Career change to teaching in late 40s?

[minkfondant]

Honest advice from teachers would be really appreciated.

I've been thinking about a career change into secondary teaching, but I'm not sure if it's a silly idea given that I'm already 47. My degree is in English Lit, so I'd like to teach English.

But a teacher friend says most of her colleagues in their 50s either found themselves edged out by SLT, or say privately that they're so exhausted they're considering quitting before their pensions kick in. She's pretty adamant that it's not a good move for a late career changer.

If I started a PGCE in September 2022, I'd be 49 by the time I'd finished.

I realise some of the anti-50-something sentiment in schools comes from the cost of hiring experienced teachers, and I'd be a cheap NQT of course. But is there general ageism in teaching that I should be aware of? Would it be harder to get a job? Are there other factors I'm not considering?

Any thoughts very welcome!

I was 32 and primary-qualified, so not the same, but I did work with a TA who trained as a teacher and qualified in her early 50s. It was a long-held dream for her, which she celebrated by buying a convertible! Sadly, she passed away at 59 from secondary breast cancer but I am so glad she got to live her dream for a few years. I know that she had no difficulty getting a job even though she had chemo in her final year at uni.

I qualified when I was 44, got the first job I interviewed for and now, 16 years later am a head teacher! It is hard work and I do find myself getting tired at the end of the day and sometimes, but only sometimes, I'm glad I don't spend ALL day on my feet in the classroom but I wouldn't want to do anything else!

As a classroom teacher with no additional responsibilities, I would say don't. It's an utterly thankless job, I really, really loathe it right now but have nowhere to go. The sad thing is, it's egotistical ageist leadership that makes me feel this way, nothing else. Decent SLT are very, very rare.

Your post is very much about logistics / career opportunities etc (which is totally understandable!) but doesn’t mention why you want to teach. Do you like teenagers? Have you spent much time in schools? Teaching is a wonderful career if you enjoy it (and jobs are not hard to come by if you’re a passionate English specialist, regardless of age) but it’s bloody hard work. What draws you to it?

I love teaching and it's so rewarding but your friend is correct. My lovely, amazing teacher friends in their early 50s are all now pt because working a 60 hour week is exhausting! They still work full time hours to keep up with it all, but only get paid for the 3 days they are in 😨 I can also say I have seen awful treatment of some older members of staff by SLT; their wisdom and expertise are not appreciated just because they are not as quick at all the IT bits the 20 somethings can do. I know this is not the case in all schools and of course there are many teachers who can work full time well into their 60s and are brilliant at IT- this is just what I have observed at my school.

Thanks, it’s so useful and interesting to read everyone’s take on it. Lots to think about.

Atta, I love teenagers and their passion, conviction, certainty and energy. This is all from the perspective of someone who doesn’t yet have to meet learning targets with any though… My own children aren’t quite at secondary yet but not far off.

I don’t have a lot of school experience, admittedly. I volunteered at a primary school before Covid, but of course those weren’t teens.

Sorry, posted too soon. I’m drawn to the idea of helping young people find the joy of language and the written word. I had a life-changingly brilliant English GCSE and A-level teacher, at an otherwise pretty rubbish comp, and that changed my whole attitude to learning.

I really wouldn't if I was in a well paid job already.

I qualified last year aged 45 (with two young DC) after a year salaried SD (Primary). I had my own class during training year so it's made the transition to ECT smoother. It is hard going but also fulfilling, both professionally and personally. I can imagine as menopause approaches that tiredness may be more of an issue, but I will have to see how it plays out. I like the variety, the rhythms of the school day/term/year and the creativity.

As my previous career was in the arts, these are still the most family-friendly hours I've worked and it's the best paid job I've had!

41 and qualified in June. 3 young kids. I teach secondary English.

It is relentless, exhausting, stressful and demanding. It is also rewarding, fulfilling, exciting and challenging. The kids are wonderful - hilarious, frustrating, inspiring and chaotic...you need a lot of stamina, a robust sense of humour and be strong creatively - be able to think on your feet, adapt to ever-changing circumstances and have a back up plan for tech issues etc.

I love it. I really do. I spent 18 years in offices and every day dragged...time flies by in school and it helps that I love what I am teaching as well as being in the classroom itself. The other day I was researching for a lesson on poetry, in a classroom with a lovely view, with a hot cup of tea thinking "I'm getting paid for this!"

The shine may come off. I mean I am in the first year. But I am in a supportive school with SLT who have a priority focus on mental health, wellbeing days, who believe in a work-life balance and belief in both autonomy and department teams.

Sorry for grammar, in a rush!

Maybe look into Teach Now, set up by Lucy Kellaway for late career changers. Her book Re-educated, about leaving journalism to become a maths teacher in her 50s, is very interesting and entertaining. If you sign up for a free trial of Audible you can listen for free. Might give an idea of some of the ups and downs of teaching.

