I'm doing Events Management at uni just now, and I'm quite enjoying it, but I'm starting to regret not going to do my first choice, which was to train to be a History teacher. As geeky as it sounds, I love History, and I reckon I'd make a cracking teacher, and I just feel as though it's what I should try and do with myself more and more all the time.

Basically, if there are any teachers on here, or people who have taught, it would be at secondary level, do you think I should go for it, and what are the main downfalls etc. I assume it's quite a stressful job and stuff.

 

Over to the knowledgeable Delays masses. 

 

 

 

 

I'm not a teacher, but I have friends who are, and most of the women in my family who work are, including my mum, so I was raised with it and feel qualified in dropping some words.

It IS stressful, and a mental amount of work.  And despite what most non-teachers think, you don't really get summers off--at least not so much as the students do, because you spend a good lot of it planning the next year, and I don't know if it's the same in the UK, but in the US, teachers are constantly required to take classes to keep up with myriad things, and these mostly happen in the summer. 

You're undercompensated, disrepected by students, their parents, and all too often your own school administration.  It's frustrating and often you feel like you're beating your head against a brick wall dealing with the bureaucracy of it all, and like you're talking to a brick wall trying to get through to the kids.  You have to compromise a lot between what and how you want to teach and what and how they tell you to teach. 

But when you can reach your kids and make them care about something, get them interested in something they were apathetic about, it's amazing.  When you know you've made a genuine impact on a student, it's fantastic.  When you're trying to get through to them and something clicks and they fucking get it, it's absolutely genius.      

I say if you're getting into it because it's genuinely what you want to do, fucking go for it.  I've seen way too many teachers in it because they thought it would be easy, or they wanted to be able to have 3 months off a year, etc.  If you can dive in and give everything you've got in a field where you don't always see the results of your labor, but are willing to keep giving anyway?  Rock the hell on.      

...I totally feel like there should have been a crescendo of sweeping music accompanying me there.

Both my parents are teachers (in primary and vocational education) and I recognise everything above. Both my parents have meetings several times a week, often in the evenings and they do not got paid for this, even though they already make so little money. However, they do both love the work and especially my mum really very much cares about her primary school children and gets immense satisfaction from helping them achieve the best they can. In fact, I have often felt she cared more about her school kids than she did about me (the more since I spent my entire childhood in daycare).

One thing you can be sure about when teaching is that it will be varied work and never dreary. I had an amazing history teacher, and the whole school loved him to bits. If you think you can connect to teenagers that way, I think you would have a brilliant time as a teacher! But if you have trouble connecting to them and don't have this natural authority, it might take many years of struggling before you get some control. Still, if you feel this is what you want to do, I'd definitely go for it!!!

Cheers guys, this is exactly the kind of first hand experience that'll help me.

Hughsie:

I'm doing Events Management at uni just now, and I'm quite enjoying it, but I'm starting to regret not going to do my first choice, which was to train to be a History teacher. As geeky as it sounds, I love History, and I reckon I'd make a cracking teacher, and I just feel as though it's what I should try and do with myself more and more all the time.

Basically, if there are any teachers on here, or people who have taught, it would be at secondary level, do you think I should go for it, and what are the main downfalls etc. I assume it's quite a stressful job and stuff.

 

Over to the knowledgeable Delays masses. 

 

 

 

 

 

Vikki is a teacher!  You should pm her. I'm sure she won't mind

 

I'm beginning my teacher training in September. I'll let you know how it goes lol. 

I should have been a teacher...everyone said I'd be a good one.....I've wanted to be one all my life....went to University to do it and everything but things happened and my dream was shattered. I've always regretted not doing something about it and I reckon I'm probably too old now to sort my life out and do it, but, you never know, I may have a change of heart and become the oldest teacher on the block!

*Lyns*:

I should have been a teacher...everyone said I'd be a good one.....I've wanted to be one all my life....went to University to do it and everything but things happened and my dream was shattered. I've always regretted not doing something about it and I reckon I'm probably too old now to sort my life out and do it, but, you never know, I may have a change of heart and become the oldest teacher on the block!

You're never too old! My mum was trained as a teacher when she was young, but since there was an abundance of teachers at that time she was forced to work other jobs for the next 20 years or so. Then she decided she still wanted to be a teacher and took a course for 'older' people that wanted to go back into education and she says it's one of the best decisions she's ever made. So go for it!

Cool...do you know which course that was?

I do part time teaching and go on residential trips with my old primary school but have not got a qualification in it. I always wanted to do a teacher training course or something but i just never really fancied it when it got down to it. I may very well pursue this path at some point in my life because I believe that once you want to be a teacher, you never really change how you feel.

Kudos to everyone who has to teach history to people like me!!

I really dunno how anyone has the patience, i'm in upper sixth and we still act like a bunch of 11 year olds!

I'm not trying to put you off though - embrace the challenge!  

I've just completed my 4 years of teacher training, I am in the primary sector but the foundations of the job are similar to secondary in what has been mentioned.

 There can be immense pressure and stress on you through the planning, teaching and legal resposibilities of your job however most people who teach do it because they love it, if they didn't they just wouldn't bother because you certainly do not get paid enough for what you do! So much of your free time is spent doing school related things and the summer holidays are not what peole think they are for teachers, there is always something to do!

That said I couldn't see myself doing anything else at the moment, I don't want to be a teacher forever, I think you can lose the spark and I wouldn't want to do that so would move to something else still in education and with children though.

 I say give it a go, weirdly being a history teacher was what I was going to do until I changed my mind in college, but you don't know until you try!

Oh and also you are never too old to train as a teacher, there were a fair few mature students on my course, some in their 30s/40s and some who had worked as something else for years or raised a family, is open for anyone to try!

*Lyns*:

Cool...do you know which course that was?

I do, but it's not going to be of much use to you since we're talking about two different countries here I'm sure there are similar courses in the UK though!

Ah yes sorry, didn't realise

the best thing I ever did Hughsie was my PGCE 4 years ago xxx

Admittedly I teach in a primary school, but all kids regardless of age, love enthusiasm and someone who understands them- I think you'd make a wonderful teacher :)

Yes its knackering, yes they can make you want to tear your hair out, but the golden moments and laughter you'll share more then make up for this :)

See if you can do a GTP- pm me if you want more info xxx

(I also like Jon calling me "Miss" :)   )

LOVE IS SENT

(p.s hello cath xxxxx)