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Original poster

Thinking of doing teacher training.. am I too old?

39 replies

jojosmaman · 14/09/2007 21:18

.. well I am 28 and I have worked in importing for about 7 years now (straight from uni.. work experience for 3 months... still there!!). I do enjoy it but it involves a lot of travelling to the Far east and with a new ds I am not as keen as I was. Also, I don't feel like I can have a career in the company I work for (long story, lots of dead wood)but I don't think I like the job enough to start hunting round for another.

So I was thinking about doing my teacher training, has anyone done this but not necessarily straight from uni/ college? It was something I seriously considered upon finishing university but was fed up of studying and wanted to join th rat race

any advise would be gratefully appreciated!

OP posts:

brimfull · 14/09/2007 21:20

thought you were going to say 65 or something,of course you're not too old,28 pah!

ChorusLine · 14/09/2007 21:22

Will be watching this as thinking of this and worked in HR for last 7 years....

cardy · 14/09/2007 21:23

Not you're not too old, lots of PGCE student are mature students. You may well get government funding for a PGCS - look here: www.propects.ac.uk

yama · 14/09/2007 21:23

I did my PGCE when I was 26. I think a bit of life experience makes for a better teacher. I love it.

Secondary or primary?

Original poster

jojosmaman · 15/09/2007 07:48

No not 65 but feel it sometimes!

Well I was thinking of primary as I don't feel confident enough in my subjects to teach secondary, unless it all comes back to you of course! I did a history and english lit degree (dual hons) so don't feel like I have specialised in either of them to be able to teach them if that makes sense? I kind of scrambled through my degree in between working 4 days a week to pay to go to uni!

Thanks for the link cardy I'll have a look on that now.

How did you study for your PGCE Yama, was it full or part time? I also saw you could receive your QTS(?) whilst working in a school so you still have some kind of income which sounds ideal. How do you think the work load would fit in with looking after a baby as well, is it do-able??!!
x

OP posts:

dustystar · 15/09/2007 07:50

My mum went to uni and did teacher training at 40.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 15/09/2007 07:55

Go for it! I thought of doing teacher training when I was 34 but didn't have the courage to go for it. I still regret it sometimes.

gladbag · 15/09/2007 08:00

A very good friend and former colleague of mine did a primary B Ed aged 38. She worked at her first school for 4 years, and has just got a promoted job as a senior manager and literacy leader. She loves it and is brilliant. 28...pah!

The only difference is that her son was 9 when she started the course, so it was probably easier to deal with childcare issues. Doing a PGCE with a baby/toddler would be hard work, but by no means impossible. Lots of info here.
HTH

popsycal · 15/09/2007 08:04

no way too old.

But you may want to think carefully about when to do your PGCE as it is a very demanding year - in terms of time and work at home after uni/teaching all day. How old is you little one at the moment?

roisin · 15/09/2007 08:19

I absolutely agree with everyone on here that 28 is a spring chicken.

But do check around your local area and find out what the market is like. I know that nationally there is a surplus of teachers, and it's very difficult to even get supply work now.

In my County primary school jobs are like gold-dust; there are lots of new, enthusiastic, excellent, unemployed teachers.
I know that schools advertising for teaching assistants and so on are getting applications from qualified teachers
And get the Teacher Training College is still merrily taking on hundreds of new students and churning out graduates to join the dole queues

duchesse · 15/09/2007 09:48

I did my PGCE when I was 31. Out of my class of 30 at Bulmershe Court in Reading, roughly half were mature returners- the oldest were in their early 50s and were doing it because they really wanted to. Absolutely not are you too old. The only reservation is that the PGCE requires an enormous amount of flexibility and open-mindedness, so it may be a rather steep learning curve for someone unwilling to have their preconceptions changed.

duchesse · 15/09/2007 09:51

Would alo like to second the info that the PGCE and to a lesser extent, the induction year are VERY demanding years. I went back when my youngest was 2, and would be lying if I said it was anything less than very stressful, even with my mother in law on childcare duties (maybe BECAUSE of that....)

nell12 · 15/09/2007 09:54

I did my PGCE aged 31, 9 years after finishing my MA!!

