Career change advice?
Hi, I am 43 and am pretty good at web/linux/java but can't get work or a job. Would anyone advise trying to become an IT teacher? cheers tim pizey
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"
Hi Tim, Others on this list have given you some very good advice. I'd like to add some of my own, having attempted what you are proposing back in 2000 when I myself started training as a secondary ICT teacher. First off, if you sign up for an Initial Teacher Training course then prepare yourself for a *HUGE* culture shock {note: here imagine the word HUGE written in heavy bold-italic type triple underlined}!!! For you will be moving from a profession founded principally on meritocracy and ability to get the job done -- your worth is based primarily on the quality of your work, to a profession founded principally on higherarchy and 'length of service' -- your worth will be perceived strictly according to your position within the 'school higherarchy' ...at least initially. Furthermore you'll have to accept it as given that trainee-teachers are the lowest of the low within school higherarchy. In fact you'll likely be positioned below even the lowest rung of the teaching status ladder -- just a little above the kids you'll be teaching. This lowly status also applies to your previous ICT expertise. In fact it's very likely your colleagues will consider all your knowledge and previous experience gained outside of teaching (especially technical and managerial expertise) will count for zilch ...nout ...rien ...absolutely nothing whatsoever! Why? because your colleagues above you in the higherarchy must by definition be infinitely superior to you in every way. Period. ...it's a cultural thing! This means you might well have to put up with diabolically miss-configured school IT systems managed by idiots, and forced to teach technical aspects of IT that's plain wrong, like I had to. ...that's the negative side. But there's also a plus side... If you enjoy working with children or young adults then teaching has much going for it. Your professional colleagues may act like complete idiots at times (something you'll simply have to put up with), but by contrast you'll likely find your students are a delight to work with (even or especially the so called 'difficult' ones) -- infinitely more rewarding than working as an IT professional. Furthermore, if you work on building mutual respect between yourself and the young people you are teaching, you'll quickly find this reciprocated in spades. Students really appreciate teachers who draw on their experience working outside the insular world of schools. You may even come to regard your students as more 'adult' than some (if not many) of your qualified teacher colleagues! OK, so the above is of course written 'tongue-in-cheek', and presents a somewhat extreme example of what you can expect. But the underlying message is still valid: You'll find teaching ICT has almost nothing whatsoever to do with any previous experience you have working in IT. Still interested? Then ask yourself these two key questions; Do you actually enjoy working with bratish teenagers and young people? And how good are you at keeping your mouth shut when being told by complete idiots for colleagues (some completely devoid of any common-sense whatsoever) how you should be teaching ICT? ...yes, a bit like some commercial IT managers you might have had the misfortune to come across -- only worse! If you are not sure about the first question then go get some experience helping out at a youth club or somewhere where young people hang out. ------------ As for me I loved working as a trainee-teacher, however I didn't maker it to the end of my ITT course, though for reasons very different from the ones I've outlined above. You see I have a disability, namely the tic disorder Tourette Syndrome plus some related neurological issues. As a consequence I had to endured an overwhelming amount of out-and-out prejudice and discrimination because of my condition. Furthermore back in the year 2000 discrimination against disabled trainee-teachers was still entirely legal, because of as loophole in the law. Thankfully this loophole has now been closed by new 'Disability in Education' legislation, but only after I was effectively 'bullied' off my course for 'political' reasons -- daring to insist on reasonable accommodations for my condition. On several occasions I was told to my face; "Anyone with a disability who requires accommodations or additional support has no business wanting to become a teacher in the first place!". The law may have changed, but I suspect the engrained culturally based prejudice of the teaching profession will take more than simply legislation to clear. I still plan to become a teacher at some unspecified time in the future ...and yes I also came across many teachers (a minority) who were very supportive of my disability. For it's still my goal to put to good use my past IT business and technical management experience, plus combine this with my past experience as a youth-worker and supporter / advocate for children with SEN (special educational needs). David Bowles Education-Support / TeacherLab
Hi,
I am 43 and am pretty good at web/linux/java but can't get work or a job.
Would anyone advise trying to become an IT teacher?
cheers tim pizey
participants (4)
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Darren Smith -
David Bowles -
Paul Hornshaw -
Tim Pizey