So What Now?

Do you know what advert really bugs the crap out of me at the moment (apart from that bloody Aviva 'Green Army' one), it's this:

So, you're advertising for teachers eh? Must be a big shortage? Not bloody likely!

Last night I took another step on this long journaey to becoming a teacher. My first plan for teacher training was something called the GTP (graduate teacher programme) where you train on the job, perfect when you're in your 30s and need to earn money too. However, it looked to be too competitive so I'd shelved that idea when I had the bright idea to go into secondary instead.

So, a couple of weeks ago I'm browsing education vacancies when I come across an advert for the GTP. They're advertising? I wonder if there's a shortage now? So I put my name down and was invited to a meeting last night. It was run by a consortium for the local area and they have 20 places available for next September...324 of us turned up!

OK me thinks, don't let the competition put you off, someone's got to get it and you're a good candidate. That was until the woman who runs it started speaking. Her opening line was if you have kids, there's the door, unless you want to spend a year not seeing them. Er, what?! She said you had to work every evening and every weekend and so if you had a family you had to be prepared to not see them for 12 months. Sorry, I think I'm in the wrong meeting, I didn't realise you were signing up people for a stint in Afghanistan!

Why would they want to recruit people to work with young children who had no interest in spending time with their own young children? I know teaching isn't the cushy number people think, you don't get to work just school hours and I'm more than prepared for full time hours, bringing marking home etc; but to have no time for your own kids at all?

So, swift exit I make then spend the journey home contemplating what next? Why is teaching so hard to get in to when they're still advertising for teachers. I can't even get interviews for Teaching Assistant posts at the moment. So, my options seem to be:

1) Apply for a traditional PGCE next Sept where I have a 1 in 5 chance of getting on (not to mention the competition after it's complete for a teaching post).

2) Go and work in school unpaid (yeah, we've not got a mortgage or anything)

3) Go back to secondary and risk life and limb every day (er, nope!)

4) Go teach in prisons (which is infinately more appealing than secondary!)

5) Go teach in FE (but you need experience to get on the PGCE for that, but to get a job in FE you need experience in FE!)

6) Sack the whole thing off and look at a different career (answers on a postcard please!)

I said to Rob last night that I may aswell said I want to be a rock star, I think I'd have stood more chance!