Teaching/University

Hey,

I'm in my last year at sixth form and the big question of 'Do I go to uni?' has come up. I want to be a teacher, it's been something I have wanted to do for a long time and up until now everyone's basically just told me that I HAVE to go to university to fulfil that 'dream'

I don't really want to go to University, I know it wouldn't be my thing (My mum keeps saying I'm being stupid and I need to go) but I wanted to know if there was any other way of being a teacher without having to go to University full time? I've heard of training on the job and so on but I don't understand what that actually is and whether I have to have done an Undergraduate beforehand. I also know of teaching assistants who are teaching assistants but go to Uni like twice a week.

Can someone please help and guide me through all the option I have for going into teaching?

At the moment, teaching is a graduate profession. That means that you need a degree to get QTS (qualified teacher status). There's no way around this at the moment. There has been some suggestion that the government might create a degree apprenticeship route into teaching, but this is still in the very early stages and wouldn't be available next year. There's also a lot of resistance from most teachers in the profession to this route, so if you took it, you might struggle to get a job.

There are "on the job" training routes, but these all require you to have an undergrad degree before you start.

It's fine not to want to go to uni straight away, though! Why not look for a job in a school, like being a TA. This will give you more insight into teaching and help you decide if it really is for you- if you decide you do want to be a teacher, you can then think about how you'd want to get a degree and the route you'd want to take into teaching. You could do a degree part time, whilst working, but you wouldn't usually be able to do a B.Ed degree part time, and it would take you longer to get your degree.

Can I ask why you feel uni wouldn't be for you?

I've looked at taking a year out to be a TA which will hopefully help me choose whether I want to actually continue with the career.

As for Uni, I just really don't think it'll suit my personality. I've hated school because I just don't get on with any of the pupils there and admittedly I'm just scared I'm going to go through all the 'trauma' I've gone through with my secondary school. It makes me sound really pathetic I know.

Thank you though, for the help