I need to give up my career but dont know what direction to go

LegacyUser

Im a qualified art teacher, all I ever wanted was an art teaching career, I remember telling the guidance counselor in secondary school that I wanted to study art and I wanted to be an art teacher. When I completed my portfolio preparation course after school I completed my 3 week work experience with an art teacher in a local school. I volunteered for over 6 years giving art and craft classes in schools and education centers and ran my own classes for a time but the cost of rent and materials meant it wasnt a longterm option.
I saved for years to pay for my education and lived in near poverty while studying but finally got my undergrad in art and my postgrad in teaching, ive gained experience in a vast amount of different educational environments from special needs education, disadvantaged youths to mainstream, I even continued to work for free in one of my placements after id graduated from my postgrad. Ive got great references and I love the students and building connections with them, I love finding their individual potential and fostering their development, its something im very passionate about and love but I cant get a job. Out of the handful of jobs I did come across, ive only gotten a few interviews over the years and nothing really came of them.
Ive had some temporary employment/short term contracts but its been such a financial risk to take them - I do take them anyway but im always left in a bad financial situation afterwards. Im on social welfare so when I take up temp employment my wages are means tested and my benefits are cut considerably. The last time I worked they were cut down to 50 euro a week, I was literally living on the bread line and didnt have enough to eat 4 out of 7 days.
I love teaching but its not a sustainable option and I dont know how other teachers do it. I know that theres a teaching crisis at the minute and with the high cost of rent it feels like an impossible career choice for someone without a financial safety net.
I just dont know what else I can do? Ive put my heart and soul into this for the past 10+ years, ive not much experience in anything else and I dont have the money to go back to college to retrain in something else.
Im feeling lost, I dont know what to do.

edeldonlon

If you still love teaching would you consider moving to the UK? There are art jobs to be got over here. The starting salary is about £24,000 but goes up quickly

Addle

As the need for art teachers is never going to be as high as for some other subjects, you're going to have to be much more open to moving.

Have you thought about doing art camps for kids during weekends/holidays.
They're (relatively) expensive to attend locally, but hugely popular.

whiskeyman

Is working in UAE or similar an option?
I know a lot of teachers out head out there.
Might be handy to build up a cash reserve and then come back and keep trying here?

appleb

<Snip>

mirrorwall14

Honestly? You need a second subject to teach in Ireland. Did no one ever say that to you? I’m qualified in music and maths. All my jobs bar one were started in maths and then moved into music within the school. Art is similar, there’s barely one full job of hours of it in a school, the numbers across the country are low and in most cases they will have two art teachers sharing for timetabling reasons. Usually they’ll both have classes in their second subject on their timetable. I knew going into teaching that music alone wouldn’t work, I needed another subject, preferably a core subject that was in demand (not English or History for example).

You would have better luck in the uk as the way they structure things you usually only teach one subject

Also location is crucial. Where are you? The jobs are in the east really, there’s no major shortages really outside of the greater Dublin area

LegacyUser

Thanks all for the replies, im looking into the UK and this is something im very seriously considering, it would break my heart to leave home but it seems to be my only option left. <Snip>

Unfortunately Mirrorwall14, trainee art teachers aren't given the option to take on a second subject, it would require another 3/4 years to gain a degree in a separate subject and as mentioned I dont have the funding to do that. I am in the East and I regularly search for jobs in Dublin and other surrounding areas, id also happily move to another part of the country if something came up but ive had no luck.

Raspberry Swirl

Could you teach Art after school to primary school children? Maybe base yourself in a different school each day? Could you branch out into design for companies, businesses etc.
Some people on Etsy make a living doing portraits or other art forms. Could you do Art lessons with the elderly or people with special needs?

Big Bag of Chips

appleb, requesting/offering PMs in Personal Issues is not allowed.

OP, please read that link, and the Forum Charter (linked in that) to understand why. Our reasons for not allowing PMs in Personal Issues are laid out very clearly. Any advice to be offered should be offered openly in thread.