Considering moving into teaching aged 45, how realistic and salary projections?

[BritBratGrot]

Hi, I'm a chemistry graduate and PhD. I moved into data and currently have a reasonably senior job heading a data science type team, £80k salary.

On one hand I love many aspects of my job: the technical wrangling, the people including my team, the serving my stakeholders with useful data products.

However I'm also a) bored b) frustrated I am never resourced properly and c) feel undervalued and unappreciated by the top bods who I've not managed to convince of the value my team brings and how much of the team's output outs driven by me personally - my team are all lovely but have significant personal or capability issues so I'm getting nowhere near as much out of them as I'd ideally like to given the headcount.

Anyway I am sensing redundancy in the next few months and I'm beginning to daydream about changing my career. I've always fancied teaching science but it's never been the right time to move and take a paycut. However maybe the time has arrived.

I'm not sure which teaching scheme would fit me best, open to ideas. Also if my starting salary is around £32K, given all my management and senior leadership, strategy etc experience, how might my salary be expected to progress?

I used to tutor gcse while I was studying and loved it, and I'm also a volunteer teacher in my (outing 😂) hobby, so I've got a good amount of reason and confidence for thinking I'd be good at it and more importantly enjoy it.

I'm am energetic and very positive 45. I know everyone is leaving teaching at the moment but could I do this?

Apply for an independent school that has a good work/life balance. Training on the job, better salary, and extension sessions where you can pass on your current experience of data in science.

@BritBratGrot

given all my management and senior leadership, strategy etc experience,

Given the current state of school leadership, this is quite likely to go against you.

Teaching at a sixth form college may be a better fit - I don’t think you even need a teaching qualification but check (rules change)

Usually paid less though and have worse contracts.

Whilst it might be 'easier' to teach at an independent school, because there is likely to be less disruption, there is not always a better work-life balance. Some require you to be there till 5 and also on Saturday. Often you expected to be available by e mail with parents for much of time too. There would still be work to do when home.

Can you afford the 50k wage cut

This 💯 based on the teachers I know! And if you think you are 'under resourced' now most teachers are literally buying the pencils and scissors for their classes!

I was up until 11.45pm marking books last night because I have things to do this weekend. Don’t do it.
Being in the classroom is wonderful but the rest is hell.

Previous industry experience won’t matter one jot and may well, if you spout about it, put others off you. SLT hire in their own image. A 45 year old who knows it all is a threat. I came into teaching later at aged 30. I had run graduate recruitment schemes in the city. I offered support for careers but no, I was an NQT, female and thus ‘knew nothing’. I remember getting turned down for a job because the Head had spent most of it asking me careers advice for his wife and then thought ‘I would be too dominant for the departmEnt’. Anyway, I’m a HOD and have only just hit £69,000 in London indie school at aged 60…. Teaching is fab, the kids are great but there is much that is more frustration than that which you are experiencing now. If you do get made redundant, go and shadow in a cariety of schools.

You won't be bored, not even for one minute.
You will be frustrated, and there will never be any money for any resources (you'll barely be able to print).
Teachers are pretty tough/stoic though, the flaky ones get weeded out quick so you won't have much issue with colleagues, everyone usually tries to support each other, it's a tough enough job as it is.
The holidays are great.
The pupils are the very best part of the job, you get a true buzz seeing them learn.
I earn £60k as HOD of a small dept with 20 years experience. I rarely take work home.
Good luck - we need folk like you!

I’m a History PhD, and I’ve been thinking about changing my career.
I’ve applied for teaching jobs; however, they still require a PGCE—which I find bizarre since I have over seven years of teaching experience in higher education.
I’ve decided not to go back and study for an extra year full-time after all the studying I’ve already done.

I’m not sure if there is currently a shortage of chemistry teachers—I know government funding is available for some shortage subjects, but history wasn’t included (at least not in the years when I looked), so I would have had to pay for it myself.

You might have a better chance with private schools, as they like to hire PhDs, and you can complete your teaching qualifications while working. I would have loved to do that, but there aren’t many private schools in my area.

When I moved from a state school into independent school i got £10k pay rise for similar job, much better resources, 5 weeks extra holiday, smaller classes, free lunch, tea and coffee etc. Yes you were expected to do a lunch duty and attend founders day once a year but I didn't resent that as the benefits outweighed the extra duties. Pick a top independent though member of HMC

Do it !