Do you want to go primary or secondary?? If you want to go primary, you may need to show that you have some experience of schools (so that you know what you are letting yourself in for ) in the form of being a regular (weekly) parent helper or even better, a TA

wheelybug · 15/09/2007 09:58

I hope 28 isn't too old - I'm now 32 and thinking of doing it at some point but as I want another dc it will be once they are older so could feasibly be 38..... but by then I might not be ar$ed

Go for it and good luck !

Acinonyx · 15/09/2007 11:39

Definitely not - in fact I definitely think it's better to do it a bit later. Being a bit older is definitely an advantage when you start teaching - especially 2ndary school. I dropped a PGCE at 21 - I was waaay to young. But I've done some teaching since. There were people of all ages on my course - up to around 50. jill

kitsandbits · 15/09/2007 11:44

My MIL had her first baby at 13, by the time she was 19 she had 4 kids!

at 26 she did her teacher training - she had to redo all her highschool exams first (as she had the baby at 13) then college -- then Uni

shes amazing!

Im sure you could do it

aviatrix · 15/09/2007 11:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Bambiraptor · 15/09/2007 12:27

I am 31 and started a flexible PGCE last year.
I personally could not do it full time as the work load is unbeleivable and I have 2 pre schoolers and now another on the way.
The flexible route means you have up to 5 years to complete it instead of just 1 year full time. Not all universities offer this though.
You should get a bursary especially of you do secondary.
Good luck.

ejt1764 · 15/09/2007 12:47

you are definitely not too old... but to second roisin's note of caution - check the market around where you live ... I, too, live in an area where there are lots of wonderful enthusiastic unemployed NQTs ... the PGCE year is such a commitment that you don't want it all to go to waste afterwards ...

(I live in South Wales - jobs are like gold dust anywhere in Wales)

hellish · 15/09/2007 13:05

definately not too old, I am 35 and thinking of doing the same.

Original poster

jojosmaman · 15/09/2007 14:41

Lots of food for thought here, especially that maybe my age is not an issue rather the workload and job availability. My DS is only 7mths but I expect that courses begin sept so he would be 18 mths when I would begin a course. I think I will have to do some research and look at it again but the flexible learning programme sounds interesting bambiraptor, I'll look in to that too.

Thanks for the advice, its been really helpful as usual

OP posts:

popsycal · 15/09/2007 16:15

Just to add: I did a PGCE at 23 when I was single and had no children. I spent ALL weekend doing planning when on teaching practice. Then there are essays too. Not trying to put you off as it is a fabulous job but I would consider the timing of it all really carefully. It was the most stressful year of my life.

Ettenna · 15/09/2007 17:22

I did it at 28 too, single and no kids. I agree with Popsycal; it will be very hard going with a young baby and perhaps you should hang on a wee while. By the way there were people on my course in their 50s and my first teaching mentor was a RETIRED police officer who'd then gone into teaching. 28 is positively radiant with youth!

Blandmum · 15/09/2007 17:32

I trained as a mature student, and had two children, the yongest was 2.5 when I did it.

I was a lot older than you!

What subjects would you think of teaching?

You can do your PGSE via universities and teacher training collages, I did mine part time with the OU and took two years over it, to fit in with my family commitments

dramaqueen · 15/09/2007 17:43

I did my PGCE when my ds was 2.5 and my dd 6 months. It was hard work but I not as bad as I thought it would be. I would definitely do it BEFORE your children go to school. You will have a far easier time with childcare now. Once they are at school they need your complete attention alot more and childcare is harder. My two cannot remember me doing it now so the fact that I neglected them for 10 months has been forgotten

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