Thank you all for your thoughts and views, it’s so helpful to hear a range of experiences.

Bringon How lovely, you make it sound well worth it! Especially as you’re teaching English. But I do also see why others feel it isn’t a good move for various reasons. Hmmm. I’ll look for Lucy Kellway’s book, thanks Plotato. Think I read a Guardian article about her a while ago.

I don't think that Lucy Kellaway has stayed as a full time maths teacher. According to a TES interview in 2018 she now teaches part time and only teaches business studies / economics, which is very different to teaching a core subject full time. So I take Lucy Kellaway with a pinch of salt...
From TES website-
"Exclusive: Teaching full-time 'unendurably hard', says Lucy Kellaway
By Will Hazell on 27 November 2018

Now Teach founder and former Financial Times journalist describes her year teaching maths as 'hell'

Schools are stuck “in the dark ages” when it comes to part-time working, the co-founder of Now Teach has said.

Lucy Kellaway, who started Now Teach to help older professionals in other occupations switch into teaching, said her own decision to go part-time had made the difference between teaching being “unendurably hard work” and “completely manageable”.

Ms Kellaway worked as a Financial Times journalist for 30 years before founding Now Teach and retraining as a maths teacher in a London state school last year.

During her training year, she worked full-time, but since becoming a newly qualified teacher in September, she has switched to teaching business studies and economics and has moved to three days a week.

Ms Kellaway told Tes she had always planned to work part-time after her first year, and that this move, combined with her change in subject, had “transformed everything”.

“It was hell the first year but, astonishingly, now I am really loving it,” she said.

“The two things that have transformed everything for me is that I’m teaching something that I adore, and just as important, I’m [working] three days a week.

“It seems to me that working three days is the difference between teaching being just unendurably hard work, and it being – it’s not easy – it’s just completely manageable.

“It just makes me so sad that every teacher can’t do three days a week.” " etc etc etc

And the reason every teacher can't do three days a week is it pays 3/5 salary and most people don't have the financial cushion of having been a finance journalist/ editor for years... I assume she has a substantial investment portfolio.

As a career changer (I’m in my 40s and 7th year of teaching, 6 of which have been part time) one thing I continue to find difficult is the 28 year old managers who tell me how to do my job and I have to do what they say even though I know a better way. This bothers me a lot but you might not care.
Also - it’s great that you want to share your love of English but most of your students will not be particularly receptive to this and at best will just want to do the bare minimum to get a decent gcse grade. You really need to enjoy teaching those kids too or the job will be miserable. (I do enjoy that so it doesn’t bother me at all that lots of kids don’t really like my subject, science).

I'm 41, and a few weeks into my PGCE, training as a Secondary English teacher. I'm exhausted and I know it's only going to get more demanding. I'm sitting here this evening trying to write an essay for uni, well aware that I also need to plan lessons for later this week.

But I love it. I feel like Elsa singing Show Yourself- I am fooooouuund!
I had a good career before this- interesting, varied, some would say aspirational. But when I walk into school, and especially in the English classroom, I don't regret leaving for a single second.

Even with all the reasons not to do this (money, stress, starting again from the bottom, juggling it with kids), so far, I'm so glad I did. Maybe I'll be proved wrong and it'll be an absolute fucking nightmare eventually. But I know I would have regretted not trying.

One bit of advice from me would be to apply via the School Direct route, because they tend to have a much smaller number of placement schools on their books, all within the same geographical area. If you apply directly to a uni, they have dozens of potential placement schools, and you could get sent up to 90s mins away. Which would obvs be rubbish if you have kids (this did happen to a mum on the core uni cohort of my course). You still get your PGCE from a uni (and you don't get paid, contrary to what many people assume)- you're just attached to a school or group of schools.

Good luck! If your heart wants it (and you'll know if your heart wants it), and it's financially possible, just do it.

@minkfondant did you take the leap?! Would love to know

I’d also like to know! And can also confirm that 5 years on from my last post on this thread, I am still loving teaching.

And, since posting earlier, Ive now retired😊

I retrained as a secondary teacher aged 52 -53 when I qualified. School Direct was rubbish but as an older person I just got on with it /did supply for a year then was hired by a lovely independent school. Taught there happily for 7 years before returning -loved the classroom teaching and planning and the long holidays.
I find that being with young people is stimulating and energizing rather than ‘exhausting’ /depends on your mental attitude how you choose to frame it.
My degree was in languages but I also taught English and PE and was a sixth form tutor so was a fantastic experience and I am so glad I did it. People who are bitter about being ‘too expensive’ and ‘can’t keep up with the IT’ would be miserable and inflexible in any job.

Why did you retire early @spanieleyes . Apologies for asking if it was for ill health or family ill health.

@PhilandbillI didn’t really retire early, I actually stayed on until I was 65 and retired then. By that time, I was Head of School and the stress just got too much, so I packed it in. But I managed 21 years, which for a second career wasn’t bad!