Retrain as primary teacher or nurse

[Abbylikeswine]

Hi.
I have a very stressful low paid job. I grew up in quite a poor family.

I'm 40, I just got some inheritance money , which is the first time that I've ever had money to spend.

I really want to use it to go back to college and train to get a better career.

These (in my title) were the two careers that interested me. And I have the school grades to get into both as a mature student.

I'm just really trying to figure out which degree to do. I don't want to make a mistake and choose the wrong path for me, when I only have the money to do one choice.

I know both teaching and nursing are hard jobs. But the job I'm in at the moment is extremely hard and low paid. So even though nursing and teaching would be hard, it would be better pay and a better career.

Nursing appeals to me as - I'd have a job for life. There are mursing jobs anywhere. And i like caring for people. But I know it'll be hard.

I like primary teaching and I'd done a little bit of teaching English as a foreign language abroad before so I know what it's like. But it will be an intense degree and also getting a job in teachinf may be harder than nursing.

I wish I could see the future and see which way to go. I don't want to waste money in the wrong area

I just wanted to ask had anyone retrained as either of those careers at an older age. And how was it?

I am biased as in healthcare myself. I retrained as a midwife. I did consider teaching but the doing work at home, lesson planning ect is what put me off. Of course there are days I go home and don't fully switch off what has gone on at work but I don't have to do work at home. Some of my colleagues have gone on to lecturing who don't want to be 'on the floor' midwives anymore. The hours are longer but I can do full time hours in 3 days and have 4 days off. If I am going on holiday I can do an overtime shift for good money!

Thanks so much.

Can I ask what are your weekly shifts like.

Do you do three days of long shifts?

Is your schedule set for the next month. Or does it change more frequently?

I am a primary teacher and no, I don’t think the pros outweigh the cons. It used to be a lovely job, 15/20 years ago but is unrecognisable now. I have a lot of friends who were teachers and none are now. Most of my colleagues want to leave and are actively finding ways to do so. Interestingly, none of my/my (ex) teacher friends’ children (all lovely bright young students and graduates) want to touch teaching with a barge pole; they’ve seen how it impacts on their parents and family life. I am fortunate (?!) in that I have slightly side-stepped the classroom in my role but things are really no better there and I am leaving at Christmas.

I think that assuming that teaching in an English state school will be anything like subbing/doing arts and crafts in a Spanish school(whether it has an English curriculum or not) is naive.

If you can’t spend any time volunteering in a primary, at least join the Facebook group I mentioned and see what actual people doing the job on a daily basis are saying about it.

I have seen too many teaching students come into our school utterly dismayed that they have given up their jobs and made a big investment to train in what they were led to believe was a ‘family-friendly’ job. The one thing they all say is, ‘nobody told me it was like this’.

Sorry to go on, but I think anyone making the jump should be fully informed before they do so. Make sure there are no surprises before you commit.

Shifts OP shifts. Have you ever worked them because they can be hellishly disruptive. ( I’m neither a teacher nor a nurse but I’ve worked shifts and it can be quite difficult to maintain life / friendships / relationships )

Thanks Shinyandnew.

I'm aware of all of the issues in teaching. I have a friend who is a primary school teacher

The thing is, the job that I do now is extremely extremely hard As well, and it is lower paid than teaching.

No job is easy really.

Nursing - you have all the night shifts and the stress and pressure of doing things right so someone doesn't die.

No job is stress free. So I'm expecting any new job I do to be hard.

I still want to retrain into a new career

I will have a look at the Facebook page that you were talking about

As a nurse I strongly recommend against it. The training and work conditions nearly destroyed me to the point of near disability. I too was caught between the same decision. I wish I’d done teaching; if you already have a degree it only takes a year and at least you get to work in the daytime.

But if I could have a redo, I’d go for something easier with higher pay. I know teaching and nursing are vocations but you’ll likely still have a job for life becoming an accountant or something like that. Your health and wellbeing is more important than sacrificing yourself for the greater good.

I also came from hardship, this was after being a single parent for many years and no child support. I realise now I’d developed a poverty mindset. Far better to change that and seek to make actual decent money.

Those are 2 jobs with very different working patterns and particular stresses. If you have an adult career services locally do go and speak to as there’s lots of alternatives….professionals associated to medicine ( allied health professionals) for eg, as opposed to nursing as they have far better working patterns perhaps more suited to someone entering a profession later in life. It’s also looking at your educational history,how do you feel about tackling a degree followed by lifelong learning/ CPD ? People,can and do change careers successfully at your age but both professions you are interested in have a lot of stresses associated with them to the extent that many nurses and teachers leave the profession within a short space of time after qualifying.

both professions you are interested in have a lot of stresses associated with them to the extent that many nurses and teachers leave the profession within a short space of time after qualifying

I agree.

