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I need to find a career instead of dicking about being underemployed... what should I be doing?? Come suggest something...

5 replies

InvaderZim · 01/09/2011 23:02

Early 30s. I have a US High School Diploma and a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Illustration (OK, sure maybe I ought to be doing that, but I'm not right now, so let's move on...)

In the past five years I have:

Trained as a Montessori nursery teacher (without actually getting the piece of paper, long story...)
Worked as a teaching assistant in a primary school, with a focus on one to one with special needs.

I really enjoyed the latter job, and I got accepted into a PGCE course at a highly regarded university before I got pregnant, but I decided that teacher training + small child wouldn't work for me. Being a TA is great but I am way smarter than that job and there's really no career advancement, since no one is hiring HLTAs. Confused

And that's the problem, I love working in schools with children, but I hate the hours that teachers have to put in. I'm not cut out for it, I like to have a work-life balance of some kind and don't think I'd be able to do it as a teacher.

So what should I be doing instead? I've thought about training as a SALT or some other specialist who gets to go into schools and work with small groups or individual children.

Basically I don't know what specialisms to look into... Occupational Therapy? SALT? Anything that's do-able by a reasonably intelligent person. C'mon, throw it out there. Ideas, please!

OP posts:
festi · 01/09/2011 23:09

Do PGCE and freelance as private tutor, or look into art or holistic or family therapy. SALT sounds good but I dont know much about.

aoliver · 04/09/2011 22:22

I have franchised my kids cookery club, build your own business, great fun and you need to use your brain for the business side

leicestershiregirl · 05/09/2011 14:49

Mentoring?

leicestershiregirl · 05/09/2011 14:49

Art therapy was a good idea too.

Olifin · 05/09/2011 22:55

Are you me? I have much the same dilemma. The difference is I did train as a teacher pre-children and I really, really, really don't want to do it now. I do a bit of tuition and supply but I want to get my teeth into something. I'd LOVE to do SALT but can't get my head round how I could do a 2 year full-time course in London (1.5 hour commute) and still be a mother of two. Plus there's getting on the course in the first place...highly competitive.

Sorry, I've not helped at all there, have I? :)

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