Career Guidance

Hi, i'm sorry this might be a long post; but there is a lot i need to discuss .

I've recently finished my A Levels in Law, Business and Economics, achieving grades A*AA and i also got a grade C in Mathematics at AS Level.

In October i start Lancaster University to start my degree in Law. However i've come to the realisation, that even though i absolutely love the subject, i have absolutely no intention of pursuing a legal career as a Lawyer, but i am almost certain that i want to go into teaching.

At the moment i'm thinking more of primary school teaching, but what subjects could i teach, given i have no degree in the main subject areas?

Also how do i go about actually becoming a primary school teacher? Because i've only recently started thinking about this.

Primary teaching doesn't require a specific degree, so you can do all primary teaching with a law degree

There are a few ways to train to be a primary teacher, with Schools Direct (salaried/unsalaried), uni PGCE, Teach First, and probably others I've forgotten!

You don't need a relevant degree to go into primary teaching - I'll be applying for Early Primary PGCEs next October and I do a Politics degree! A national curriculum subject can be advantageous but studying law won't hold you back. You'd struggle to get into secondary school, but both the 3-7 and 5-11 Primary pathways should be open to you.

You should firstly get some time in the classroom by volunteering. That's the only way you'll get to truly know if it's right for you, and it's a requirement for teacher training courses. Most courses require only 10 days (in the year before applying) but I recommend volunteering as much as you can.

As for applying, in your final year of uni you'd apply for a one-year PGCE via UCAS, in the same way you applied for your undergad degree. Another option is School Direct (similar to a PGCE, but more centred around one school), or Teach First.

Thank you so much for your replies, that's a relief . As soon as I get my timetable I'll start messages local primary school and start asking to shadow the teachers

Just as a bit of a warning, you might find it hard to get to volunteer - it really depends on the school. I emailed all three of my local primary schools, and two didn't respond until I phoned them, and only one offered to let me volunteer. You'll get there eventually but schools can be hectic places!

I also recommend ranging across the year groups as there are two distinct pathways for when you eventually do teacher training: either 3-7 (Nursery to Year 2) or 5-11 (Year 1 to Year 6). Most people do the latter and I presumed I'd prefer that, but after accidentally getting experience with Reception I've gone for 3-7. Basically just experience as much as you can!