Hiya Tim,
As someone who came to teaching from industry seven years ago I would
advise you to think long and hard about why you want to become a
teacher. It can be a very demanding "job".
Ask yourself is it the regular salary you want or do you want to work
with young people? And by work I mean "work". It isn't just a case of
standing in front of a laptop and a data projector letting rip with your
pearls of wisdom. If you don't like kids, they''ll sus you out faster
than you can smell a fart in a lift.
You have to be prepared to be a mentor/counsellor and get involved in
extra-curricular activities, like a club or a sport - it's not
compulsory and I know lots of teachers who don't "do" anything outside
of the clasroom but they always seem to be the ones with the problems
inside the classroom too.
It isn't a 9-5 job, regardless of the new working hours agreement,
during term time, and you'll find, apart from the summer holidays,
spending a lot of your free time, especially at weekends working or
preparing for your classes. In your first few years you'll find
yourself looking at everyday things and wondering how you can work them
into your lessons.
Above all, you've got to like kids and want to help them be all that
they can be, both inside and outside the clasroom.
If you're looking for "just" a job, forget it.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Pizey"