Mopar Muscle Association UK

Before I start this is not a moan about having "A JOB" as I know I am lucky that I do right now, but more a frustration of what I really want to do as a career. So please don't be offended


Its 1.30 am and I've been working on the laptop for hours just to justify my existence in my sales role. I hate it with a passion. I get nothing out of it for my soul.

I have wanted to be a teacher for years and would be good at it, loads of people say it would suit me. I'm 39 this year and need to do it before I'm 40. I really want to teach primary school as well, I feel that's where kids and go right or wrong very early.

Any teachers out there? Tell me you enjoy it and that I'm not going to waste my time if I go for it?

(quite apt really)

Do you have a degree? Good luck with it!

one of my roles is getting people into teaching from non-traditional backgrounds PM me with a phone number and i'l give you the low down.
Need to know if you have a degree and if so, what subject.
If not, could be 4-5yrs training

e.gno degree?
access to HE = 1 year
degree e.g maths/english etc or teacher training degree in primary Teaching=3/4 years depending on type of course.
then, if teaching degree = gp look for work!!
if subject degree, take one more year doing a PGCE Primary course.
Then, go get work
I did all of this 15 years ago having previously worked in plant hire.

Anne decided to be a teacher, when Billy started school, first she had to go to school, and I mean school to get 2 A levels. She got an A level n English and history. She then decided she wanted to be an english teacher. So then she was off to Uni. to get her english lit degree, she came out with a 2.1 degree in english. She was totally burned out! I guess all that studying, living with me. and problems we used to have regarding number one son, were all to much!

So she took an assisting job at a local primary school, funnily enough Ronnie, Pete's daughter was there at the time. But she absolutely loved it!

So after that, off to teacher training, then a placement in a local secondary school, school where she stayed till last year. Teaching English, she was also head of media.

Now we get to the part all teachers seem to agree on. they love teaching, but the Bananarama! that goes with it can be destroying.

How dedicated is she? To bloody dedicated! This weekend, she has hired a local conference room, for the kids she used to teach at her old school, the teacher they got as her replacement has turned out to be Bananarama!. The kids have asked Anne to help them with the upcoming A level exams. Yep, she is doing it, and she will not charge them, in fact we will be out of pocket, again.

Best of luck mate, if that is what you want to do, I have nothing but admiration for all teachers. Where would we be without them.

There used to be a guy that lived near Pete Wiseman, he was a teacher, he warned Anne about all the pitfalls. but she still loves it! I think he did too. But the politics got to him. Pete, I bet he was a great teacher!

Sorry I have gone on a bit!

What does worry me is this governments idea of fast tracking unemployed businessmen as teachers in 6 months! It aint gonna work!

Everything Jeff said. The politics gets to me too, but the kids are great. Its not an easy choice, but what worthwhile jobs are?

But whats the Coin? All that hassle for £20k a year? Poke that!

I suspect teaching would be very fulfilling if you are working with the right kids.

I was talking to a teacher working somewhere to the North of Glasgow? the other day. He loves where he lives but hates the teaching (Science) and is thinking of changing careers.
His secondary kids are not interested. They come from two generations of unemployed or unemployable people.
The girls all have the single ambition to get pregnant so they can get their own house and benefits. And that's it.

I can't see the job being very rewarding if you end up having to try and teach kids like that.

It can be Dave, Anne has turned some of those kids, and quite a few have come round the house a year or so later, or seen us in the street. And they have thanked her! Now that IS rewarding.... The money certainly is not, nor are the hours!

Not for the money, thats not why you do it. Andy, teachers dont earn 20 clap. My responsibilties in a school worth around 40-45K (15 yrs experience) depending on the schools promotion system.
I dont earn that, i'm in FE which doesnt pay so high, but in my case comes with decent students and pay and conditions.

Cheers fellas

Some things to consider for sure. I'll keep you posted

J

I could barely write or spell when I left school.
Couldn't even do simple multiplication or long division. How I got 3 "O" levels I don't know. The teachers never thought I would pass even one. My form teacher almost fell over laughing when I said I wanted to take them. I was forced to pay for them and take the CSE versions as well.

Taught myself maths while at college in 1977. Got my Dad to help me who himself left school aged 12.

It has only been since using computers in the 90s that my writing and spelling has come up to scratch. In fact everything I know and do is self taught. Except for what I did in college where I had good teachers.

Teaching in secondary schools these days is a lot better (I hope!) and things like learning disorders are known about and identified.
I used to just get belted all the time and told I was lazy and stupid because I couldn't write. Even though an intelligence test showed I had an IQ of 130. I think they thought that was a fluke.

It has left me with a distinct hatred of academic work and of teachers in general. Even though I know that is not fair on modern day teachers. I just can't forget the way I was treated at school no matter how hard I try.

So if you want to be a teacher. Be a good one please.

So where do you work now?

Exactly. Bloody academics!

At least here I can make sure they have the best facilities to teach. That is my job and I am bloody good at it.

as a teacher in the past
in some ...lets just say interesting schools i can tell you that every job is different. based on school culture staffing and catchment area

i taught mainly is schools that would be considered as failing in areas where i personally wouldn't want to live (but sometimes did)

why failing? i don't know because we specialized in taking all comers, the majority of which had been through some god awful war, genocide or serious abuse who couldn't read or write English and didn't see the value of doing so, by the time they left they could. (and they had seen cells and knew why a candle burned, why a tonne of lead and a tonne of feathers have the same mass etc).
we had a bloody good time
and i was one of the few staff who still parked on site

teach science and maths to kids that can't speak English never mind the language of science and maths and life is interesting.

yup I'd do it again couldn't afford to now as to pay the mortgage I'd need to go in as head of something and i don't have the experience but if ever unemployed I'll be back on the supply list.

best bet as a male these days is primary

1) as a male you will be pretty in demand as primary education has few males willing to put up with the scrutiny* and hence few male role models in the system. *mainly due to attitude, a male in a role with access to small children must be odd.
2) kids at that age are in general nice little beings even the ones who behave badly, you would be hard pushed to find one with 666 on its head. By the time they get to their teens you have 10-20 years of learned attitude and behavior that you are now trying to mold into whatever structure the school says is reasonable. polite. safe.
in general you could trace any behavior that wasn't acceptable back to the parents because the same behavior was displayed by them at parents evening

there is a middle ground

in secondary you get the most troubled kids if the catchment area is generally poor in financial terms and urban or exceedingly well off.

the latter is odd but loadsa money doesn't always mean happy family
"our Au pair earns more than you sir" certainly helps you warm to the little angels. " have you seen my new car sir better than your heap of Bananarama!" etc NICE

Inner London secondary schools take on classroom assistants who's duties range from being a second teacher in the room to an assistant that is assigned to a pupil that has some kind of special need be it learning or behavioral

this is a way into secondary education, i knew 2 who job shared at a school i worked at and did PGCEs in design and tech PE/sports edu on half week day release.


oh yeah

1 bit of advice that was drilled into me

never be alone in a room with a female pupil if you put her on detention put her mate on detention as well.
Always keep the door open in this situation if it isn't go and do it ASAP.
if they need assistance with work try to organize a group activity or meet in a busy place like the library, avoid at all costs visits before or after hours when the school is empty/quiet.

Why??male teacher........easy target, and streetwise kids know exactly how to get you suspended.

no that is not why i'm no longer a teacher.

I.T. pays better..... but with longer hours and a lot more stress

Dave