It seems such an huge decision to make without making the effort to gain some current experience shadowing.

I’d contact a local school, ask to volunteer even if only for 2 days, take the annual leave and make some serious notes when you go in. Ask these questions to all of the teaching staff there!

Why be so negative and rude to someone who wants to retrain?

You've called me naive a couple of times.
Now instead of saying positively "it would be good for you to do shadowing",

Youve said nastily "without making the effort to do any shadowing."

Youre not helpful in any way. I get it. You don't like teaching.

I would also contact your local trusts because this sort of route into a profession is really worth it…you can save your inheritance for making your life easier in other ways and if the job doesn’t turn out to be your thing it’s much less costly.

As you've called me naive several time ls now.
I'll also tell you that you're naive to expect tha people can just get annual leave off when they want it.

The last three times that I've applied for annual leave, it was refused, as other people had already booked it.

It will be too difficult for me to try to get annual leave off next year, to coordinate with when a school would want me to go in

Thanks it is interesting.

I did read up on nursing associates last night.

Does anyone know more about how to become one.

I was looking through different sites, but I just saw what a nursing associate role is on them, it doesn't say how exactly to apply

It was me that mentioned NA training up the thread. Dc got a job as a health care support worker, then applied (I think needed 6 months experience). From what dc said they advertise these roles several times a year (as have several intakes). On dc course of 25, 23 were internal applicant's. It's probably worth looking at your local trusts Website for jobs (including internal ones). I would imagine that each trust do it differently. Dc started hc support worker in the August, applied in the January and started in the April (was really quite quick).

Thanks for that @pilotingmyownlife.

@CormorantStrikesBack I agree. Our newly qualified nurses are struggling to get permanent jobs. @Abbylikeswine
I'm in the north east.

This was the same when I qualified in 2010.

Trusts are in financial hardships and aren't replacing staff. We're so short staff, 16 people who are off long term l (not due to work stress due to shit health, what's happening in their lives, maternity leave etc) and no new staff to help us!

However.....I couldn't imagine doing another job other than nursing! I would miss it dearly if I left and I would be bored in other jobs.

I have no direct experience of either career but I work in healthcare so know lots of nurses

Given the choice you have I think I would go with nursing as there are so many different options once you are qualified. If you are ambitious and hardworking then there are plenty of opportunities to progress in nursing and end up on a high salary (more so than if you qualify in one of the allied healthcare careers that others on this thread have suggested). If you don't want to work unsociable shifts then there are plenty of nursing roles in the community or outpatient clinics which don't involve night shifts. It is likely to be more flexible if you want to work PT too.

I got inspired by one of my cousins aswell. I have a large extended family.

All of my other cousins worked in jobs.

But this one cousin never worked. He just stayed on unemployment benefit, he never wanted to work. He never worked in his entire life

At 41 he decided to go back to college and is actually now in second year studying to be an engineer.

I used to be nervous about going to college , and I used to kind of think it was too late to go.

But I realised if my cousin can do it in his forties, I can do it too

Look at the Allied Health Professions too-like Physio, Radiography, Dietetics. I think they’re less stressful than nursing and on same NHS pay scale.

I know several people who did an AHP degree in their 40s.

I thought so too. Maybe the ones doing a nursing degree have enough science in there to qualify for the PGCE?

@Abbylikeswine https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/study-and-training/nhs-apprenticeships

Both are really hard work. I think nurse would be more rewarding..

As you've called me naive several time ls now. I'll also tell you that you're naive to expect tha people can just get annual leave off when they want it.

Right. That is a real shame that you aren’t able to get one or two days of annual leave in term-term in the next 12 months.

I don't think @Shinyandnew1 has been rude at all.

You are naïve if you think being a language assistant in Spain is anything like being a Primary teacher in England. (Wales and Scotland and NI have different ways of working).

You've asked opinions and Shiny has given hers.

I can't speak for nursing, but I know so many qualified teachers who won't go near a teaching job ever again. This is people who have walked out in their first year, and people who have walked out after 4, 5, 10, even 30 years. The actual teaching part is the great part to the job, but the micromanagement makes working impossible. OFSTED, the OFSTED preparation. The lack of funding for the huge numbers of dc who have really significant and complex needs that are just shoved into mainstream schools. The pointless paperwork. The attitude of some parents. (usually a minority, but once you've been attacked....).

Thank you, @NewName24 .

I really think if someone wants to go into teaching (or any job requiring a long training path), it’s so important to get some current experience shadowing.