40 something graduate and career change

[Butby]

Hi all

I have a background in housing support but left a few years ago due to uncertainties with funding to join a housing provider which I don't find fulfilling.

During my previous role I did some FE teaching and obtained Ptlls and Ctlls and really enjoyed this. I then did an Open University English module for fun and continued until I graduated this year with a BA with hons.

My problem is I really don't know where to go career wise from here, would love to get into FE teaching but only have the experience associated with the Ptlls and Ctlls courses and I am on a decent salary which I can't afford to reduce, also I don't have much in the way of free time so voluntary work to build up experience isn't really an option.

Feeling a little deflated really, almost think I wish I'd have studied accountancy or something as at least then I'd be qualified for something !

You could try speaking to someone from OU careers service, I think they are still open to you after graduation, or maybe looking at the prospects website for some inspiration or advice on what to do.

There are options for part time FE lecturing where you qualify at the same time - it was called a PGCE in adult education when I did it but I don't know if it still exists as it was sometime ago.

As much as I loved doing my job it was really unpredictable as courses would get pulled at the last minute sometimes if not enough people enrolled - I found it to be very uncertain.

I don't know if that is helpful or not, I hope so.

Hi,

You can do a post-16 PGCE part time. As you already have PTLLS you will be exempt from the first few months of the course. You need to do so many hours teaching every week throughout the course. I think it's 40 hours the first year and 60 hours the second year (probably about 1 or 2 hours teaching a week). The course is cheaper than a school PGCE.
Local colleges tend to do the post-16 PGCE. You can choose when to do it (our local college does it one night a week).

I was going to do this for science and the college offered me paid hours to do the practice. I work 3 days in an NHS profession so was looking at this as a side-line (plus, I want to leave the NHS due to the crazy hours now and commuting time).

Do you not fancy doing a secondary PGCE? You can do a flexible distance learning course.

My PGCE is in post compulsory and adult education. I had some teaching qualifications e.g. City and guilds 7307, which contributed towards some of the credits I needed, making the whole process a bit shorter. I did mine through The University of Greenwich

My only concern is that the Govt is severely restricting finance to the post 16 sector and colleges are merging and closing down. It's not an easy time to get into FE teaching, unless, of course, you are in one of those subjects that is chronically short of teachers. I left teaching 7 years ago and I'm still plagued with calls from recruiters desperate for maths teachers.

Thanks all for the advice ??

Hadn't been on the Prospects page before and there seems to be lots of opportunities.

Unless I get a job which supports me to do a PGCE I'm not going to do it - I've paid the whole amount of my OU degree and my daughter is off to uni next year so won't be able to afford it. Plus to be honest I'm enjoying having a bit of free time again ????