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CHANGING CAREER Continued from page 36

The former marketing executive
Jo Stainton teaches Year 1 at Rosendale primary school in Lambeth. She previously worked in marketing for a publishing company for five years.

While working in publishing I often fantasised about becoming a teacher. It was a career I had always admired, due to the dedication and commitment of my father (a former headteacher who now works for the NUT) and friends’ enthusiasm for the job.

Although I enjoyed marketing, I never felt truly satisfied or challenged, and these feelings came to a head towards the end of 2004. I decided I wanted to train to be a teacher and used some annual leave to volunteer in schools. After observing some fantastic teachers and children, I had to give it a go.

My family agreed that I could move back home while I trained, which took away some of the anxiety of financing university. I did a primary education degree with qualified teacher status at Greenwich.

I joined the NUT because I was aware of the work they do to help teachers and the support they provide for newly qualified teachers (NQTs). I’d like to attend some of the union’s continuing professional develoment courses during the next year, and it’s good to know that I can ask for help from my union if I ever need it.

In comparison to my previous job, my salary now is less and my workload is huge. I could do my marketing job from nine to five and then not think about it until the next day. Teaching is completely different – especially, I found, as an NQT. During my first term I was rarely home before eight or nine and I then would sometimes continue working at home. I was so tired at the weekend and in the evenings that I hardly had a social life, but things have improved a bit since then.

The job satisfaction is incomparable. It’s so exciting to watch a child have the ‘spark’ – where suddenly everything slots in to place and they grasp a concept or idea, or they say something that makes you change your thinking.

No day is the same, no child is the same. You have to be prepared for anything to happen, like Ofsted coming in, or swine flu or snow. I enjoy the responsibility of helping children to develop their personalities and relationships, and I enjoy working alongside parents and colleagues. I never thought it was possible to love your job so much!

The former solicitor
Former solicitor Paul Cooper now teaches history to 11 to 16 year olds at the John Henry Newman School in Stevenage.

Until my late 30s I was a solicitor, dealing with civil litigation, but I’d been disenchanted with my job for a while. There were interesting aspects, but I wasn’t getting job satisfaction.

What I enjoyed most was supervising trainees, so I thought maybe I could teach law to adults. I went to my local sixth form college to observe some adult education law classes, but when the teacher showed me some of her A level classes I thought they looked more interesting. After that I did work experience in schools to find out more.

I’ve always been passionate about history – I did a history degree before converting to law – and I thought it would be challenging and fun to teach it. I did School-Centred Initial Teacher Training through the North Bedfordshire Consortium, which I really enjoyed. My placements, first in an upper school, then a middle school, were hands-on and practical.

During my training, people told me how important it was to belong to a union in case I had allegations made against me. Lots of colleagues mentioned the NUT and told me that it was the biggest. There were some NUT magazines in the staffroom, so I looked through them and decided to join.

At the end of my training year I went on the NUT’s ‘just qualified’ course, which covered behaviour management and other issues facing new teachers. It was really good!

Two years into teaching, I now work twice to three times as hard as when I was a lawyer. Previously I would rarely work later than 6pm or at weekends. Now I regularly work until nine or ten at night, and weekends too.

My salary is about half what it once was, but money isn't everything! I was never a city solicitor earning megabucks, and had I started teaching when I started my legal career I think my pay now would be comparable with what I was earning. The job satisfaction just doesn’t compare, though – it’s so much better in teaching. I love the endless variety and the potential to make a positive impact in young people’s lives.

My advice to others thinking of making a similar career change would be to research it properly. Go to as many schools and speak to as many teachers as you can. All those I approached were really helpful. It’s an extremely supportive profession.

If you're retraining to be a teacher, or have recently done so, don't forget that the NUT offers lots of support to NQTs.

All teachers qualifying in 2010 can get four terms’ full membership of the NUT for just £1. Join online at www.teachers.org.uk or call 0845 300 2510 or 020 7380 6369.

Each year the NUT publishes First Post for NQTs seeking their first teaching job. The 2010 guide will be distributed over Christmas and available online at www.teachers.org.uk. The union also runs training courses for student and NQT members. For forthcoming courses see page 34, and for the full programme visit www.teachers.org.uk/training. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52