Any teachers out there?!

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peanut0611

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Hi everyone!

I am currently in year two out of three of a BSc Equine Studies. I've realised that not only are there limited amounts of jobs in the equine industry, the ones that are available aren't for me. I therefore had a good look at my passions and talents, and decided I would like to be a secondary school english teacher (preferably at an international school, as this is the system I grew up in and grew to love). I would focus on teaching english.

What is the best way to get there? I have looked at a 2-year degree course in English Literature & Language at Buckingham University and it looks quite interesting, especially as it is only 2 years.

Are you a teacher? What do you teach? Are you enjoying it? How did you get to the place you're at now? And what role do horses still play in your life? I'd love to hear about any experiences :)
 
I am a Teacher. I took a HND in equine studies for 2 years and then a Bsc in Equine science. I then did a PGCE for a year and taught in the early years sector for 10 years. I loved it at first and it has enabled me to have horses and the holidays are great. But Teachers are getting a lot of flak now:( it is a very stressful occupation and long hours constant meetings and often negative observations. I have now gone into supply which although is not as well paid I can leave at 4pm and never have to worry about planning and reports! So if you are really committed and are willing to out in the hours it is a rewarding job.:D:D
good luck
 
I'm a secondary maths teacher. It's busy, hard work, but I love it, wouldn't consider anything else.

I go out competing most weekends, horse gets exercised 6 days a week in the summer, and 4/5 days a week in winter. I tend to get to work early in the morning, so I can leave not long after 3pm in the afternoons. I've been on half term this week, so have spent practically all week with the horses :)
 
Im a teacher, I did an equine science degree. I teach science . I enjoy the job and good at it, perhaps not forever. It's horrifically stressful and up to exam time its a nightmare, sept to april is uphill struggle. On the plus side my team are brilliant people and I have made good friends. Winter is miserable.with the horses .

On the good side, rewarding , comedy is often with kids, sometimes I wonder if I should just try teaching common sense! Holidays are immense but required, and when b the big kids are gone I have such awesom
e lessons b with lower school kids and I can ride after school. I couldn't cope without mum and fellow yard friend as we rota mornings and nights. If you can handle kids and stress go for it.

Research good pgce providers some I dont think are very supsportive. sorry about dodgy phone spelling
 
I'm an English teacher - have been for 37 years. I started in secondary and now teach in a sixth form college. You'll need an English degree and a PGCE. I've enjoyed most of the time, but it's a very different job now - much more stressful and hard work. Holidays are great, and I keep a number of horses and ponies. Enough is enough - this will be my last year, but there's a lot I'll miss - mostly the students; definitely not OFSTED!
 
Teacher over here too. If you don't want the expense of doing a PGCE you could do a TEFL course and teach English here or abroad. I know several people who have made a natural transition from equine science to science teacher but not many who have chosen secondary english (you would probably need to do an English Lang or Lit degree first). However, with any degree there are now several different ways into teaching including SCITT training. There is another learn on the job scheme that ran in some counties last year, not sure if they are running it again or not, but could find out more for you if you're interested.

It is a tough job, despite what people think about the holidays, but it is equally rewarding. Like any job, it's what you make it.x
 
Deputy Head here, English teacher. I wish, wish, wish I had trained in a practical subject. Far less marking, students are more enthusiastic, less pressure and constant focus on your department..... I could go on.

People who have never taught will never understand why teachers need the holidays and boy will you need them. You have to be in constant control of your emotions and reactions which is very tiring.

I would recommend teaching but with the warning that it is stressful, pressured, relentless, heart breaking, and sometimes soul destroying.

The rest of the time it is hilarious, rewarding, fast paced, well rewarded financially and with the holidays and brilliantly varied.

Edited to add - thank you to Pogface, she obviously didn't notice that I got here first!
 
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I'm a teacher *waves from behind pile of marking*

This is my fourth year teaching English and I'm also head of year. I did a secondary pgce in English but ended up teaching in a middle school (year 5,6,7&8)

I do love it... Most of the time. It is unbelievably rewarding, but it can be horribly stressful and at times, the pressure to be brilliant all the time feels unbareable.

However! I would suggest anyone try it. You can do it all over the world, teachers will always be needed and its certainly something to fall back on if you wanted a break.

Horse wise, I don't have my own, I share, strangely the owner of my share is also a teacher, if ur lucky she will also post on this thread as very experienced and brilliant teacher...

I'm in school early so I can leave early, ponio is not far from school so not difficult to get to.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Hi,

I'm a head of science in a large academy and love it! As others have said though it is stressful and I don't spend enough time with the horses or my job would suffer. That said it allows me to afford to keep three (one retired and one nearly retired).

