On the verge of giving up on a dream

Clint212

Having attended interview after interview this summer, for the 6th summer in a row, Im on the verge of giving up on a career that Ive wanted since I was very young. Since I qualified in 09 Ive had work every year thankfully and have loved every minute of it.

Im now 31 and no closer to getting any sort of a teaching job, I have three subjects! If I just hang on in there, am I just fooling myself or will things eventually improve? I also I feel with the students who will come out with a masters in education in the coming years that someone like me with a PGDE will be written off.

Any advice guys?? Thanks

aunt aggie

Hey clint,

I think your post might get some more help and advice in the Teaching Forum if the mods agree.

I know exactly how you feel as I seem to have put myself in the exact same position year after year. This year no different - I haven't found anything yet. I'm actively looking at doing courses open to the unemployed, considering changing career but I don't want to leave teaching by choice and its a sickening decision to make. Would you consider changing career or retraining?

The changes to CIDs mean that it shouldn't take as long to get some secure work but when you don't already have a foot in the door, its hard to see it that way. What are your three subjects? Have you gotten any feedback from interviews?

Don't worry about the PME. In another thread on boards, most poster agreed it will probably have same weight as PGDE when it comes to interviews.

Good Luck!

Clint212

Thanks for the reply aunt aggie, its nice to know someone else is in the same boat and stuff. My three subjects are probably the most common mix out there, English, History and RE. To be honest Ive always focused on teaching and have never really thought of any other career, its heartbreaking when we've put so much time and effort getting to where we are and having nothing isnt it?

As regards the PME,my only fear is that it wont equate to the PGDE and candidates will get more marks in an interview, which in my opinion would seem a tad unfair.

What are your subjects? Have u got much casual subbing in the last while?

aunt aggie

Are you looking in only one part of the country? I don't have kids or mortgage or anything like that, but this summer I said I'd give two months to looking in my home province. There was a lot of family stress last few years that was more stressful because I was away from home. Now I feel like I've shot myself in the foot because I should have been looking further afield. A family member teaches in Dublin with English and RE. There's a lot more job opportunities there, but this person still struggles to pay the bills.

The worst part for me is that I worked in England for a long time and had no difficulty getting a maternity leave when I wanted to come home. Now I'm finding it harder to get a job after teaching in Ireland!! Makes no sense at all.

Most of the posters on T&L suggested that they should be equated and some of them would be involved in recruitment process themselves.

I'm Maths & History, which isn't a great combination when every school in the country needs a Maths & science teacher. I think it's partly because I haven't dealt with this in a few years that I'm finding it difficult. A lot of the time, I've gotten Maternity Leave or long term subbing after the year has started. People are always having babies or pulling out of jobs at the last min, so you have to try and not be too disheartened.