Am i too old to become a teacher?

tubos

Hi folks, some advice needed. I'm 40 years old with a physics degree from 1998 and 18 years working as a software developer. Something happened recently which meant I had to stop working full time as a developer (wasn't able to spend 8 hours sat in front of a screen) and am now on illness leave but qualify for an income protection payment from my employers insurance company.

Anyway, the insurance company will pay for me to retrain for another job that would be suitable. Would I be too old to start training to become a post primary teacher? If not, what paths to being a teacher are available to somebody like me?

evolving_doors

tubos wrote: »

Hi folks, some advice needed. I'm 40 years old with a physics degree from 1998 and 18 years working as a software developer. Something happened recently which meant I had to stop working full time as a developer (wasn't able to spend 8 hours sat in front of a screen) and am now on illness leave but qualify for an income protection payment from my employers insurance company.

Anyway, the insurance company will pay for me to retrain for another job that would be suitable. Would I be too old to start training to become a post primary teacher? If not, what paths to being a teacher are available to somebody like me?

Technically, I suppose not.
Once the Teaching council approves your degree for Science and Physics, I would presume these are the subjects you want to teach.

There is the minor matter of getting a job though... or failing that doing intermittent sub work for a few years.

... and working with teenagers.

tubos

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Technically, I suppose not.

So I am too old then! :P

Assuming there was an abundance of teaching jobs available and my degree was approved, what would I need to do to qualify as a teacher?

mick kk

Why not contact a school and go in for a day and sit in on a few classes in the areas you hope to teach. Then you will know if it is for you or not.

rainbowtrout

tubos wrote: »

So I am too old then! :P

Assuming there was an abundance of teaching jobs available and my degree was approved, what would I need to do to qualify as a teacher?

PME (what was formerly known as the HDip). It's a two year course. Will cost about €10-12k in fees.

Aufbau

I've known some people over the last number of years that moved to teaching from other careers. Their maturity and confidence were great advantages in discipline and class management, and their experience of their subject in the real world environment was a great help and supplement to their teaching. To me, 40 is by no means too old.

Also, a science teacher with a physics degree would, in my eyes, be a huge advantage to any school that wants a strong science department in these times where science teachers with biology degrees way outnumber those with physical science degrees.

That's not to say that schools care about having a strong science department. Though some do care a lot about visibility in the papers re Young Scientists, Schools Robot Competitions, F1, Scratch etc.

Teaching science can be great fun. Working in schools is sometimes not fun at all. Be aware, too, if you're ill, that teaching is physically very demanding and demands large energy reserves. Depending of course on how many hours you're actually teaching. Physics as a subject is not as much in demand as it should be, so jobs are not plentiful. Numbers in a school fall off if the teacher is not popular/'good' and the subject is removed from the timetable. Conversely there is the opportunity to build up a reputation and base cohort from Junior level.

Might you have enough in your degree course to also teach Chemistry or Maths? That would give you a more solid chance at a job.

tubos

Great advice people, thanks a lot.

Yes I plan on contacting one of the local schools and hopefully go in for a chat with the principal.

The degree I did would have had a large amount of maths and applied maths, with some chemistry also.

As regards my illness, from speaking to others in similar situations, teaching is one of the jobs most suited to my condition, although having to go back to study in college would be my biggest hurdle!

mirrorwall14

tubos wrote: »

Great advice people, thanks a lot.

Yes I plan on contacting one of the local schools and hopefully go in for a chat with the principal.

The degree I did would have had a large amount of maths and applied maths, with some chemistry also.

As regards my illness, from speaking to others in similar situations, teaching is one of the jobs most suited to my condition, although having to go back to study in college would be my biggest hurdle!

Generally most science degrees won't have enough maths to register to teach it,you usually need to do additional modules in them to make up the balance

Tom Dunne

Have you considered lecturing? No need for any extra qualification, especially with such vast commercial experience.

Now having said that, you would probably have to go the masters route at some stage, but it wouldn't be required to get you in the door.

eurokev

Eh no way,

My OH became a primary teacher about 8 years ago, in her class of 40 there was 6 people over 40, who all were leaving good jobs in engineering etc..

I myself began an apprenticeship 2 years ago at 29 and have encountered a good few lads in their 40/50s even, who have left other secure jobs for it.

