Hi,
As the title suggests I'm looking to chnage from my corporate private sector career and go into FE teaching.
From what I can see you don't need a specific qualification because you can get that whilst doing the job, so you can simply start based upon your degree and working life experience/knowledge?

Is that it in a nutshell or am I too naiive?
Any feedback gratefully appreciated!
Cheers
James

Assuming you can afford the massive drop in salary….

My view of FE teaching (from having observed Mrs North's mother, who was an FE lecturer and my own mother who taught at FE level) is that it is the forgotten relation of secondary and higgher education, and as such funding and development is sorely needed.

On teaching, did you hear the interview with the Conservative chap on the Today Programme this morning? Might be worth considering secondary….

Anyway, I know that miketually of this parish teaches at that level (sixth form, though). He'll be able to help.

ourmaninthenorth:

Was fascinated how the Tory on the Today program insisted that pay had nothing to do with the quality of teaching, claiming that intelligence and educational excellence were the key factors.

I take it we can also expect the Tories to apply this logical reasoning to the banking and finance sector?
Or do bonuses not count? 😕

How to salaries compare at different types of teaching establishment? I wondered if I might more into teaching one day but going back to studying for a teaching qualification does put me off.

Sadly I missed that one, but I've read some of the bumpf online today.

Regarding salary, yes I appreciate there is a big disconnect but my company has already stopped my pension( in lieu of £500million losses), I get 25 days holiday, I work at least 6 days a week on the continent per month (not including travel), I occasionally travel at weekends if it's a longhaul trip and now in ecomony class and finally they want me to move to Germany.

With that in mind dropping my annual salary isn't such a loss!

The benefit, from what i can see, is that I can go straight into FE rather get 'paid' 8k for a year whilst doing a PGCE thus forcing me to sell my house to afford to do it. Plus, I'd rather teach young adults or mature students anyway.

If your interested in getting in to teaching adults/older teenagers & you already have at least a first degree, have you thought about teaching for the OU?

It's HE & not FE I know, but you could try it out while still holding on to your corporate job (as it's part-time). You could then see if you like it before committing to jumping ship.

HE is still better funded than FE, inspite of recent cuts.

I've been seriously considering teaching at primary level for a while and the recent news that there is a shortage of male primary teachers has got me thinking again. However, I don't have a degree and it seems that is pre-requisite for teacher training. Anybody here ever retrained as a teacher?

My view of FE teaching (from having observed Mrs North's mother, who was an FE lecturer and my own mother who taught at FE level) is that it is the forgotten relation of secondary and higgher education, and as such funding and development is sorely needed.

Absolutely. Govt spending per pupil in FE is a fraction of that in schools, and the FE colleges normally teach more vocational stuff that needs more than plain classrooms. So they pay poorly for lecturers, and they tend to be pretty useless.

(veteran of a few years supporting IT at a big FE college)