Thinking of changing your career?

Looking for new challenges? Want to contribute more to your community. Then teaching may be the profession for you.

Many entrants to the profession are older individuals who are changing careers and looking to take on new challenges. In fact, teaching is one of the most popular choice of occupation for those planning a career change. Initial teacher training (ITT) providers and potential employers welcome the increased confidence that maturity brings. As any other prospective student or teacher, you will need to demonstrate your reasons for wishing to become a teacher and a commitment to helping children and young people learn.

Remember also that new discrimination legislation came into force in October 2006 meaning that no-one can be turned down on the grounds of their age.

• What you bring as a mature student
• Experience of a different sector: commercial/financial/public service etc.
• Transferable skills.
• Enthusiasm for new life experiences.
• Financial concerns.

Many mature entrants to ITT courses are making a financial sacrifice, giving up careers to train as a teacher because of the intrinsic rewards of teaching.

However, financial commitments are often particularly important for mature students. There are employment based routes you can take which offer a salary while training. You could also look into part-time or flexible PGCE courses, details of which can be retrieved from the Teacher Development Agency and Graduate Teacher Training Agency websites.

Commitments

When finding an appropriate ITT course and provider, you may also want to consider your mobility needs. You may be restricted geographically in terms of ITT provider and / or available schools for placement. It is important that you identify your needs and take them into account when searching for an appropriate ITT provider.

Not having the correct qualifications

While there is no ‘let out’ on having the right qualifications, providers are often more sympathetic to mature candidates in allowing them to sit or resit an equivalence test, rather than having to resit the relevant GCSE.

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