Teaching

I'm gonna do the same thing!

I can't answer all of those but I can answer some.

Studying with kids is hard but doable. I think you need to have a plan and stick to it. If you do it extramurally (but that will depend what teaching degree you do) then I found it really helpful to stay a week ahead of the schedule because then if Daniel was sick then I wasn't going to fall behind and if he wasn't then I had an extra week to study for exams.

BIL is a primary teacher. He hates the politics and he hates working for decile 10 schools because apparently the parents are much more demanding of what they want their kids to go home with homework wise rather than just letting him set it as he sees fit. He hates report times. But overall he loves it. He has to pay for extras for his classroom himself because funding just isn't there. He also does quite a bit outside the typical working hours, doing prep work for the school day/year and with coaching etc

I'm not a teacher myself but I have quite a few friends who teach at primary and ECE level and my dad is a high-school teacher. With secondary in most subjects you are required to have a degree in your teaching subject as well as a teaching diploma and they prefer you to have 2 possible teaching subjects (not always necessary but definitely a plus when it comes to getting a job). Check out what subjects are in demand at the moment, because sometimes you can get grants if you are thinking about studying for a high-demand subject.

In terms of getting a job... it's not too hard if you pass your papers with good marks. Getting registered is the hardest part because you have to do 2 full time years (or equivalent over longer) and most of the positions you see advertised are for registered teachers. One friend worked in a rural school for 2 years to get her registration and another did a combination of fixed term positions and relieving. Once you are registered though, it becomes much easier to secure a permanent position. I'm not sure if it's the same deal with secondary, but I would assume it's similar.

It's apparently a very rewarding job (and I'm looking into training myself when I can!) but it is hard and definitely political. You have to put in long hours (well outside the 9-3 and also work over your holidays), there's not always the funding you need for day to day classroom stuff, and you have to deal with parents a lot as well as the bueracracy that goes with education. Pros are: the hours you put in outside of probably around 8.30 - 4 each day are flexible to a certain extent, it's a family-friendly job (you will have the same holidays as your children), and the sense of achievement you get from helping kids learn and succeed.

I think what level you teach at really depends on you as a person... which age group can you see yourself preferring to work with?

And studying with children... definitely do-able but a challenge! You have to be really organised and dedicated and strict with your time - but it's probably about the same as being a working mum. Working, studying and being a mum... well, some people manage it, but I don't know how!! They are legends!

I retrained as a primary school teacher and it was the best thing I ever did. I decided on primary because I love being involved in the earliest learning and seeing children grow and develop with the things you teach them. I love how much you get out of it, children give so much back and their joy for learning and life is so contagious. I love being able to make a difference with my job and being constantly busy and on the move rather than sitting behind a desk. I also like the way you can set up and run your classroom how you want to with your own rules, values, and systems, it's like your little corner of the world. And you get to do so many fun things at primary level because you teach all different subjects and learn about and try new things yourself at the same time. Kids have an amazing way of opening your eyes up to things you wouldn't otherwise notice.

Teaching can be frustrating, I taught in a decile 1 school and it was very difficult to see all these children struggling with things you just can't help them with (ie at home). Behaviour issues can be very difficult to handle. And support isn't always there unless a child is a worst case scenario especially at decile 1 where so many need support. It can be political and frustrating with things like national standards when you know some children just don't fit the box you're trying to put them into.

I didn't have children when I studied but there were many people with children in my course and they managed, it was post graduate so the university was very accomodating if they needed to bring their children to uni and the children were welcomed on trips, events etc. It was very family orientated. I expect it was very hard on the people with children but they made it through.

It can be hard to get a job as a first time teacher but not impossible, you just have to be prepared to try as long as it takes and put yourself out there and take any job that comes your way not just the ones that suit your ideal. I never planned to work in decile 1 in south auckland but it was the best thing I ever did.

The money is reasonable, the hours can be long, usually not 9-3! More like 8-5 but you do have a lot of flexibility in that. Schools are usually accomodating too as lots of teachers are mums. Its a job where you can make it work around your life. It's not easy, it's one of the hardest things Ive done but also the most rewarding.

Hope that helps

Oh and some hard to staff subjects in secondary offer scholarships, tution plus $10,000.

I trained as a primary teacher but only did one probationary year so i've only taught that one year, and would have to retrain now so i'm only of limited help.

I did primary because i didnt want to get a degree in something then do the teaching bit afterwards.

To be totally honest i did it because i'd finished school, was going to uni (because thats what you do, you know?) and needed to study something. Teaching has good hours, holidays off appealed etc.

I stopped teaching because a guy i graduated with started teaching at my school the same time and while i'd show up for a work day he'd show up to live his absolute passion. Where i'd do patrol he would patrol AND set up a cricket match for the boys and play - he'd go to games on the weekends to support kids in his class even though he wasnt a coach etc, he was really really passionate and dedicated and i just was working.