You would need an English degree but after that look into teach first programmes if you want to go straight into employment as opposed to a PGCE.

I rarely get home these days before five and most nights it is closer to half five so don't think it is an always finish at three job but the holidays are immense even though last week I spent two days of my week off in work.

Good luck x
 
Thanks so much everyone, you've all been immensely helpful and I love reading your experiences. I am slightly confused about the PGCE however... If I do an English Lang/Lit degree, will I need a PGCE to start teaching in secondary school?
 
Hi

I teach chemistry in a sixth form college. I do enjoy it but it is hard work (although i think compared to a lot of teachers i have it easy!) and although everyone says we have very long holidays (and we do) they are needed. I enjoy the variety within a set structure, most students are nice and fun. I wouldn't want to work in a secondary or primary school as i think they have far more paperwork and hassle. I also think that the calibre of student has been going down since i have been teaching (this is my 6th year) in terms of behaviour, work ethic and background knowledge and if it continues in this way i don't think it is a job i would continue to do forever.

I had a horse on loan last year but found working full time + horse + some tutoring and extra work to make more money + boyfriend + house too much and gave him up. To be honest he wasn't really the right horse for me otherwise i might have carried on! I now have a lesson once a week and share twice a week.

I would suggest you contact a local school and ask if you can go in and observe some lessons for a couple of days to confirm it is something you want to do.
 
peanut0611 said:
Thanks so much everyone, you've all been immensely helpful and I love reading your experiences. I am slightly confused about the PGCE however... If I do an English Lang/Lit degree, will I need a PGCE to start teaching in secondary school?
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Yes, you will. The PGCE is where you learn how to teach and have two lengthy placements in different schools. You will begin observing and then eventually teaching, by the end of a placement you may have full responsibility for a classes' education for a month or more. You will also attend weekly lectures and meetings focused on pedagogy and the science of learning.
 
I'm a HLTA which means I plan and take classes mainly ppa and some stand in for sickness. I stick to my fav subjects art, dt and humanities with some swimming supervision. I'm paid a higher rate than a TA but not as much as a teacher. I've a SpLD post grad qualification and look after the network and resources.
So job has huge variety with the bonus of school hols and not the hassle of target chasing and assessments.:)
 
Billie1007 said:
Yes, you will. The PGCE is where you learn how to teach and have two lengthy placements in different schools. You will begin observing and then eventually teaching, by the end of a placement you may have full responsibility for a classes' education for a month or more. You will also attend weekly lectures and meetings focused on pedagogy and the science of learning.
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Excellent, thank you for this!

I am very interested in doing a short placement at a school to observe and see whether it is what I'd really like to do. In my equine degree I have a module called Coaching Methods, which centres around learning and teaching techniques, which I very much enjoy and have gotten constant 1st's in... That was my first indicator towards teaching.

How long is the usual observation placement at a school? How do I go about organising one?

Can't get over how helpful everyone has been, thank you thank you thank you!
 
peanut0611 said:
Excellent, thank you for this!

I am very interested in doing a short placement at a school to observe and see whether it is what I'd really like to do. In my equine degree I have a module called Coaching Methods, which centres around learning and teaching techniques, which I very much enjoy and have gotten constant 1st's in... That was my first indicator towards teaching.

How long is the usual observation placement at a school? How do I go about organising one?

Can't get over how helpful everyone has been, thank you thank you thank you!
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I'm a primary teacher- I teach year 6 and absolutely love it. Doing a placement is a great idea. We get lots of letters and emails from people wishing to volunteer at school, a few of which we are able to help with. As for duration it's up to you really but the more you can get the better, some people do a half day/ day a week during their degree course. Being in a school as a volunteer will help you to get a place on a PGCE as competition for places can be pretty high. You'll need to do a subject degree then a PGCE or in some areas they do the Graduate Teacher Programme which is where you spend the whole year in the school and are employed as an unqualified teacher, so get about £14,000 for the year. I work in Stoke and they have stopped doing the GTP but they may still do it in other areas. Contact the Local Authority who should be able to help you.

As far as teaching and horses are concerned, I think they fit well with each other. The holidays are great and to have 6 weeks of horse time over summer is brilliant. The pay is ok too, particularly when you have a few years experience. It is hard work and stressful as others have said and I tend to work until 10pm ish Mon-Thurs night. This does mean, however, that I have the weekend free and do only the minimum in the holidays. If you work hard during term time you can have lots of horse time in the hols. Don't be too influenced by those who moan about the job- if you're organised and realistic you can play hard too!

Very best of luck with it :)

ETA- I used to be involved in teaching the Graduate teachers on the GTP and am the school link for trainees at Uni. Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info/ help.
 
