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?

Why are you still here exactly?

Calling anyone naive is nasty.

I also wouldn't demand that someone do shadowing.

You can suggest it but you should be able to take a no, without rudely calling the person naive.

Its their choice if they want to do shadowing or not.

You do not HAVE to do shadowing before you start a new career.

My cousin didn't shadow any engineers. He has started a degree course in Engineering, in his forties

He has passed all off his exams with flying colours so far.

I agree, it is a shame.

I've tried to get two annual leave days off for months now. It's been denied every time.

For staffing level reasons.

Tricky one op. I’m a nurse. What I love about it are:

-the patients. You meet some amazing people and feel very humble.
-knowing you cared for someone how you would want your loved one caring for and feeling so proud and privileged
-can do 12 hour shifts so have 4 days off a week
-so many different areas to try. Hospital base, community, clinics, specialist roles, progression is huge.
-unsocial hours pay/ weekends / bank holidays can bump your pay massively.

what is difficult:
-not enough staff. Feeling you’ve done a poor job because you’re juggling too many balls
-emotional draining and heartbreaking witnessing people having their worst days and doing your best to support them
-night shifts (some people love them, I feel hungover 😂 but there’s scope to move away and I’ve not done a night shift for 7 years now thankfully! The money for night shifts is better)
-working Christmas (some people love that too but once I had the kids I hated having to work part of Christmas.).

for me the benefits of nursing out weigh the bad. And there’s so many areas you can move and gain more skills.

my Oh is a teacher. He works his ass off. For little back. In work for 6.30am. Home for 6pm. Works the weekends. Expected to attend events out of school hours (evenings and weekends for sport fixtures). He is amazing at his job but slogs his guts out. If teachers were paid an hourly rate we’d be loaded! That said he loves his job and is well respected and liked by the kids.

good luck which ever route you take. 💕💕💕💕

What a fantastic opportunity! I’m a little biased, having just escaped from teaching and never (ever) going back, but I suggest nursing!

Thanks very much for the information

What was the hardest part about teaching for you?

Are you doing a different career altogether now?

I did a PGCE as a mature student, having also previously worked in Spain teaching English. I've worked in many different roles and teaching is by far the most stressful, though also amazing. And, although good for school holidays, it's also very inflexible.

During the course application process you had to demonstrate that you were committed by visiting at least 2 schools, for at least 2 days each. Many of those on my course got jobs as TAs before starting, which is a good way to get experience.

Well done on doing the PGCE! I know it's meant to be an intense year.

If i choose to do primary teaching, I'll be doing the three year B.Ed degree.

Can I ask you a question. Was it easy to get a full time job or were you subbing fort the first year?

And what kind of hours are you working in an average day? A day without after school sports or clubs. Just teaching.

Thanks very much

There was competition for jobs, but my child was unwell and I couldnt commit to the amount of work so I left a year before I even started looking for a teacher role. I worked as a TA in the meantime and sometimes covered classes, which ultimately helped me get a teacher role.
Classes are 08:30-320 here, however it is expected that you are in school from about 7:30 on a normal day. I usually end up working until about 5pm and then doing more in the evening.

Going into teaching is one of the greatest regrets and misjudgements of my life.

It's just about bearable, thanks to the children, hence why I'm still at it after 30 years. You wouldn't know that's how I feel as I'm a professional, and I have made a good career and nurtured really lovely relationships with colleagues, allied professionals, parents and pupils. But to stay at the top of your game, bright and full of beans, sharp and professionally curious, every day, irrespective of how ill or stressed or recently bereft or post-surgery you are, is relentless. You can't pace yourself or organise your workload to accommodate fluctuations in healrh, mood or energy levels; you've got to have your game-face on 100% of the time and smash it before some very tough audiences for 6 hours each day.

I'm closing my laptop between 1 and 2 am most nights, and wake up to emails sent at 5 am from colleagues burning the candle at the other end.

The holidays don't touch the sides, just contribute to a ridiculous sense of work-life imbalance. The Facebook group Leaving Teaching ‐Exit the Classroom and Thrive is full of ex-teachers coming back to say they're a year into their new careers with 28 days annual leave, but are living their best lives as they have their evenings and weekends back, so don't even miss the teachers' holidays.
I need to stay put for now as can't afford to leave, but I can't wait! I quite fancy a stint in a library.

You’d be swapping a stressful low paid job to another stressful slightly better paid ( but still not well paid job). Have you double checked whether you would in fact be getting a pay rise when you consider the unsociable hours you’d be working, factoring in childcare etc and the extra tax/student loan and any benefits you may lose?
I’m all for retraining, but with thousands leaving both teaching and nursing theres got to be a reason? is it definitely worth your time and money?

Could you join some agencies? In my area they are always advertising for supply teaching assistants and healthcare support workers. It should hopefully give you a flavour of what you can expect before you commit to anything?
or perhaps Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, dietetics or speech therapy may be a better fit if you would rather not work shifts in future?

I'm a nurse and would consider physio/SALT/radiographer/OT etc

Calling anyone naive is nasty.

