Thinking of becoming a senior school IT teacher - need some advice

[Wills]

I currently work in IT in banking. I'm pregnant and fingers crossed that all will be successful but regardless I want out! I spent a couple of years teaching evening classes and really really enjoyed it. I want a position that doesn't call for 13 hour days and doesn't demand that I pretend I haven't got kids of my own (can be late because the dog is sick but heaven forbid its because of one of my girls!). I loved motivating people to learn IT, finding the right way to teach them - its so wonderfully challenging AND fulfilling. I'd never thought of senior school teaching. So far I'd always thought of going into University as a part-time lecturer or going back to evening classes/tutoring. BUT my cousin has persauded me to think again. The main hurdle would be my lack of pgce. I could not afford to give up work and then put my children into childcare so I could attend a full time pgce course. Is it possible to do a pgce part-time? I heard you can work in private schools without a pgce. Could I balance a private school position alongside studying for a pgce. Am I being incredibly nieve (I'm dyslexic so NO comments about spelling please)? Were do I reasearch such things and get a more realistic outlook on this?

You need Hulababy......

Is she a teacher?

With the sort of experience you have you might well be successful in applying for the GTS (Graduate Training Scheme), whereby you train whilst working, and get paid for it. And at the end you are awarded QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and can work anywhere.

However, you must find out what current secondary schools are like. Phone your local school and explain you are considering this as a possibility, and ask if you can go in and shadow an IT teacher for a day or more. Most schools would be very receptive to this.

Better still do this at a few different schools - the more diverse the better!

Believe me it will be an enlightening experience, and may well put you off the idea completely

I was, until last easter, a teacher of ICT at secondary school.

I think that to get a position in most schools, even private now, you'd need your PGCE. You can do it part time and there are now some opportunities to train "on the job". There is a Government website that shows all the different routes into teaching - canteach or something I think.

School teaching is VERY different to college/university teaching. It would definitely be worth while going into a school for a week or so and doing some shadowing if you can arrange it. See what you think.

Your first years of teaching can be very time consuming with long hours - altough at least a lot of it can be done at home.

Teaching can be very fulfilling and rewarding however.

Definitely try and get some work experience and then, if you still fancy it, look at the courses available near you.

unless I'm talking rubbish....
Hula used to teach IT in a secondary school.
Now she teaches in aprison.

Ta daaa!

Superb! I didn't realise the shools would accpet this at all. We're hoping to move house i.e. about 100 miles east to Thanet so I'll need to look in that area which is fine. I agree that it might put me off. The reason I'd never considered it is because of the hormones - could I stand it? At the same time I might find the additional challenge that hormones bring make the job better - is that possible?

If you want to know more about what is involved in ICT teaching in secondary schools, please don't hesitate to ask. I taught the subject for 9 years from KS3 to GNVQ (only did A Level for a year and didn't like it). I worked at two very different schools - one top of the league in a very nice Derbyshire area; the other a school in special measures, with far lower GCSE scores in a much poorer area. So have two differeing experiences.

And I promise that the fact that I have left teaching now won't allow me to try and put you off or fill your mind with negative stuff. Promise.

Just don't go reading my Year 9 threads from last year!!!

Oh - and I did some teaching in a prison too. I still work there but no longer teach; have a more advisory/guidance role now). Another place to consider - you are employed usually by a college/university. But you would also need your PGCE but they are more flexible in letting you work towards it whilst working.

Cheers hulababy our messages crossed. I will look further.

And again. Will do a bit of research and then very likely come back to you. We're due to move house to a rental place (whilst we house hunt in Thanet, Kent) in 15 days time so this might have to go on hold for a while. Thank you.

This website has some information of the options available to you: Training and Development Agency for Schools

Hi Wills. I am in IT. My company sounds exactly like yours. I am due to go back from maternity leave on Feb 6th and dreading it. The thought of attempting to leave at 5pm makes me feel sick. Over the years, I often think about teaching Maths as a career but my mum (been a teacher for 25 years) and my husband (ex-maths teacher, now programmer) reminds me how tough it is. I've done tuition and imagine it is like evening classes, i.e. the pupils want to learn. Not always the case with teenagers. I wish there was another option. Let me know if you think of any! I keep buying lottery tickets.

There is private sector training if you have the right set of skills. I do a bit myself, and of course you usually have a gang of people who really want to know this stuff.
By it's nature it's not standard hours, and usually more flexible. Money is comparable to better end of teaching jobs.

In the schools I've worked in, the ICT teacher has also been the network manager, so has to be as much of a hardware geek as a teacher.

I've also found that the ICT teacher sees all the KS3 children for just one lesson a week, so it can be quite hard to get to know them.

Most private schools will require you to either have a PGCE or be working on one. If you are working on a PGCE, you should be able to get the mentoring and time off you require.

Ok. I started and it is vile. I can't pretend I don't have kids. Realistically what sort of salary would I start on as a graduate trainee and what sort of hours would i work?

£14k - I just looked on the trainee teacher website. I've seen how much work trainee teachers do and that is shocking.

Only worked in state schools as an ICT teacher, but never been expected wto work as the network manager as well. The schools I have worked in or visited have had proper IT technicians to do that. This is at secondary though.