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magichorse said:
I'm a primary teacher- I teach year 6 and absolutely love it. Doing a placement is a great idea. We get lots of letters and emails from people wishing to volunteer at school, a few of which we are able to help with. As for duration it's up to you really but the more you can get the better, some people do a half day/ day a week during their degree course. Being in a school as a volunteer will help you to get a place on a PGCE as competition for places can be pretty high. You'll need to do a subject degree then a PGCE or in some areas they do the Graduate Teacher Programme which is where you spend the whole year in the school and are employed as an unqualified teacher, so get about £14,000 for the year. I work in Stoke and they have stopped doing the GTP but they may still do it in other areas. Contact the Local Authority who should be able to help you.

As far as teaching and horses are concerned, I think they fit well with each other. The holidays are great and to have 6 weeks of horse time over summer is brilliant. The pay is ok too, particularly when you have a few years experience. It is hard work and stressful as others have said and I tend to work until 10pm ish Mon-Thurs night. This does mean, however, that I have the weekend free and do only the minimum in the holidays. If you work hard during term time you can have lots of horse time in the hols. Don't be too influenced by those who moan about the job- if you're organised and realistic you can play hard too!

Very best of luck with it :)
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Wonderful, thanks so much. I'm definitely going to look for a volunteering placement for a day a week. I completely agree with your last point; any job can be stressful and hectic, but the more organised you are the less stressful it will be. That's my philosophy anyway :)
 
I'm currently training, but not via the PGCE.

There are several ways into teaching, the PGCE is not necessarily the most practical for some people.

I'm doing the GTP, which is sadly ending this year, it's 100% schools based, and I'm paid a salary. This is being replaced by the Schools Direct programme, which I believe requires a degree in your subject, and 3 years experience of work (anywhere). It is based in a school 100% of the time, but you may not be surplus to requirements, and therefore may have to teach from day 1!! It is only available for in demand subjects, English may be one of them, my subject (history) certainly isn't! I can't remember if it is salaried...

There is also the SCITT, which is school based but you have to pay for it

Or Teach First, which is a strange beast that places ''exceptional'' trainees in failing schools.

Or of course, the PGCE - basically another year as a student, based in a university and going to lectures, with 2 12 week (I think) placements in schools.

You will be assessed through essays and observations, and in my case I need to file 'evidence' against each of the 8 Teacher's Standards to prove that I have met all the criteria. I don't know if the other routes require this.

I don't know if this is any good for you... http://www.education.gov.uk/get-int...itt-routes/ways-of-getting-into-teaching.aspx

It is HARD. And apparently the NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) year is HARDER. I'm constantly tired, work from about 8am-10pm most days (usually give myself Saturdays off), I fill in endless amounts of paperwork that is specific to my GTP, plus marking and planning and all the stuff that 'real' teachers have to do as well!!

But, I love it! The kids are funny and for the most part really keen to learn. It's never boring and the holidays are lush (even if I do spend a lot of them working!) - it's great if you have horses, because you can leave at 3.30 and just do your work later in the evening, meaning more chance of daylight in the winter!

If you want to know anything more, PM me!
 
ChiffChaff said:
I'm currently training, but not via the PGCE.

There are several ways into teaching, the PGCE is not necessarily the most practical for some people.

I'm doing the GTP, which is sadly ending this year, it's 100% schools based, and I'm paid a salary. This is being replaced by the Schools Direct programme, which I believe requires a degree in your subject, and 3 years experience of work (anywhere). It is based in a school 100% of the time, but you may not be surplus to requirements, and therefore may have to teach from day 1!! It is only available for in demand subjects, English may be one of them, my subject (history) certainly isn't! I can't remember if it is salaried...

There is also the SCITT, which is school based but you have to pay for it

Or Teach First, which is a strange beast that places ''exceptional'' trainees in failing schools.

Or of course, the PGCE - basically another year as a student, based in a university and going to lectures, with 2 12 week (I think) placements in schools.

You will be assessed through essays and observations, and in my case I need to file 'evidence' against each of the 8 Teacher's Standards to prove that I have met all the criteria. I don't know if the other routes require this.

I don't know if this is any good for you... http://www.education.gov.uk/get-int...itt-routes/ways-of-getting-into-teaching.aspx

It is HARD. And apparently the NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) year is HARDER. I'm constantly tired, work from about 8am-10pm most days (usually give myself Saturdays off), I fill in endless amounts of paperwork that is specific to my GTP, plus marking and planning and all the stuff that 'real' teachers have to do as well!!

But, I love it! The kids are funny and for the most part really keen to learn. It's never boring and the holidays are lush (even if I do spend a lot of them working!) - it's great if you have horses, because you can leave at 3.30 and just do your work later in the evening, meaning more chance of daylight in the winter!

