Are there any teaching jobs?

[davido140]

My GF wants to train to be a teacher... last I heard schools were getting 100's of applications for vacancies and there was a glut of qualified and unemployed teachers in the UK.

Load of cack or will she get qualified and then be unable to get a job?

Cheers

[theironduke]

This is something i've pondered myself of late as a back up plan. I've got a good degree and know a couple of people who have ended up teaching although it was never a career plan.

[ninja-lewis]

theironduke said:

This is something i've pondered myself of late as a back up plan. I've got a good degree and know a couple of people who have ended up teaching although it was never a career plan.

Not sure about England but in Scotland, I believe newly qualified teachers are supposed to be guaranteed a probation year - no guarantees beyond that though.

Presumably the likes of Teach First must have vacancies lined up before they sign someone up.

[EDLT]

I think it also depends on the subject, isn't there supposed to be a lack of science teachers?

[Deva Link]

ninja-lewis said:

Not sure about England but in Scotland, I believe newly qualified teachers are supposed to be guaranteed a probation year - no guarantees beyond that though.

This is three years ago, but I don't imagine too much has changed apart from hopefully not so many teachers are being trained now: http://www.heraldscotland.com/surplus-of-teachers-...

I'm guessing the OP's missus is thinking about primary level teaching - this is hideously over-supplied.

Edited by Deva Link on Sunday 12th September 00:07

[Penny-lope]

Supposedly Dundee has only taken on 10 new full time teachers this year, and the teaching college has been told to out it's intake by half.

[NiceCupOfTea]

theironduke said:

This is something i've pondered myself of late as a back up plan. I've got a good degree and know a couple of people who have ended up teaching although it was never a career plan.

If it's a "backup plan" forget it. It takes more than a good degree and a lack of jobs that you actually want to make a good teacher. You'll be doing nobody any favours.

[The Char]

Well said! Nobody would train teachers because it's a 'back up plan'. You won't get onto training without plenty of school experience either. This is more important than a first class degree.
I'm hoping to get on a primary course this time next year and have 5 years experience with primary and secondary ages, (after school club) and 2 year in Early Years. I'm doing it because although I love my present jobs there isn't as much opportunity for progression or a decent wage as there is in teaching. It really annoys me when people see teaching as an easy ride. It's a challenging job which requires a real love and understanding of children (and how to motivate them), top notch planning skills, and the will to give a lot of your own time to making your teaching successful.

[Engineer1]

If you do try teaching as the backup plan unless you know your st really well, and are well motivated you will struggle if you do get on a course. Teaching is a serious ball ache to get into, the training is painfully stressful, and seems to be as much to weed out the none hackers as much as teach you how to teach. I got half way through teacher training on a physics course and just found that it was impossible to keep on top of all the work lesson planning, essay writing, practising experiments etc. It is probable that most of the jobs have gone unless you are in a demand subject such as Physics or Maths.

If your Mrs chooses to go into teaching in the sciences a foundation year is almost essential as they appear to give additional knowledge and teaching tips that aren't part of the teaching course.

[ChunkyloverSV]

The Char said:

Well said! Nobody would train teachers because it's a 'back up plan'. You won't get onto training without plenty of school experience either. This is more important than a first class degree.
I'm hoping to get on a primary course this time next year and have 5 years experience with primary and secondary ages, (after school club) and 2 year in Early Years. I'm doing it because although I love my present jobs there isn't as much opportunity for progression or a decent wage as there is in teaching. It really annoys me when people see teaching as an easy ride. It's a challenging job which requires a real love and understanding of children (and how to motivate them), top notch planning skills, and the will to give a lot of your own time to making your teaching successful.

Pot, kettle?


Friend walked into his PCSE? after getting a 2.1 at uni, no previous teaching experience. He is now doing supply work.

[Jettagti]

right then, this is the score:

you need NO previous training to become a teacher in training. My other half gained an excellent degree at university in English, and has just completed her years PGCE to become and English teacher (end of June) Last week she started in her position as an English teacher at a secondary school as an NQT (newly qualified teacher), on a good starting salary.
She got this job through her own merit at the school she was placed at as a placement whilst doing her PGCE. There is no guarantee that you will get a job after your PGCE, plenty of people dont, so you have to impress during your PGCE

[Deva Link]

ChunkyloverSV said:

Friend walked into his PCSE? after getting a 2.1 at uni, no previous teaching experience. He is now doing supply work.

Did he do a year as an NQT (newly qualified teacher) after his PGCE? Or are you saying he couldn't get a placement and went straight to supply work - I didn't think that was possible?