No it isn't - it is a statement of fact. If someone isn't aware of what they are considering starting, that shows naivity. It isn't an insult. It is the same as calling someone inexperienced if they don't have experience of something.

I also wouldn't demand that someone do shadowing.

You might not, but most teacher training courses will. They want to know that the person has some idea of if it is likely to be for them. Shadowing is ideal - and clearly not always possible - but in the absence of that, current experience of running a Brownie Back or Scout Troop, or coaching a sports team, or teaching swimming or other similar activities is usually requested.

You can suggest it but you should be able to take a no, without rudely calling the person naive.

The only person I see being rude on this thread is you - trying to dictate who can post on your thread and how often. That's not how the internet works.

As an aside, if you get riled this easily, then teaching, or nursing, or any public facing role might not be for you.

Its their choice if they want to do shadowing or not.

Of course it is, but it is being suggested to you that using a week's annual leave to get a better idea of what you are thinking of giving up your job to do, is a good investment in time for most people. FAR better than giving up your job, taking a place on a course, then finding out it isn't what you thought it would be.
But I say again, without any experience in a school, or planning and delivering a programme to young people in a voluntary capacity, you might find it difficult to get on a B.Ed anyway.
Posters who are aware of that are trying to explain that to you, but you are just getting angry with them.

You do not HAVE to do shadowing before you start a new career.

Most careers, no, but teaching is different - see above

My cousin didn't shadow any engineers. He has started a degree course in Engineering, in his forties
So that is completely irrelevant to this thread then, as he hasn't started a teacher training course.

He has passed all off his exams with flying colours so far
Very pleased for him, but not relevant to this thread.

What an essay!

Are you bored?

Teaching and nursing are not low-stress jobs

I'll call you naive then, seeing as you haven't a clue what you are talking about.

You said 'You might not want to do shadowing, but most teacher training courses will".

No they don't.

I would be applying for a Bachelor of education.

Those degree courses do not require you to do shadowing, or have done any teaching hours before applying. I've already made enquiries some of those courses.

So you're naive. As you've said something that is completely wrong.

My point about my cousin is relevant.

No one tells men that they should do shadowing before they do a degree course.

It's always women who are told that they should do it.

And as I said already its fine to suggest. But I'm also allowed to say no. I don't want to do shadowing and I won't be doing it.

It's my choice as an adult, yes?

I'm just going to have a closer look at your sentence here:

"but it is being suggested to you that using a week's annual leave to get a better idea of what you are thinking of giving up your job to do".

The key word is "suggest".

Right. An idea was suggested to me and I said no.

Jesus. Learn that people can say no

You can't push, force or bully anyone into anything

No Job is low stress

What is your family situation like OP? Do you have DC? A partner?

I did a PGCE as a single mum. Secondary. I was all set for hard work but this was another level. About 40% of my hair fell out with the stress. It's the constant cycle of workload, learning, observations and planning that did it.

I don't teach, I work shifts and school holidays and I'll happily take that over teaching.

I'd go for nursing. No applying for jobs that are in short supply (they are where I live) and comparable pay. Whilst you're working shifts they are longer days so, I may be wrong you can do 3 day/night shifts and be done for the week. 3 on, 4 off with your days off being actual days off sounds like a good work/life balance.

Go for it!

I'd choose primary school teaching as I'd not cope with night shifts as a nurse and teaching is convenient if you have children.
(Also a bit too squeamish)

Hi Moosaka thanks so much for the input.

I'm single with no children.

So I can move for work. I have done before.

What are you working at now?

The fact you can do a PGDE to qualify to be a Primary Teacher and be able to teach every single subject in the curriculum, within a year, just gives you a GLIMPSE into the absolutely mental world that is teaching. I got a grand total of 3 hours of PE and the same for music on my course and that was me, off to teach a tennis lesson and play a piano.

The other one could be literally anything and I’d say pick the other one 🙈 Although I think nursing is one of the few jobs you could have picked where people do seem to be under a similar level of stress!

If I had inherited money I’d do what I now do and start my own business. It makes me sooo much happier than teaching ever did and I no longer need to take anxiety medication to get through my day 😅

I have no clue about nursing but can give you some perspective on teaching.
I trained in my thirties and there were another 4 people of similar age in my cohort. I did the 3 year BA and it honestly took over my life. It’s so intense but some of it is quite fun and some of it is really fascinating. You spend three months in every academic year on work placements which the uni arrange for you. For my course, you needed a certain amount of hours spent in a classroom and to pass Literacy and Maths Skills tests in order to do the degree. The placements are brutal, you are scrutinised on everything you say and do.
I live in London and we really do have a shortage so I did Supply work in July (a week after I passed) and got recommended for a position at a local school. On the ECT course and I cried most days. It’s so full on.
But, I absolutely love my job. Yes, I’m exhausted every day and I work ridiculously hard for not enough money but every single day a child will do or say something that makes it worth it. For me, the pros very slightly outweigh the cons (endless scrutiny, micromanagement, workload, emotional toll). I create the most amazing bonds and I watch little people blossom every day. It’s so difficult but it’s also a so amazing. I’m not new to it either so it’s taken a while to get to this point.
If you truly feel passionate about it and it’s within your means, go for it.