Becoming a teacher in the UK?

[Milkfloat]

By only being willing to work in a Private School your daughter is really limiting her possibilities. A Private school is not really geared up to helping someone gain their QTS, whereas a State school will be very familiar with it, especially with the current teacher shortage. Not all State schools are hellholes that nobody in their right mind would want to work in, there are plenty where it can be really quite pleasant, both are hard work.

 

[Dustydog]

My dil teaches 16/17 year olds at Harrogate Grammar School . Wind back ,took 3 years Uni getting degree and one year teacher training. Surely the extra year teacher training is available?
My Physio lass did her degree at Stellenbosch University 20 years ago. She now practices at the local private hospital plus runs her own practice.
Strikes me Buckman’s daughter should be allowed a year teacher training then onwards and upwards?
The Uk is short of teachers!

 

[Bluetonic]

I pity anyone working in a school nowadays. My wife is a Teaching Assistant in a primary school, far from being a "stapler and pencil sharpener" as I used to tease her, the TA's end up taking the lessons while the teachers get twisted into knots over planning and 101 other admin tasks. The pay is quite poor but as she can walk to school and there's a final salary pension, she carries on.

Some of the stories of the kids and parents that I hear are astounding........ Not for me thanks.

My wife's team used to get one Teaching assistant to share between 3 classes, unless they were needed elsewhere which they usually were.
Now even that resource has been removed due to cutbacks.
So now she teaches a class of 30, 1 with SEN and two with English very much a second language.
And is expected them all to pass their sats with no support.
She now works 14 hours a day and will usually do 8 hours or more over the weekend just to try and stay on top.
And all this for a 20% pay cut.
It's really not worth it and she will be getting out of teaching as soon as she can, it's just not sustainable anymore.

 

[Buckman]

By only being willing to work in a Private School your daughter is really limiting her possibilities. A Private school is not really geared up to helping someone gain their QTS, whereas a State school will be very familiar with it, especially with the current teacher shortage. Not all State schools are hellholes that nobody in their right mind would want to work in, there are plenty where it can be really quite pleasant, both are hard work.

Although she preferred working in a private school she was open to any vacancies to work with basically children in primary school as that was her area of expertise. It was by chance that she came across the vacancy for the private school as she was looking at any a primary school in the area.

 

[Jcloughie]

Just an update. The daughter got a temporary job in a school within walking distance of their home as a librarian before arriving in the UK. Although pay was low due to working only 4 hours a day she was happy but wanted a full time teaching post.

A vacancy came up at a private school about 12 miles away as a temporary assistant with a full teaching post becoming vacant at end of term in Feb when a teacher was leaving the school. She jumped at the chance and took the job.

She started work there at beginning of Feb and was basically a dogs body which she did not mind as she would be getting the teaching post. End of term arrived only to be told that the vacant post had been filled so she is still a dogs body earning less than a teaching assistant.

She does not want to change jobs again too soon as that may reflect on her at some point in life and taking into consideration fuel costs is now worse off than when she was doing the temp job and she is working more than a 9 hour day! Guess it is a case of live and learn!

I may be wrong, but I think there are laws that cover fair employment recruitment. Might be worth looking at.

When I retired, (teaching and head of department), my role had to be advertised nationally for a set period. As there were no takers, the college could then recruit the person I recommended from my current staff. This may have been to keep in line with college policy. But the private school your daughter is with will have their own policy on top of employment law.

Would the governors be happy that the job was possibly given to ‘a friend’, when more suitable candidates may have been available?

Sounds to me as though they made a decision without a fair and impartial procedure.

An employment lawyer would be useful.

John

PS, agree with others regarding stress. But most of mine came from poor management (not all), government decisions, funding policies, self-assessment, target meeting (unrealistic), and examination bodies.

Such fun.