s possible to start work in a school (state or private?) as an unqualified teacher? Where does one find out about such opportunities?

I’m in my early 40s, looking for career change from senior management city finance role. Currently taking career break so available immediately. 1st class Oxbridge degree, plus recent MA in arts subject. Maths grade A alevel. No previous teaching experience except tutoring maths and French at KS3 level. I think I’m an ideal candidate for teaching and happy to leap straight into zoom lessons if somewhere is willing to take me without teaching qualifications.

Can anyone advise? Many thanks

Yes, that makes sense.
I’ve re-read the thread and it’s full of useful advice from most people - thanks again!

Are some teachers very against people training later in life?

I entered the profession at 40. I have never had any issues. However, it really is important to recognise it’s a profession where focus is on what you didn’t do and not what you did. You get criticised to within an inch of your life constantly and anything positive is rarely acknowledged. You really do have to listen to those around you to improve and you will find that means listening to people much younger with comparatively little work experience. I once put my foot on it big time with an SLT member of staff thinking out loud about the lack of analysis of some data that teachers had painstakingly been obliged to correct - in a previous life, I’d have done it and produced a report within hours. Never did see an outcome! Hierarchy is not what you’re used to and you need to know your place, sadly. Ideas and enthusiasm can be looked down on if you don’t work out how the land lies first. Swap your keeness for a dose of cynicism and you’ll fair much better!

Definitely not against teachers training in later life, but there is a stereotype whereby some come in all guns blazing because they’ve been successful in higher paid/corp careers and they get the shock of their lives. Schools are funny environments, and older entrants can usually sift through all the bullshit, and that’s why some don’t last. Also some schools don’t like older entrants as they are not as easy to mould and come with opinions, and minds of their own. Ageism is rife in schools and many are staffed with young ones running the show.

By all means try it out, but your original thread gave the impression you’re ready to dive straight into live zoom lessons with no training, and hey schools are so short staffed they will be lucky to have you. It doesn’t work like that.
Heads will not employ unqualified staff, and if they do (I know UQTs) it’s usually after years of being a TA within the school, and usually to save some cash because they are nice and cheap.

There are plenty of career changers - I switched at 40. You are basically going right back to the beginning. Teacher training includes a lot of self reflection and constructive criticism (some will be from teachers in their 20s).

Top tip - don’t harp back to your old career

Second tip - practice your pelvic floor exercises

OP you might find the experiences of Lucy Kellaway interesting. She was an FT journalist who not only became a maths teacher but started a company for experienced professionals to job change into teaching. After training, she immediately dropped to part time as she found it so difficult. I'm not saying this to out you off, just to point out she was so enthusiastic and presumably confident, given she started a company off the back of her idea, and still found it hard.

I've only worked with one unqualified teacher in a primary and she got paid buttons. I thought it was completely immoral that she was doing the same job as us but on little more than her old TA wage. The specialist PPA role to get a foot in the door mentioned by some is something I recognise from the past but not now unfortunately - primaries generally use HLTAs to cover PPA and I have never seen an advert looking for a French PPA teacher (I'd have applied myself!)

For what it's worth I career changed into teaching and love it but went down the traditional PGCE route. I was certain I wanted to do primary. Bear in mind as well that as a primary teacher you can have a preference for UKS2 but be moved to any year group, including nursery if the school has one.

The specialist PPA role to get a foot in the door mentioned by some is something I recognise from the past but not now unfortunately - primaries generally use HLTAs to cover PPA and I have never seen an advert looking for a French PPA teacher (I'd have applied myself!)

I did that job last year, through a PPA company! It is more than possible.

