At nearly 36, am I too old to retrain as a teacher?

[Rachtoteach]

Hi all,

I would love your opinion please. I have a professional background but do not have a degree, have deliberated year after year about doing an OU degree to get into teaching and wish I had just kicked myself up the bum and done it years ago! So here I am, I am 36 in November, I have two children aged 6 and 5 and a part-time business which I run from home. I would love love love to do a degree in either English or History (or mixed) and go on to do a PGCE and teach primary children but realistically even if I get started a.s.a.p. I would imagine it is going to take me 4-5 years to complete an OU degree and a PGCE (if I was lucky enought to be accepted onto one) and I would hate to go to all that effort only to find that people wont consider me for jobs because I am in early 40s (by then).

Does anyone have a similar experience or can shed any light?

Many thanks.

teaching is career loads of people start around that age - I don't think its an issue - if you want to teach primary would it worth considering a teacher training degree instead?

My partner started (secondary) teaching aged 40 and has had no problems. He started just in time for it to be worth him joining the teachers' pension scheme (though I don't know if it'll be worth him staying in it if they bring in these proposed changes). The one thing I would say if you want to do an OU degree is sign up soon (before September 2012) coz after that their fees are going to triple (but they'll still be be cheaper than conventional universities). I'm doing a postgrad qualification with the OU and think it's way better than the redbrick university where I did my undergrad degree, but as you have school-aged children and could study full-time you might want to consider that for the social aspect.

I think it would be fine age wise. There can be a lot said for experience in life and common sense which older teachers tend to have. I would suggest that you volunteer at a school - your own children's? because you will need as much school based experience as possible to get a place on a pgce. If the school will have you, ask to move around year groups if you are there for more than one year. Between now and your pgce read...everything education you can. It will help you become the teacher you want to be. Good luck!

Loads of people do!

Bear in mind you could be working for another thirty years (depressing I know!), so you're definitely not too old. You're still likely to be in your new career for far longer than whatever you've done before.

You will probably be working for at least 25 years after you qualify, presumably this is longer than you have already worked, so no, I don't think you are too old at all. Good luck!

I am 47. I start my PGCE next week after doing an OU English and History degree. Don't hesitate is my advice and as another poster said, you need to sign up with the OU for February so you get in ahead of the fee increases. By the time you retire, the retirement age will be 67 so you have a good 25 years of teaching ahead of you. Go for it.