Does anyone have any experience of working in adult literacy?

[happygolurkey]

I've always fancied teaching adults to read - having read/heard about various projects it sounds really fulfilling. I know sometimes these things can turn out to be different from how you envisaged though so wondered if anyone could share their experience of working in this field. Also, how hard is it to get into? I think redundancies are coming up at my place in the next few months and thought this might be the chance to try something new

I work in this field, are you interested in teaching British citizens or Non British citizens? You will need a teaching qualification in order to pursue a career in this field. You can start of by volunteering, various projects depending on who you want to teach.

Unless you're volunteering it's never about just teaching them to read. If the course they are on is funded by the Government then the student would be expected to gain a qualification at the end of the course. Eg Entry Level 1 or 2.

Therefore, most of your time would be taken up teaching them to pass the exam rather than teaching them to read.

This is from personal experience. As the pp stated you could start by helping out as a volunteer and seeing if you like it. I used to have volunteers in some of my classes and they were a great help.

thanks for answering both of you - very interesting to hear from people with experience. yes, was aware that volunteering initially would be the way to go - that's what's put me off before when I've looked into this as it wasn't possible to fit in with a full time job. Was thinking if I did end up being made redundant then it would be a good opportunity to volunteer, perhaps with a view to getting a job in future.
Do both of you find this work rewarding/enjoyable and something you'd recommend to others to pursue?

It's very rewarding and I really enjoy seeing my students achieve and progress onto the next level.

The not so good part is the admin. Unfortunately that can be relentless.

No comment lol it’s much different to what it was 10 years. The paperwork is relentless and I end up prepping/marking, getting everything ready in my spare time.

Excuse me, the pay has gone up by about 5% in the last ten years.

Salary is about 25k pro rata, although most will offer zero hours. You will probably have to fund your own PGCE. I've know people teach half the week and take home about £600 per month.

Is it rewarding? Yes, one of the best jobs going, however you as the lecturer are totally replaceable.

After a couple of years learning you can earn double as a tutor.

I looked into it. You'd need a PGCE. The pay is less than you'd get as a school teacher, as FE is on a different pay scale. Expect to need an hour of prep for every hour you spend in the classroom and your classes will have a huge range of abilities. I enjoyed volunteering, but it wasn't worthwhile financially to pay for a PGCE.

It is a little more family friendly than teaching in a school as the lessons tend to be timed so the clients can do the school run for their own children.

Excuse me for answering!

a lot of helpful info from everyone thanks, and thanks to all for sharing your experiences