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?

What do you mean "odd to not remember" .

No one asked me what I worked at!

And I did mention that I worked at a language assistant in a school, way before page 5.

I didn't come on this thread asking about how to get on a Univesity course. I've already spoken to the Universities about that.

I wanted to hear from people who actually have studied to be a primary teacher/ nurse what their experiences were like on the course and after.

What was the one year PGCE year like, out of interest.

Did you have three placements?

How many hours in the day were your course. ?

Thanks

Would you mind if I ask you a few questions.

Are you working as a teacher now? Primary or secondary.

What is the job like. Pros and cons?

Thanks so much!

All the teachers on here seem deeply unhappy so I'd never be a teacher

I wanted to hear from people who actually have studied to be a primary teacher/ nurse what their experiences were like on the course and after.

I studied to be a primary teacher, but that was the PGCE and it was a long time ago, way before a lot of the training expectations that are in place. There were three placements, one 4 weeks, one 6 weeks and one 8 weeks. The 4 week one wasn’t every day though, we were still in lectures on the other days. The ‘college’ days were 9-5, though it was quite a drive there and fairly nasty traffic at that time, so I was out of the house 8-6 or 6.30, then essays and reading etc in the evenings, when on placement, we were in school at 7.30-5.30/6 and then doing lesson planning, evaluations, making resources plus writing essays in the evening. The last teaching practice was full on-plus being observed regularly-and I luckily had a boyfriend (now DH) who did all the cooking and cleaning! To be honest though, that 8 week block is pretty much how things are in the job now! You didn’t get to choose where the schools were-I was lucky with one, it was close but the other was nearly an hour away which when you’re in for 7.30, made for a long day.

As an NQT, there was a booklet to fill in and 3 observations I think, but nothing like what the ECT program is like, and that is 2 years long now.

Teaching used to be a lovely job and I am very sad it has changed so much.

If you don’t mind contestant scrutiny, never being good enough, never feeling on top of things, being micromanaged, working 55/60 hour weeks, an inflexible timetable during term time, juggling 10 plates whilst being watched by someone who doesn’t teach with clipboard who is marking you on each of them and then being told your lesson wasn’t engaging enough if one child was looking out of the window, then maybe teaching is a good bet.

I did a scitt, rather than a PGCE. It’s the quickest way to get qualified teacher status (QTS) and classroom experience.

With a scitt, you work in 1 school all year, apart from 6 weeks placement in a different school (and a different year group). The advantage is that you are effectively working straight away. 4 days a week in the classroom and 1 day a week at college to learn the theory. So my hours were roughly 8am-4pm every day, and I spent many evenings at home planning etc. It’s an extremely full on year, but I assume the 3 year BEd would be easier time wise, as everything is more spread out.

Have you spoken to any universities about doing a BEd? It would be interesting to find out how many mature students they take each year - perhaps you could speak to one of them for some advice? I’m afraid I only know about the 1 year, post-degree options.

I don’t want to put you off, but teaching is a hugely difficult job. You say you already have a difficult job, but I wonder how it really compares. The teaching element is such a small part of being a teacher. This weekend, I am planning several lessons, organising a school trip and preparing an assembly. Things get easier once you’ve been a teacher for a few years (so I am told!!), but at the moment it is all consuming. I love it, but it’s much harder than my previous ‘tough’ finance career.

Good luck with your choice!

Oh and I am working as a secondary teacher now. I trained in primary, but (as long as you know your subject) found that secondary teaching has a better work-life balance. I’m lucky that I work in a really lovely school, with generally hard working students and supportive parents. I also have a lot of autonomy to do my own thing. Of course, I don’t work in a state school.

I'm a primary teacher. I'm sticking with it but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone new.

The paperwork I can deal with. The behaviour I can (mostly) deal with. The batshit, entitled parents I can deal with.

The bit that gets me is that I'm failing students and I know it, due to lack of SEN funding and there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing the SENCO can do about it. Nothing any of us can do. I could work 24/7 and still not be able to meet all my class' needs.

That's the bit that gets me. I'm experienced. I know what the child(ren) need. But no capacity to actually do it. No adults for interventions. No emotional support for children experiencing trauma (a cupboard with a beanbag for a 5 minute reset 🙄). No room in the curriculum to go at our own pace and recap trickier topics. No adult support in lessons, or at least, not for all the children that need it. No SaLT. No OT. No therapy of any kind except a quick termly visit, which is nowhere near enough.

There's not even time to do the fun primary stuff we used to do! I regularly skip lessons so I can read a story to my class. I will get in trouble for that eventually, but I've been doing this long enough to not care and know that story time is more important.

So yeah, I cannot in good conscience recommend to anyone, a job that no matter how good you are, you will fail.

There are small pockets were SEN needs are funded appropriately, but most councils are failing children meaning you will fail those children because you are powerless.

So yeah, I cannot in good conscience recommend to anyone, a job that no matter how good you are, you will fail.

This sums it up for me.

Not only will you fail, but in many cases, you will break yourself trying. I know so many teachers on beta blockers, anti-depressants, being picked apart by different members of SLT on a daily basis through a ‘support’ plan.

This will only get worse when people can’t retire at 60 any more. I simply can’t imagine trying to do this from 60-67.

I wonder which career path was taken by the OP?