If you want to know anything more, PM me!
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Thanks so much for the detailed post, it definitely cleared things up for me. Unfortunately (or fortunately... whichever way you look at it, haha!) I went straight from IB (similar to highschool/sixth form) to university and therefore have not been employed, and would not be eligible for the School Direct programme.
 
peanut0611 said:
Thanks so much for the detailed post, it definitely cleared things up for me. Unfortunately (or fortunately... whichever way you look at it, haha!) I went straight from IB (similar to highschool/sixth form) to university and therefore have not been employed, and would not be eligible for the School Direct programme.
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I've quoted the wrong bit, but re you wanting to observe some lessons, this was a requirement of the PGCE, you had to do some observation in both primary and secondary (although the PGCE was secondary). Just phone some schools and explain, it's usually 2 weeks sat observing, but if you could do anything else- such as voluntary work, even if not in a school but with young people generally- that would help your PGCE application as some courses are over-subscribed. I completed my PGCE, then went onto the PhD, but wish I'd stayed in teaching! Best of luck
 
horsesatemymoney said:
I've quoted the wrong bit, but re you wanting to observe some lessons, this was a requirement of the PGCE, you had to do some observation in both primary and secondary (although the PGCE was secondary). Just phone some schools and explain, it's usually 2 weeks sat observing, but if you could do anything else- such as voluntary work, even if not in a school but with young people generally- that would help your PGCE application as some courses are over-subscribed. I completed my PGCE, then went onto the PhD, but wish I'd stayed in teaching! Best of luck
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Great, thanks very much. Love your sig btw!
 
I teach reception/Year 1 and It's a lovely mix of ages and abilities. I was a qualified nurse before I trained as a teacherm and have been teaching for 15 years.

When you are newly qualified, it's intense, hard work. But as you gain experience, you develop strategies for dealing with 'stuff'.

The school holidays are lovely, but extremely necessary for de-stressing. Thursday of the half term holiday is always a rotten day for me. I get a headache, feel downright poorly, tired all day long. It takes five days for me to finally let go and relax. I never plan anything much for thursdays.

I'm not entirely sure that I could get away with leaving work at 3.30... 4pm is the earliest I can manage. I've warned the new Head Teacher about this, because Life is too short and ponies don't last forever.
I work to fund my lifestyle - I refuse to live for my work.

A previous Head Teacher died after 12 weeks of retirement, and had put loads of things off until she retired. She was cheated, and I intend to live my life while I've got it.
 
I'm hopefully going to be doing my teacher training next year! Currently doing a equine sport science degree. & want to teach key stage 1/2. I've been volunteering as a Ta for the last 2 years in a local school along side uni & I love it! Can't wait to qualify!
 
I'm a teacher of geography and geology. I teach at an FE college. I only teach students sitting exams therefore its super stressfu as my pay depends on me ensuring teenaged meet or exceed predicted grades!!!! I studied law at uni but hated it despite being good at it lol. I somehow manage 2 horses and a dog and competing. It's possible to do it but I'm feeling a bit down and worn out and I've only been teaching since 2006!! The key is finding a school who appreciate that you need a life. I loose a lot of holidays due to field trips and we often work very late with extra tuition but my OH is horsey (has his own cob) so helps me out when I have a late night . I love my job and couldn't do another but it's not as easy as the government make out!!
 
ilvpippa said:
I'm hopefully going to be doing my teacher training next year! Currently doing a equine sport science degree. & want to teach key stage 1/2. I've been volunteering as a Ta for the last 2 years in a local school along side uni & I love it! Can't wait to qualify!
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Excellent! How did you organise this volunteering placement? Are there any requirements for the placement, i.e. experience?
 
Peanut, get in touch with local schools. Ask if you can shadow and support for a couple of weeks or one day a week for a half term, whatever suits you. Offer to support students in class, put up displays, fetch and carry :)
 
Billie1007 said:
Peanut, get in touch with local schools. Ask if you can shadow and support for a couple of weeks or one day a week for a half term, whatever suits you. Offer to support students in class, put up displays, fetch and carry :)
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^^^ Agree! If you have any contacts in local schools or maybe your old school, that's a good place to start. Failing that, call in to local schools with a well-worded letter addressed to the headteacher (find out their name if you don't already know it).
 
Secondary maths teacher. I found teaching hugely stressful. I now work for a company who are developing teaching software and it's awesome. It combines my passion for teaching and maths but without the incessant planning, marking, parents evenings, dept meetings, poor senior management, bad parenting etc. I have my evenings and weekends back. It is a hugely rewarding job but be aware it IS stressful and you WON'T work 9am-3pm Mon to Fri. 7:30 - 7pm during the week and most of Sun seems more realistic.
 
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