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

Teachers gets observed and criticised constantly. You need a thick skin

Excellent advice. Resilience and the ability to soak up unjustified criticism, feedback from those further up the food chain without crumbling is the key skill to survive teaching.

I don't think resilience is a quality unique to the teaching profession. I doubt someone who has had a long career in the City hasn't dealt with his fair share of unfair criticism and crappy bosses.

OP has said herself that she has confidence issues. Better to go in with your eyes wide open.

@MadameMiggeldy

OP has said herself that she has confidence issues. Better to go in with your eyes wide open.

Don’t worry about me @MadameMiggeldy My confidence issues are merely a temporary wobble! I was extremely successful in my previous career - it’s just been frustrating to be wanting to change career in the middle of a pandemic. I’m sure there are many people who feel the same.

Thanks everyone for the continued responses - really useful.

Teaching generally has very strict resignation and recruitment dates, there are in effect only three resignation dates and therefore most recruitment is geared around them. Obviously there will be some exceptions but in the main you would need to wait!

@CarrieBlue

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.

Yet your comments about career changers and "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" putting people’s backs up is neither rude or patronising?

I think the "cut from your sort of cloth" comment says more about you than it does about me- you have made an assumption about what sort of cloth I am "cut from" based on my DH's job yet what I did not say was that I have actually done 12 years in comprehensives in extremely deprived areas (and coincidentally, have a pgce which threw me right in at the deep end in a failing school which has since closed down) so I feel that you have been rather judgemental there. I was merely telling the OP that there is an alternative route than that which had been peddled to her so far (along with the disparaging comments about the way she will be seen as a career changer). I did not give information about that as it had already been given to her. Personally I think my PGCE was 70% waste of time with lectures that justified the fees but did not assist with my actual teaching. It is unfortunate that there is not a better amalgamation of the teach first and pgce routes but as there is not, this was not something I was advising OP on.

By the way, OP, if you are interested in going for private then the main recruitment period is from now to Easter as independent schools require one terms notice as opposed to the half-term in state.

@Fluffierslippers - good for you, well done.

There are a number of TA jobs being recruited at the moment which is good experience, and with lockdown, TAs in some schools are playing a big part in the key worker kids education in person. I don't think it is likely that you will be able to get a role working from home unless you can get a job, say, teaching English online (there are many sites that do this which deliver the lessons to Chinese students) because all of us want to be at home and be safe until the numbers go down.

(all might be an exaggeration but many do)

I was a career changer in my 40s and IMO, changers who go into teaching because it is exciting to learn how to educate last way longer than those who go in with the purpose of bestowing knowledge or 'giving something back'. The people I know with the latter view get very disillusioned, very quickly, which is a shame.