There were several moms in my stream (chch tcol had streams of 30 odd so we were close) and i think they just found themselves a potential 30 babysitters, desperate uni girls who would love to sit in a warm home, have some food and play with a cute kid for money. They often brought their kids to class if they were sick too, no one minded.

I found it really easy to get a job, i think 90% of my class were offered employment in the school they did their final placement in.

Whatever way you go, Good Luck!

I teach secondary - I like the growing adult perspective you get from them. And it fits what I studied at varsity. Okay, not so keen on the bolshy unmotivated 14 year olds, but you only get each lot for an hour a day!

Hours are flexible - yes it is a lot of work crammed into term time, but the first few years are definitely th hardest.

It's as political as you want it to be. You don't even have to join the PPTA - you'll get the benefits of the strike action anyway! Other than that, it's much like any other workplace in that how 'political' it is depends on the personalities involved.

Pay is reasonable imo. Okay, my lawyer brotehrs earn twice as much, but plenty earnless. And the pay scale is fairly structured, so you have certainty of going up the scale.

As for getting jobs, it depends very much on where you are and how flexible you can be. As an example, my former school advertised for an English teacher, and got three suitable applicants. At the same time, another school in a different area had 80 applicants! It can also be easier to get a job in a school that is more 'difficult', but thatis not necessarily the best thing when you are starting out. Baptism of fire is all very well in theory, but can lead to bad things.

Hope that helps!

Yes you can, I know chch Tcol (now university) used to and I assume they still do, but you still have to do placements etc.

I am undecided about primary or secondary - what made you decide which age group to teach?
-I never wanted to teach secondary. Secondary is more focussed on subject matter, primary is child-based and teaching them 'how' to learn to prep for secondary etc. I wanted to teach at a level where I could shape the children's lives holistically, not just in one or two subjects. But I can see the benefits of secondary

What do you love about your job? What do you hate? Is it really as political as some make it out to be?
-love my kids. I teach Y3/4 and they are awesome (even though it's younger than what I want to teach). We have an awesome class community. My school is awesome. I love being able to create things to teach that make a difference. I love being an extensive of the love that is at home (I teach at a decile 10 btw, this wouldn't be the case at some lower decile schools, but you also get very high and unrealistic expectations). I hate the paperwork, before the chch earthquake it was just constant courses, meetings (4 nights a week) and assessment now we have national standards. It's incredibly political!

How hard is it to study with young children?
-I didn't do it, but I have started my first year (hardest) while being a single mum (hubby on deployment overseas) to 2 young children. Studying is a breeze compared to this! You need a good support network for sicknesses etc. The money thing would be an issue, but if you're well supported you'll be fine.

How easy is it to get a job?
-I had my first 2 weeks after I graduated, so I never had a chance to start with. I did get offered one when I was pregnant though, so it would have been fine. Last year, I applied for about 30 jobs before being offered one at the school I was relieving 4 days a week at. I doubt I would have a job without that, I was out of the game for 2 years which is too long for a BT. A huge problem with primary is because of the recession so many experienced teachers are coming back, so they have no need to hire BT's at all. Places like Chch, Palmy etc are harder to get jobs in because there are teaching institutions here. About half of my class from TCol (27 of us) got jobs - about 20 applied so only 7 missed out.

Any other thoughts/advice?
-don't do it unless you're passionate. The money isn't that great to start with, but it does get better (definitely not in it for the money though!). We are hardly better off with me working fulltime, but I just really wanted my own class and I love them all! It's been hard not being at school this last week as last time I saw my darlings they were all crying and hysterical :(
-the hours are longer for primary. As a BT, expect your first year to be crazy and the 2nd year to be getting better. I haven't found it too bad as I'm used to being in the class (relieved a lot) but the paperwork and courses are what tops it off. I get up at 6, leave at 7.15, get home at 5.30, then once the kids are in bed I do about 2 hours work. I don't have to do all of that, but I want to make a difference (plus with all the kids fleeing Chch, I want to try and get a job for next year (only fixed term) so am treating this year like an extended interview). The kids get tired without mum being around as Dad isn't around either, but we make the most of the weekends.

I can see it getting a lot easier in the next few months though :) I'm pretty organised so most of what I do outside of school is either marking our beginning year assessment (which will go away obviously) or researching ways to do things better (like how to bump up my struggling learner as she doesn't fit well with the rest of the class, academically or socially).

It is awesome, and there's nothing better than all the kids trying to get to you first in the morning to say hello and give you a cuddle

I agree with the others who have suggested finding a good teacher you can talk to and going in to help them out during the week. (Not easy with kids I'm sure)

For me there are a few things that kill teaching at the moment, and I will be glad to be going on leave for a bit. Every school is different and thats probably the key to job satisfaction, finding a good boss and good school community.