Alternatives to teaching?

Fuinseog wrote: »

a lot of teachers are in a similar situation. I am multi lingual and wanted to work in a call centre but they would not touch me as they knew I would go back to teaching at the first opportunity.
even if you were full time its important to have your fingers in many pies.
you could teach in Africa for a year or do TEFl in Korea.
if I were a NQT in my twenties I would teach my way through the world and return at the age of thirty. that way you would have lived a little, earned money and hopeful return to Ireland at the right time.

I would agree with this. They are opportunities in many amazing places in the world (especially for english teachers). Get some experience, enjoy living in a different culture and educational system and return when doors aren't so jammed shut.

Heydeldel wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

I'm heading towards the late twenties and while still that's young I feel like I want to start making a life here, not packing up. I like my life here, I have a great life here apart from struggling to find decent work.

Is leaving the country the only alternative?

I mean what about volunteering, doing courses, maybe even starting one up.

It drives me crazy that everyone's initial reaction is 'get out and stay out till things improve'. Not that I'm not grateful to the suggestions made, it's just disappointing that the mind frame now is to leave.

I went to England to teach and didn't like their system, I'm not too pushed on living in Asia etc. There has to be more options than upping sticks.

Anyone?

Unfortunately, this isn't an initial reaction. This has been the way in teaching for at least 5 years and appears to be getting worse year on year. There are truckloads of graduates who have no work. There are many posting threads here regularly saying how soul destroying it is to be qualified 3 years and to have only had 6 weeks subbing in all that time etc.

There are equally as many threads from people who want to get into teaching and are asking about subject combinations and job prospects.

The situation is pretty bad at the moment. On top of all the graduates coming out currently from the main universities Hibernia's first batch of PDE students for second level are due to graduate this academic year to add to the growing numbers of people with teaching qualifications who are not teaching.

Two years ago in the budget the pupil teacher ratio was increased so it meant hours were cut in schools. Some teachers lost their jobs, some who retired weren't replaced. The mass exodus due to retirement back in February didn't bring loads of jobs with it. Last year's budget cut the career guidance hours to each school. As most CG teachers would be permanent for the most part, they then had to be accommodated in the main allocation to teach a mainstream subject/take guidance hours from mainstream. Again this meant that part time teachers lost hours/lost their jobs. Adding to the numbers of unemployed teachers.

As long as graduates are willing to pay 6k+ to do the PDE each year, and each year it's oversubscribed, even as bad as job prospects are now, universities will continue to offer those courses. Hibernia is 10k up front with no refund if you drop out early. They have no shortage of takers. The colleges don't care if you don't get a job out of it, it's a money spinner for them.

Those problems combined with the fact that schools are not giving out contracts for full hours (and when they are they are few and far between). 11 hours is considered good at the moment. Five or six years ago 11 hour contracts were unheard of by and large. When I started job hunting 12 years ago I didn't have to apply for anything under 18 hours, firstly because there were plenty of jobs to apply for, and few were less than 18 hours, those that were less tended to be job shares. 14 hours was usually the absolute lowest. 14 is very good these days.


So you might get lucky, and walk into a school, hand in your CV and the prinicpal might say, 'we actually have a maternity leave coming up and we are stuck for a teacher, can you do it' or you could be back here in 2 years time saying you haven't had any teaching work and it's getting you down. It's impossible to say, but going on what part timers and NQTs post on here I would think things are leaning more towards the latter.

The Leaving Cert students who I taught 4-5 years ago and are finished college are now teaching in Dubai/Abu Dhabi etc. In a way they are right, might as well earn some money, see a bit of the world and gain some teaching experience and maybe come home in a couple of years and see if they can get a job here.

You've said Asia is not for you, and you've tried the UK, well it doesn't leave you with many options. If you plan on staying in Ireland to teach, you'll have to apply for everything, take any subbing you get and hope for the best.

I'm a humanities teacher but working in an audit role in a bank. Teachers have plenty of transferrable skills and a keen analytical eye. Although employers are slightly put off that a non teaching role will make you more likely to seek work back in a school