Gosh, you’ve had some harsh responses here OP. All teachers have to start somewhere and I’ve seen great NQTs straight out of university and great career changers who came in from other fields. My advice is to have a look at teaching job adverts for the subjects that you are interested in and make enquiries about salaried schools direct training opportunities in those schools. We take on schools direct trainees for salaried posts. Usually they are people we know who have been with us as TAs or cover supervisors but we’d definitely consider an outsider. It’s becoming so difficult to recruit now that someone unqualified but keen may be the best option by a very long way. We are sometimes left with no choice but to use various agency staff who are not always qualified and not always subject specialists. FWIW I think securing something for September 2021 is totally possible and perhaps even for the summer term. Good luck!

It’s not career changers but people who haven’t been in a school since they left who give the impression that they believe they can sweep in with no experience or training and be inspirational and better than tired old hasbeens who have been teaching for a long time. It puts people’s backs up but is a surprisingly common trait in career changers and new graduates because of the crap spewed out by the government. There needs to be new canon fodder coming in to replace those that have lasted the standard five years in the profession before leaving, so those of us who have stayed get a little weary of being told that experience isn’t necessary and training properly is wasting time.

You sound like you have more of a plan now to experience the classroom and the job a little more closely. Don’t underestimate the value of a proper training year (not Schools Direct or Teach First) to give you proper time to reflect on your teaching as you go along, and time to build skills that you will need. Resilience is a big one that you will need.

(NOT saying Schools Direct or Teach First isn’t proper training, just that other routes may not be so immediately pressured, sorry if I was a bit wrong in my language there)

@Watchingbehindmyhands

The specialist PPA role to get a foot in the door mentioned by some is something I recognise from the past but not now unfortunately - primaries generally use HLTAs to cover PPA and I have never seen an advert looking for a French PPA teacher (I'd have applied myself!)

I did that job last year, through a PPA company! It is more than possible.

Fair enough.

I went in unqualified as a career changer in my 40s. This is my 10th year. I'd suggest independents and grammars are more tolerant of this and have slightly older staff on average. I trained on the job with GTP (predecessor of Schools Direct). You do need a certain level of patience with jargon, hierarchy and people with no experience outside teaching. I had to find my own training course too. The school weren't bothered, presumably as it was cheaper when I was unqualified. The school had a few issues though. I replaced a fully qualified teacher who'd essentially had a breakdown...

Interesting to hear different experiences - thanks everyone.

I work with an unqualified teacher who teaches computing. She is paid very little in comparison to other staff (I think about 5k less than an nqt) but is expected to do everything that those of us with QTS do, and in some cases more because she is the main "computing" teacher. I feel she is absolutely being exploited. She is trying to get QTS via the assessment only route, but this has been delayed due to covid etc.

Personally, I wouldn't put yourself in that position.

In general, shortages are more common in secondary, and what we are short of is qualified maths and science specialists first and foremost (as well as other subjects, like mfl). Classes are most likely to be taught by a qualified non-specialist or a string of supply teachers.

When you're hearing of schools closing due to a lack of teachers, part of that is that they've exhausted their supply budgets. Therefore, they're not likely to have any money to pay you or recruit extra staff to teach remotely.

It's also worth bearing in mind that in a normal year, teacher recruitment runs in termly cycles - most schools won't appoint someone to start mid term, but will get supply and recruit for the start of the next term instead. Recruiting in schools is quite difficult and involved in normal times. You'd also need a DBS before you could start doing anything - not sure how long these are taking but probably up until half term at least. It's not a case of just jumping on zoom.

I think your heart is in the right place but I'm afraid you do sound a bit niave. Better to train properly and make a long term contribution to teaching than try to jump in in a crisis and get burned.

Also to add, any school wanting staff now will probably want/need you in at least some of the time with keyworker kids - so potentially 20+ kids, no social distancing, no masks. This would potentially free up other staff to teach via zoom.

That's far more likely to be the reality of being recruited by a school now.

Not had chance to read all the messages here but not surprised you are getting negative responses here because people want to prove their worth and make sure that others only follow the route they have followed.