Best of luck

looksee

I started teaching at 57, and loved it. I just got in before the Hdip requirement - I think it came in 2 years later. I was in further education which is rather different to secondary, but still there were a lot of 18 year olds. I never had any issues with discipline.

Aufbau

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Generally most science degrees won't have enough maths to register to teach it,you usually need to do additional modules in them to make up the balance

Most biology based degrees won't. Physics degrees might.

Also, it may be advantageous to be registered in more than one subject but many teachers teach subjects they have knowledge of but are not registered in. That's up to the principal in the context of the school situation.

Crazyteacher

The first step would be to get your degree assessed by the teaching council. See what subjects they would register you for if you had the PME and take it from there. Then the insurance might help you pay for add on credits you might need too. http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/How-do-I-register-/Qualifications/Post-primary-Qualified-in-Ireland/Qualification-Requirements-for-Post-Primary-Teachers-Qualifications-Awarded-in-Ireland-.html

I'd definitely see about gettinbobservation in too to give you insight in to what it's really like. Things have really changed since most of us have been in school.

man_no_plan

All the above seems like sound advice.

Just wondering, and its bring practical rather than anything else, would your wages be note than your income protection payment?

If they're that keen to get you off their books by retraining you they must stand to benefit. You will start on the lowest point of the scale and have to pay a hefty chunk of your wages onto a compulsory pension scheme. I suppose a lot depends on your circumstances.

That aside, best of luck with it. I know three or 4 people who came late to teaching and were miles ahead of the like of me who rolled straight out of college with no life experience.

CIARAN_BOYLE

From a financial position are on track with a pension. As someone who comes late to teaching your pension on retirement would not compare to other staff who have been doing it all their life.

Definitely consider doing whatever additional work my be needed to add maths as a subject. It adds a lot of versatility to timetables and makes it easier to get full hours.

tubos

My current income protection plan ensures I get 3/4 of my income, so they make up what is needed after illness benefit is paid. They will continue to do this until retirement age. But, it means me not working anymore with no hope of earning more than I am now. So if I take a job on less wages it will mean the insurance company paying less over the course of the plan, which is something they would like to see, and someday I might earn more than I was before the illness. But, if the prospects of getting a full time job after completing the masters is low, then the insurance company might not go for it. Its early days so I'm just looking to see if teaching might be something i could do.

foggyn

im 58 with an honours degree in accounting would i be eligible to go into teaching or would i be too old?

joeyboy12345

foggyn wrote:

im 58 with an honours degree in accounting would i be eligible to go into teaching or would i be too old?

Totally depends on the inividual!im a 29 yo teacher and i see teaches not much older than me wore out. Other side is i see teachers 50+ with great drive doing a great job!its all about the person!that being said i dont see myself teaching anything near 60!its a tough job that wares you down dispite popular belief!
However you wont have the previous 20 - 30 years teaching on your shoulders tiring you out and your career is going to be reasonable short so if its what you want, go for it! Best of luck

foggyn

joeyboy12345 wrote: »

Totally depends on the inividual!im a 29 yo teacher and i see teaches not much older than me wore out. Other side is i see teachers 50+ with great drive doing a great job!its all about the person!that being said i dont see myself teaching anything near 60!its a tough job that wares you down dispite popular belief!
However you wont have the previous 20 - 30 years teaching on your shoulders tiring you out and your career is going to be reasonable short so if its what you want, go for it! Best of luck

thank you , well i use to be a bar and restaurant manager for nearly 30 years and that was extremely stressful and it wore me down big time so i am sure i can handle it,

foggyn

come to think of it , maybe it is too late for me. just realised the retiring age is 65 , so i think i'll just try and see if its not too late to get a payroll administrator or accounts assistant job , oh why do we live in such an age discriminating world?????

mockingjay

I retrained as a teacher at 40 and was lucky enough to get a job straight away, maturity was an advantage in the school I am in.