[SiC2]

Two of my best friends have just graduated this summer in primary school teaching one had done a PGCE after completing a pschology degree and the other has studied primary school teaching as her degree with English as her speciality. They have both managed to find teaching jobs locally to where they live which is good.

All the trainee teachers that I have known have managed to get jobs, so I dont think it would be any more difficult finding a job than any other industry.

[Deva Link]

SiC2 said:

Two of my best friends have just graduated this summer in primary school teaching one had done a PGCE after completing a pschology degree and the other has studied primary school teaching as her degree with English as her speciality. They have both managed to find teaching jobs locally to where they live which is good.

All the trainee teachers that I have known have managed to get jobs, so I dont think it would be any more difficult finding a job than any other industry.

If they graduated this summer then they must have jobs as NQT's. Schools will take them on as they're cheaper than other teachers but they're frequently not permanent jobs, although they can be.

There seems to be a lot of kids starting school this year - some authorities have been badly caught out - so their timing might have been fortunate. I know 2 primary school teachers who have been teaching for 5 years - both have permanent jobs but neither are full time, although they are usually able to top-up with supply work.

[SiC2]

Deva Link said:

SiC2 said:

Two of my best friends have just graduated this summer in primary school teaching one had done a PGCE after completing a pschology degree and the other has studied primary school teaching as her degree with English as her speciality. They have both managed to find teaching jobs locally to where they live which is good.

All the trainee teachers that I have known have managed to get jobs, so I dont think it would be any more difficult finding a job than any other industry.

If they graduated this summer then they must have jobs as NQT's. Schools will take them on as they're cheaper than other teachers but they're frequently not permanent jobs, although they can be.

There seems to be a lot of kids starting school this year - some authorities have been badly caught out - so their timing might have been fortunate. I know 2 primary school teachers who have been teaching for 5 years - both have permanent jobs but neither are full time, although they are usually able to top-up with supply work.

Ones a permenant position the other is to cover maternity leave. To be quite honest I dont pretend to understand how the teaching system works or how to qualify as a teacher. They probably were fortunate to find a position.

[deckster]

It all depends on what kind of teaching. As has been said - Primary teaching is hard to get into and you will struggle without some kind of experience. On the other hand, last year my wife did a PGCE in physics and was paid £11,000 tax-free to do so as the country is so short of science teachers. The job pages are full of vacant science positions and they're really struggling to get enough people into the job - hence the financial incentive to qualify. On the flip side, the drop-out rate on her course was around 40% and the workload was genuinely frightening. Of those that made it through, I believe they had all found jobs by the end of the year. The story was, however, quite different for drama and history teachers a number of whom were struggling to find an NQT position for this year.

So - teach older kids 'hard' subjects (maths, science) and you're pretty much guaranteed a job. Fluffier stuff, humanities, and primary - much more difficult to find places.

[brickwall]

Whilst there is an over-supply of primary teachers, in the secondary sector if you're good there is generally a job available.

I know a few people coming out of the 2 years of Teach First and they've had no problems getting jobs. Same goes for a chap who's just finished a few years at a well-known management consultancy firm - no problems becoming a history teacher.

[The Char]

ChunkyloverSV said:

The Char said:

Well said! Nobody would train teachers because it's a 'back up plan'. You won't get onto training without plenty of school experience either. This is more important than a first class degree.
I'm hoping to get on a primary course this time next year and have 5 years experience with primary and secondary ages, (after school club) and 2 year in Early Years. I'm doing it because although I love my present jobs there isn't as much opportunity for progression or a decent wage as there is in teaching. It really annoys me when people see teaching as an easy ride. It's a challenging job which requires a real love and understanding of children (and how to motivate them), top notch planning skills, and the will to give a lot of your own time to making your teaching successful.

Pot, kettle?

I work as a pre school teacher and a kids after school drama club teacher, so I am already a teacher in effect, but not NQT. I just don't have the opportunity to progress and get a better wage in these jobs, hence why I am going into primary next year.

Hope that clears things up for you..................

[ShadownINja]

I suppose one issue worthwhile considering - you know those mouthy stes who spit at you in shopping centres? You'll be working with them every day and you can't tell them to fk off. Personally, I don't think I have the patience to deal with children especially those I don't care about.

[davido140]

ShadownINja said:

I suppose one issue worthwhile considering - you know those mouthy stes who spit at you in shopping centres? You'll be working with them every day and you can't tell them to fk off. Personally, I don't think I have the patience to deal with children especially those I don't care about.

This is almost certainly why there is a shortage of secondary school teachers and too any primary and junior teachers. They typically dont start spitting and swearing until in their early teens.