Is a career in teaching worth it?

I love psychology and have already decided to study it at university. However, the jobs related to this subject are quite limited. Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) and Educational Psychology (DEdPsy) are the two careers I would consider, but both are extremely competitive and sound a bit too stressful.

So, I am thinking whether I should pursue a career in teaching instead. This is because I enjoy working with adolescents and my teachers really inspire me. Does being a teacher sound appealing to you? Why/why not?

I'd really appreciate your response. :smile:

Reply 1

evekay

2

Original post by tianshan

I love psychology and have already decided to study it at university. However, the jobs related to this subject are quite limited. Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) and Educational Psychology (DEdPsy) are the two careers I would consider, but both are extremely competitive and sound a bit too stressful.

So, I am thinking whether I should pursue a career in teaching instead. This is because I enjoy working with adolescents and my teachers really inspire me. Does being a teacher sound appealing to you? Why/why not?

I'd really appreciate your response. :smile:

I've done Psychology too, so i know exactly how you feel!

I've actually been volunteering at my local primary school (so they're around 7-8 years old) and honestly never thought i'd love it as much as i do - i am seriously considering a teaching career now!

I would NEVER want to work with adolescents though... like I just see how difficult I was and my classmates (when I went to school) and feel so sorry for the teachers haha! Just don't think it'd suit me...

But honestly I recommend trying to volunteer at a local school? So you get a feel of what it's like to make sure you want to go down that route... like I said i never knew i'd enjoy teaching as much as I do (I am basically a teaching assistant at the school I work at).

It might be worth mentioning as well that i've heard that you don't always have to go to university to become a teacher, depending on what type of teacher of course. So it's definitely worth getting in touch with some local schools and ask around to find out more before you decide! :smile:

Reply 2

Elivercury

16

Teaching isn't something to be entered into lightly. It is hard work and despite popular belief, usually involves long hours taking work home and even working through the holidays to keep on top of things. Not to mention generally respect for teachers and morale in the profession is at an all time low. It also isn't especially well paid.

On the other hand, you are actively making a different to pupil's lives and helping them build the foundations of their careers, so it can be incredibly rewarding in that way.

I would note that psychology is something typically taught more at FE (unsure if you can do GCSE psychology), so you may be more limited with it than with a "core" subject which would allow you to teach all age ranges. I'm unsure how this may affect you in practice, whether you would be required to provide a lot of cover for a variety of subjects or simply positions being rarer/more competitive. I did give it a quick google and you can do for example Biology with Psychology PGCE - so perhaps that might be an option. Really it's something you'd have to research yourself.

Honestly though, given you're not at university yet, I would just enjoy your time at university and see if you can volunteer at a local school (possibly your old one) to get some experience of being in the classroom. You'll quickly figure out if it is for you or not and it'll help you when applying (if you decide to).

Best of luck!

Reply 3

Elivercury

16

Original post by evekay

I've done Psychology too, so i know exactly how you feel!

I've actually been volunteering at my local primary school (so they're around 7-8 years old) and honestly never thought i'd love it as much as i do - i am seriously considering a teaching career now!

I would NEVER want to work with adolescents though... like I just see how difficult I was and my classmates (when I went to school) and feel so sorry for the teachers haha! Just don't think it'd suit me...

But honestly I recommend trying to volunteer at a local school? So you get a feel of what it's like to make sure you want to go down that route... like I said i never knew i'd enjoy teaching as much as I do (I am basically a teaching assistant at the school I work at).

It might be worth mentioning as well that i've heard that you don't always have to go to university to become a teacher, depending on what type of teacher of course. So it's definitely worth getting in touch with some local schools and ask around to find out more before you decide! :smile:

There is no requirement to be a qualified teacher for independent schools, however they are relatively few and far between and you are typically hired because you've a wealth of experience. It's not really a route I would advise to a fresh grad (or someone about to take their undergrad in this case).

Otherwise I agree with everything you said!

Reply 4

Carnationlilyrose

18

Psychology is a hugely popular option for A level in many, if not most, sixth forms, and there is also a GCSE, though it's a lot less common.

Reply 5

Angelil

19

I would recommend it, yes. It can be stressful but it is manageable (but I think I handle stress quite well generally so am possibly not the best person to speak to on this front!).

I have taught English and Humanities to 12-18-year-olds for the past 8 years. I love it - no two days are the same and despite the general moodiness and occasional defiance, adolescents are wonderful people to work with (far more interesting than many adults!). The majority are principled, caring, funny and curious.

Education itself also has so many paths you can go down career-wise: it's not just teaching but also examining, inspecting, educational journalism, educational research...

I say all this, though, as a teacher in the independent sector, so do ask around.

Reply 6

myblueheaven339

19

Teaching is stressful, time consuming and frustrating. But, it is incredibly rewarding and so much fun. My year 11s have just finished their exams today and I am going to miss them terribly, can't wait to hear about what they're doing in the future.

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Reply 7

Blackstarr

20

One good thing is the holidays.

Reply 8

LCAMPBELL94

1

Teaching is a love of labour tbh, if you dont love it then its a difficult job for anyone to do. You just need to do a bit of research and find out for yourself what suits you best. There are some good free books on amazon that talk you through the decision, might be worth checking them out!

Reply 9

Crabb1ey

7

Sorry, about to bring the bad news - do NOT go into teaching. I've seen what it did to my mum and it was heartbreaking. Teaching is not about the children now - the government purely cares about meeting grades and targets. Each child has its own set of targets, you as the teacher, have to ensure the child achieves. My mum ended up so stressed she got seriously ill - lost weight, was having nervous breakdowns, and was off for days with severe migraines (cluster headaches). She ended up getting long-term sick-leave and was able to take early retirement. The retirement age for teachers has increased. when you've got teachers who've been teachers for a long time all suddenly desperate to retire and retiring at the first chance they get, you know something's wrong.

The workload is horrific - it's so much marking, lesson planning, plus getting ready for OFSTED inspections. My mum left early and didn't get home until 6pm, then she continued working until she went to bed, which could be 10pm at night. She would be so stressed that she couldn't sleep and so would be in the kitchen marking! And her holidays were spent marking and lesson planning.

The education department is run by a bunch of idiots who've never actually done teaching or actually sat down and look at the amount of work they're setting teachers. My mum entered teaching because she loves actually teaching, by the end she physically could not enter the school because even walking into it made her feel physically sick. Maybe look at other countries but right now the UK is an awful place to do teaching.

Reply 10

LittleL97

3

Hi! Would you say finding a psychology teaching job is difficult?

Is a career in teaching worth it?

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