My DH works in an upper tier public school and although he is qualified, at one point he was one of only two in his department who was. He was also the only one who was not Oxbridge educated (still Russell Group). Most had masters or PhD too and the others had experience such as yourself in the world place.

These schools don't rate the PGCE as they see it as training for state schools. In many cases they would rather experience of teaching or in the field the individual will be teaching in and will train on the job (will give a 1 year probation and if you clearly can't teach, you're out). Discipline is rarely an issue.

Usually you have to be someone who is cut from the same cloth as the students - ie you have to be a little bit posh to 'fit in' if you are going this route.

Smaller independents also have the luxury of employing unqualified teachers but most want a pgce nowadays.

Having paid almost £10k for a respected training course to enter this profession, I'm afraid I too take umbrage at the comment that it's "wasting time". It is essential. Invaluable.

I'm now in my fourth month of training. Have planned countless lessons. Had over 30 lesson observations, and had to develop a thick skin. Juggled University assignments with zoom lectures, the academic reading on pedagogy, adaptive practice, understanding SEN and EAL needs, the pastoral care needs, different key stage planning for schemes of work and lessons, marking, learning Assessment Objectives, implementing behaviour management appropriately, completing weekly mentor meeting forms, commentary forms, focused observation forms, forms for the sake of forms.

Learned how to work in lockdown and deliver remote lessons using interactive software, visualisers, whiteboards.

I have 3 kids. I knew it would be insane so strapped myself in, but this year is even more so.

Yes, be humble, be reflective, be honest and be helpful. And yes...resilient. Every one of the trainees at my school have been in tears at some point. But we dust ourselves off and go back for more.

You may of course meet the extremely high demands that gaining a place to study a PGCE requires. It is highly competitive. But don't be thinking you can host a zoom and you're a teacher.

What a year to be doing a PGCE @beingonthebloodydrama
Have you been able to be in school at all, or has experience all been via zoom?
Good luck with the rest of the course.

@Bringonthebloodydrama that should be!

Thanks @SansaSnark - good point about dbs - I actually have an up to date enhanced dbs check due to some volunteering I’ve been doing

Thanks @Fluffierslippers for some thoughts on private schools. My friends who have trained in their 30s and 40s have mostly ended up in the private system.

Have you looked into university lecturing? I have been working in the City for the past decade and was looking for a career change. Teaching (at university level) has always been my dream career, but ai have no teaching qualifications.

I am now teaching for a very reputable uni.

@Enidblyton1

Thanks *@SansaSnark* - good point about dbs - I actually have an up to date enhanced dbs check due to some volunteering I’ve been doing

Unless you have paid for the update service, you need a new DBS for each organisation you work with- so you would need a separate DBS for any school you worked with. You can't retrospectively use the update service, either.

I know some voluntary organisations are happy to accept a previous DBS, but schools obviously aren't allowed to cut corners like this.

Also, do be wary of going straight to work in the private system- the expectations on your time can be quite high, and you will usually be paid less as an unqualified teacher. A couple of people on my PGCE had done a year as an unqualified teacher (in both state and private schools) and I think all of them felt like they had been a bit exploited.

Hello EnidBlyton1.
At my school we have taken on people your age and in your position. I think primary is out, personally, but if you wanted to teach secondary or in a college I think you could have a good chance with Business Studies or Economics, given your background. You’d be teaching older children - 6th form mainly, as these subjects are not usually taught lower down the school. If you could offer Maths, you’d be in demand.

I would try looking for a post in independent secondary schools for September. You wouldn’t be of interest now because of lockdown but September is a different matter.

I should approach them directly via email or apply for jobs that come up later in the year with a letter explaining your situation. In my school we would consider you seriously if we could help you out and mentor you; others might feel the same.

Not had chance to read all the messages here but not surprised you are getting negative responses here because people want to prove their worth and make sure that others only follow the route they have followed.

That’s quite rude and patronising. I’m quite glad I’m not cut from your sort of cloth.