How long does it take to train to be a teacher? I am 53, will it be worth it?

Question

What routes are there into teaching? Bearing in mind my age, I would like to take the quickest route possible.

Answer 1

When I was training to be a teacher I had a course with a man who was in 60's and just starting. He was hired right away; I think that they liked the fact that he was older and had experience, yet they did not have to pay him for 25 years experience. He LOVED it! And he was awesome!

If you have a degree already it can take much less time for you to get teacher certification. You can take course in a master degree for teaching certification. This can usually be done in 1 year or 1 1/2 years.

If you do not have a degree it will take you 4 years, unless you do have some credits that will be transferred. Where I live (Ohio) science teachers are in high demand.

In other states (like Fla.) they are so desperate for teachers that they will hire you and pay for you to go to school in the evenings while you teach during the day.

I love teaching. It is very rewarding and I think that it will be worth it for you. I suggest talking with an academic advisor at your local university. The amount of time it will take you depends really on prior degrees, which state you live in, etc. If you have interest in this field then I think that you will be glad you did it.

Answer 2

I can only comment on the UK system, so if you are from elsewhere then you will need to take further advice.

If you already hold a degree, then a one year PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate of education) would be the most sensible route. You do a one year course that includes loads of time on 'placement' in a variety of schools. Depending upon the subject that you would like to teach there may be payments at the begining and/or end of the course.... incentives for shortage subjects, if you will.

You would then do one year as an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) - but that is a job, in a school and you are being paid. Just not quite on the full rate. If you pass that year (basically - if you do not drop dead, 'Go Postal' or seriously fuk up you should pass) then you are a teacher.

If you do not have a degree then you will need to get on in a relevant subject... this takes 3 to 5 years, depending upon the subject (and, to some extent, your 'prior learning').

Then you still have to do the PGCE & NQT bits.

A BEd (Bachelor of Education) degree takes 3/4 years... following which you do the NQT thing.

There are some government schemes for 'on-the-job' training for people with a number of years relevent industry experience (the work industry rather than education industry) such as the Graduate Training Scheme. Not all schools have signed up for this, but it basically means that you can take a job teaching a subject that your industry experience matches. If you had, say, 20 years experience in a bank and wanted to be a maths teacher, for example, or as a chippy in construction for a 'Technology' teacher - (what we used to call 'woodwork/metalwork' is now 'Resistant Materials'). You work in a school and attend college too - it is by no means the 'easiest' route, as you are pretty much 'in the deep end' from the get-go - but you are also being paid from day one.

Check with your LEA (Local Education Authority - it's a part of your local council) as to what schemes they run and which schools are willing to participate.

Answer 3

Do you have a bachelor's degree already? If so, to be a teacher you will have to have a degree in a teachable major. If you do not have a bachelor's degree, then you need to go back to undergraduate school, get a teachable major, and then get teacher certification. That could take like 3-6 years depending on how many classes you take at a time. Have you considered becoming a librarian? If you have a bachelor's already, then you can get your master's in library science in 1-2 years. It took me 1 year to get mine. Being a librarian in a public or college library pays more than teaching and is less stressful. The work environment is a lot nicer too. Many people your age have turned to librarianship as a second career later in life. Of course, if you want to be a librarian in a K-12 school then you need to get your teaching degree and certification AND your master's in library science. If you have a bachelor's in a teachable major then all you need is certification and that won't take long to get. If you do not have a bachelor's degree but still would like to work in a school or library but don't want to go back to school and get your degree then becoming a teacher aide/paraprofessional or library aide/paraprofessional may be an option.

Answer 4

If you have a college degree and any experience at all in doing training or working with kids, then you might be able to get a job teaching at a private school. Most private schools do not require teacher certification. If you can demonstrate that you would be good at teaching a particular subject, then you have a chance.

Your chances of getting a job are much higher if you can teach in a technical field, like Math, Physics, Chemistry, or Computer Science. There's a shortage of teachers in those areas, so those jobs are easier to find.

Answer 5

As an ex teacher with 35 years of service, I would sound a note of caution and suggest that you get some experience of teaching before you commit yourself. If you are a graduate you might be able to get on the graduate training scheme ( See: http://www.gttr.ac.uk/) which I think takes one year and gives you plenty of experience in the classroom. A full time teacher's job is very demanding and requires a lot of energy and patience. If it turns out not to be what you were looking for, how about some other kind of work with young people? ( I've assumed you're in the UK, by the way).

Answer 6

If you have a degree, it will only take you one year doing a PGCE - you do the course that is either subject specific or a primary one. You then have to do an NQT year which is newly qualified where you have to continue collecting evidence to pass standards but are really a teacher! You get paid full wages that year. Or you can do a GTP programme for a year, you don't get a postgrad qualification with that but you still get teacher status - worth looking into I think. Good luck with it, just beware, its hard work!

Answer 7

You need a Bachelor's Degree (4-degree)in a specific subject to teach high school and you need the required education courses for your state. You will also have to do some type of student teaching for 4-5 months in most states. Elementary requires a 4-year degree in the specific type of education---Early Childhood, etc. It would definitely be worth it if you are truly passionate about learning, passing on knowledge, and exercising patience.

Answer 8

Providing you have a relevant skill and pass a police check you can teach in an F.E. college straight away.
If you have a Bachelors degree or similar you can do the GTTP program in a school, or delay for a year and take a PGCE.
I have been teaching 11 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else, it is very rewarding.

Answer 9

If you have a degree, you can do an alternative teacher training program, where you begin teaching right away, and take classes one night a week. At the end of one year, you will be licensed.

Call your local school district or department of education.

Answer 10

You can be a natural teacher from childhood- if gifted with wisdom and exceptional traits. My son is one as i learn from him now and them. You can study to be a teacher at any point in time as long as u have the health and the mind to accomplish this.
In my dialet, we have this saying that no one is ever above studying.
I'd rather be a student for life than be a teacher anyway and this is personal.
Yopu can never be too old to learn and impart what u have learnt. So get started.
You cannot predict your time of death so you dont have a good and tenable excuse not to go back to the classes to achieve this feat- if it really a feat anyway. Please dont give in- no matter what as its worth it
Good luck