Teacher mums chat thread

[Nimbus]

Becstar, sorry to hear of your loss.

 

[becstar]

Thanks lovely. It was the funeral today, very draining as my family is very - ahem - complicated.

But hey - I'm pregnant!!!

 

[Jchihuahua]

Sorry to hear about the funeral and your loss hun .

BUT HUGEEEEE congrats on being pregnant!! We're TTC, just beginning the third cycle xxx

 

[Lu28]

So sorry to hear about your loss Becstar But congrats on being pg again!

So I've just today been offered an unconditional place at the primary PGCE at Bath Spa! Delighted and terrified all at the same time because of a few threads recently which scare the life out of me with whether it's manageable with a baby and also because of all the talk of redundancies etc.

Honestly, in the current job climate, do you girls think I'd be mad leaving my current career to retrain as a teacher? I know I'd tell a solicitor to think extremely carefully before doing it....

 

[Jchihuahua]

Congrats Lu! Great news!

I don't think you're mad for changing careers. I'll be totally honest and say that the PGCE year was the hardest I've ever worked in my life and I had no ties and was fresh out of uni when I did mine so it will be even harder with a LO but it is manageable. Teaching is hard work and the work load never ends but I'm sure you're used to working really hard being a solicitor anyway. I don't personally know of any primary schools making teachers redundant. There are lots of cut backs and I know our school will stop certain things like intervention projects to save money but we won't lose any teachers as we're all needed.

And much as we moan about our job I know I can personally say that there is nothing else I'd rather do to earn my money .

 

[Lu28]

Congrats Lu! Great news!

I don't think you're mad for changing careers. I'll be totally honest and say that the PGCE year was the hardest I've ever worked in my life and I had no ties and was fresh out of uni when I did mine so it will be even harder with a LO but it is manageable. Teaching is hard work and the work load never ends but I'm sure you're used to working really hard being a solicitor anyway. I don't personally know of any primary schools making teachers redundant. There are lots of cut backs and I know our school will stop certain things like intervention projects to save money but we won't lose any teachers as we're all needed.

And much as we moan about our job I know I can personally say that there is nothing else I'd rather do to earn my money .

Thanks hon

Any idea about the prospects of an NQT getting a job at the moment? I've been on the TES forums and it seems to go from everyone on the prospective teachers forum who are all happy clappy at getting their offers and saying what will be will be when it comes to jobs and then you go on the unemployed teachers forum where people have been looking for 4 years and not got anything and saying it's the same for most of the people they graduated with Definitely can't afford to study for a year and then not have a chance at getting a job! Gah, why can't life be simple?!

 

[Jchihuahua]

Well, our school took on two NQTs in September. They were looking for NQTs with a little bit more to offer and with all your experience in your previous career I'm certain a potential employer would see that as an asset and it'd help to make your application form stand out. Plus there is always supply work if you didn't get a job immediately which is good to gain experience across the board and of the way different schools operate. Supply is not always just the odd day here and there either, there are longer term contracts to be had. For example a teacher from a supply agency covered my 6 months maternity leave.

 

[becstar]

I agree with J, there are jobs and you need to stand out from the pack and I think you will! Some of the students we've had recently *shudder* you can understand not getting jobs, but there will always be teaching jobs.

The PGCE was the hardest year of my life (including doing my original degree at Cambridge) but so rewarding and manageable, just demanding time-wise.

 

[becstar]

PS J, good luck!!!

 

[Lu28]

Thanks, that's encouraging. I had hoped that I might stand out a bit coming from a second career, how I wish there were guarantees though!

 

[Nimbus]

My hubby has been doing a gtp this year - training is sooooo tough. If it's a career that you want you have to make the change and in truth there will be a need for people who are passionate about their subjects. Good luck!

I agree with the above about how good the job can be... there are times when i stand a laugh that someone pays me to do my job!

 

[Nimbus]

oh and that's not just in the holidays!

 

[aliss]

Hey I didn't know this thread existed!

I'm an adult ESL teacher, so my education is a bit different (I did a degree in linguistics etc with a postgraduate certificate in TESL). Unfortunately I was pregnant in my last semester so I haven't done any real teaching except my practice teaching, LOL!

I hope to teach privately & from home for extra income. I know I could make more within the school systems but I'm not bilingual enough and here French is the first language so it's required. I would like to get my MA in the next few years to teach at university level (I can teach in a college but not university, system is a bit different here in Canada)

 

[Jchihuahua]

Hi and welcome Aliss .

4 more days til half term Yayyyyyyyyyyy !!!

 

[becstar]

Hi and welcome Aliss .

4 more days til half term Yayyyyyyyyyyy !!!

Ditto, welcome! -and yay, 3 more days

We have the moderators into our phase tomorrow... boo!

 

[Nimbus]

Welcome!

 

[Jchihuahua]

One more day til half term Woooohooooo! Well actually half a day for me as I have PPA in the morning .

 

[Nimbus]

Had ofsted in this week. it's a right pain seeing everyone so stressed. I seemed to do ok in the end and i was quite chilled. Phew glad that's over!

 

[aliss]

Thanks girls!

Am so out of the loop right now, thinking of taking an online course to upgrade (teaching TOEFL which is for university entrance)

 

[aliss]

TBH I find that state/private thread in baby club to be shocking! I teach in Canada obviously, and there is no real debate/divide over the two. You just do what you feel like, most of whom go to public schools because the majority of private schools are religious. Shocking to see how the history of social class divides in the UK still shapes many opinions/attitudes/biases of the current generation...!