I retrained as a maths teacher aged 44, having previously been on a city lawyer salary. I actually enjoyed being a lawyer, but am really loving teaching maths. I have just started my third year as a qualified teacher (so fourth year in the profession).

I am now head of year - it is actually kind of easy to rise thru the ranks if you work hard and are reasonably competent.

Various people in the thread are disagreeing, but they probably don’t work in the right schools! Choose a school which aligns with your values! I really care about kids making good progress and good behaviour and high standards with lots of extra-curricular, so chose a school like that. I also wanted to teach A-level ASAP, so chose a school which would let me do that! Choose schools wisely, people!

Another vote for going for it! I've been teaching for 30 years now, 20 in an independent school. I wouldn't necessarily say the work life balance is any better an independent school- I've worked for a good few hours today - but I love the kids and find it an incredibly positive environment to be in. I may be fortunate with the schools I've been in but a positive attitude goes a very long way.

I retrained to teach at 36 after a PhD and career in academic bioscience research. I enjoy teaching and although I originally took a pay cut, I earn more now than I did in academia

If you want these things amplified by 100 (frustrated, underresourced, undervalued, unappreciated), for less than half of the pay you are currently on then, yes, teaching is for you

The only way you’ll know is if you try it. Find a local bog standard secondary (not a fancy independent school!) and ask if you can volunteer/observe for a few days.

I trained relatively late (I was 38 when I qualified) and it was really tough, but I’ve found my feet now in a school I really like and I’m a second in department now. There are days when it’s the best job ever and days when I cry in my car on the way home. But it’s never boring and teenagers make for hilarious colleagues, much better than those in my previous boring office job.

You also don’t mention if you have DC? I was a single parent with small children when I trained and it was very tough- I only got through it because I had excellent childcare in place.

op would have to be the head to match or beat her current salary.

So many responses! I've read them all. Interesting to see so many saying I'd be just as frustrated and under resourced but poorer, then a few saying go for it.

I think the advice to try and observe is great, might ask at my DD's secondary school if I do get some redundancy and time off.

Some very brief answers - i have 2 DC, one primary one secondary. And i can afford the pay cut from 80 to 30, but I would be looking to get back up to 50 ASAP.

I'm also currently 4 days pw (on 80% of 80k, I just always think of it in FTE terms) and not sure I'd want to go back to 5 days pw which feels like a real showstopper, though currently mulling over whether all holidays off would make up for this.

Food for thought, thanks, and I'll read any more opinions

Teaching has pay scales and there is no paid overtime so they are accurate. If you can get from ECT to HoD for science you could possibly hit £50k in 5 years.

I'm not a teacher so can't comment on that part but just to say I left a well paid industry job for something vocational but at less than 20 % of my previous salary at first and for me it was worth it to get into something really rewarding and fulfilling. I was able to build my earnings each year.

If you managed to get a Head of Science job - I would say you'd be in a tough school if you got that within the first 8 years given it will take you three to fully qualify, then you'd been looking at around £50k or more but I'm not sure that's the kind of job you're looking for. For normal progression without a leadership role, you would be looking at around 10+ years.

Schools are often (not always) inflexible about moving people up the pay scale out of the ordinary time frames. You would have to be an excellent teacher and clearly showing that you are able to contribute beyond your teaching experience in the classroom (results wise) and outside of it. Also look at what bursaries you could get for your specialism to train and bear in mind there are probably higher pension contributions (for good reason) in teaching so your take home pay is a lot less.

You wouldn't only be doing five days, though, you'd be working at least four evenings, too, and at least another day at the weekend. It's non stop.

Isn't there anything else you can think of that would work for you instead?

If you have a PhD why not consider lecturing at a university?

Yes, that’s a best case scenario. (I commented similarly upthread.) If money is a motivation, teaching is not for you: starting at £35k will take years to advance. Even straight to HoF (unrealistic), you’re not getting past £50k until you reach the top of UPS. When I started teaching 20+ years ago, my years in industry were worth a jump of +1 the scale - worth a grand or two, don’t expect more than that.
I enjoy teaching and am fairly satisfied with my £50k+ salary (plus £££ in benefits for my children having reduced fees at my school) but - at a similar age to you - I wouldn’t be wanting to start from scratch.