However, one word of advice I would pass on to anyone - and a harsh lesson I have learned, do not be under any illusion that it is a cushy number- that it is not, like every profession it has changed from the times you were at school - you will not be sitting at a desk or standing at a board all day - nor will you be issuing instruction and expect the students to spend the next 30 minutes writing in class or getting on with their work - this is not how it is - you will be on the move all day, there is a massive amount of movement around schools, that requires a lot of energy, the chances are that you will not have your own classroom, you will be walking around the corridor with 700/900 other students every 40 minutes, the noise levels are high, there is bumping and shoving (students don't stand back for teachers any more!). I think the profession is like a castle, everyone on the outside wants in..... I have never worked as hard in my life, planning, meetings, marking, inspections, paperwork and indeed teaching a wide variety of teenagers with a wide variety of needs - my evenings and weekends are not my own any more- honestly there are some days I dream of being back in an office, with tea and lunch breaks, working without constant interruption.... the reason I tell you this is because you said your current condition would be suited to teaching.... so I want you to know, you will not be sitting all day, and you will be working into the night... marking 30 papers every night can cause back strain etc.... Then there's the extra-curricular.... 22 hours is contact time - you will be in school from 8.50-4.00, then extra curricular until 5 - then the marking (and the Croke Park hours)! The free classes? Join the queue at the photo-copier - that takes 30 minutes, chat to a student, 30 minutes, write up a discipline report, 30 minutes.... etc..... Next week (mid-term) will be marking the mocks! Holidays are great but you do spend a week trying to recharge... Teachers need a lot of energy. As to the screen, a lot of schools require rolls, reports to be made online - so along with incorporating Digital Media (JCT spec) into all classes, you will also be inputting reports 30 x 9 into the system, so looking at screens is inevitable as well.

However, if you're still interested, DCU offers part-time evening courses - so take a look at their website. I am enjoying teaching, and don't mean to be dismal, but it isn't what I expected when I changed career. Best of luck.

spurious

I wish more people understood the above - and that's only IF you manage to find some hours, which is not at all a given, depending on location and/or subject.

foggyn

mockingjay wrote: »

I retrained as a teacher at 40 and was lucky enough to get a job straight away, maturity was an advantage in the school I am in.

However, one word of advice I would pass on to anyone - and a harsh lesson I have learned, do not be under any illusion that it is a cushy number- that it is not, like every profession it has changed from the times you were at school - you will not be sitting at a desk or standing at a board all day - nor will you be issuing instruction and expect the students to spend the next 30 minutes writing in class or getting on with their work - this is not how it is - you will be on the move all day, there is a massive amount of movement around schools, that requires a lot of energy, the chances are that you will not have your own classroom, you will be walking around the corridor with 700/900 other students every 40 minutes, the noise levels are high, there is bumping and shoving (students don't stand back for teachers any more!). I think the profession is like a castle, everyone on the outside wants in..... I have never worked as hard in my life, planning, meetings, marking, inspections, paperwork and indeed teaching a wide variety of teenagers with a wide variety of needs - my evenings and weekends are not my own any more- honestly there are some days I dream of being back in an office, with tea and lunch breaks, working without constant interruption.... the reason I tell you this is because you said your current condition would be suited to teaching.... so I want you to know, you will not be sitting all day, and you will be working into the night... marking 30 papers every night can cause back strain etc.... Then there's the extra-curricular.... 22 hours is contact time - you will be in school from 8.50-4.00, then extra curricular until 5 - then the marking (and the Croke Park hours)! The free classes? Join the queue at the photo-copier - that takes 30 minutes, chat to a student, 30 minutes, write up a discipline report, 30 minutes.... etc..... Next week (mid-term) will be marking the mocks! Holidays are great but you do spend a week trying to recharge... Teachers need a lot of energy. As to the screen, a lot of schools require rolls, reports to be made online - so along with incorporating Digital Media (JCT spec) into all classes, you will also be inputting reports 30 x 9 into the system, so looking at screens is inevitable as well.

However, if you're still interested, DCU offers part-time evening courses - so take a look at their website. I am enjoying teaching, and don't mean to be dismal, but it isn't what I expected when I changed career. Best of luck.

No not at all thank you for being honest and straight to the point just what i needed to know, i am based in galway so im looking at what NUI Galway has to offer,

Bean Scoile

The PME is a 2 year course, I assume the closing date for September has passed, so you would be looking at September 2018 for beginning the course, and June 2020 for qualifying. It can take a number of years to get steady work. That seems like a very long time to spend setting yourself up for a short career.

I would imagine there is something else you can do, or qualify in in a shorter period of time that would provide you with employment.