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Has anyone finished a SCITT for the sake of it?

Hey,

I am a mature student who did an English degree at Uni. We were pushed towards teaching as a career (barely any alternatives offered) and I had considered it previously, so I went for the SCITT. The thing is, this isn't my passion. I love helping kids, I love the actual teaching even, but it's just everything else.

I am currently at my second school, about to start teaching at 50% on Monday. The thing is I had an awful first school, like terrible, I hated it. I have a baby (one year old) a disabled wife with mobility problems and a fourteen year old step child, which means I have a lot of stress already at home.

I am getting my bursary and my student loan, which has improved our quality of life, but mentally there have been times where I have genuinely almost broken down, a few times where I considered quitting and one time where I went to a dark place. I thought it would get better with my second school, and it has massively in terms of morale, but I still don't want to do it as a career.

When I think about quitting, I think "how am I going to live financially", not "I'll miss it." I guess I would, but I went for a visit at a school and I had the tour, the chat etc and I realised there and then, it isn't what I want. I don't want to take a £7k drop in pay to do this job; I keep getting told that it'll be worth it, it'll get better after a few years... I just don't want it. What I want is a different career entirely, but it's less pay and I really am now realizing the truth behind people who say don't do a job for the money.

I respect teachers and staff in education a thousand times more than when I started. I don't feel I can talk to my SCITT (I obviously don't wanna say hey guys, I never want to be a teacher, I'm just finishing this course for money/so I haven't wasted my time/so i have a backup) I had bad depression and anxiety before I started and it cleared up when my daughter came, but months later when I started (and later started having a really bad time) I started to seriously struggle with my mental health. With it being a few weeks since I changed school I feel the best I have in ages, and I can just feel it, I don't want it.

I could finish the course. I would be better off money wise, better off in security for a job and I could still do a masters in another course but I also feel it's being motivated by fear; fear of SFE (who I read demand immediate payback), fear of the unknown and yeah, I guess what I'm wondering is have many people just finished it and gone onto something else? Should I continue? Over half of my SCITT are going into a job in September, and I haven't had one interview yet.
Original post by Helper34
Hey,

I am a mature student who did an English degree at Uni. We were pushed towards teaching as a career (barely any alternatives offered) and I had considered it previously, so I went for the SCITT. The thing is, this isn't my passion. I love helping kids, I love the actual teaching even, but it's just everything else.

I am currently at my second school, about to start teaching at 50% on Monday. The thing is I had an awful first school, like terrible, I hated it. I have a baby (one year old) a disabled wife with mobility problems and a fourteen year old step child, which means I have a lot of stress already at home.

I am getting my bursary and my student loan, which has improved our quality of life, but mentally there have been times where I have genuinely almost broken down, a few times where I considered quitting and one time where I went to a dark place. I thought it would get better with my second school, and it has massively in terms of morale, but I still don't want to do it as a career.

When I think about quitting, I think "how am I going to live financially", not "I'll miss it." I guess I would, but I went for a visit at a school and I had the tour, the chat etc and I realised there and then, it isn't what I want. I don't want to take a £7k drop in pay to do this job; I keep getting told that it'll be worth it, it'll get better after a few years... I just don't want it. What I want is a different career entirely, but it's less pay and I really am now realizing the truth behind people who say don't do a job for the money.

I respect teachers and staff in education a thousand times more than when I started. I don't feel I can talk to my SCITT (I obviously don't wanna say hey guys, I never want to be a teacher, I'm just finishing this course for money/so I haven't wasted my time/so i have a backup) I had bad depression and anxiety before I started and it cleared up when my daughter came, but months later when I started (and later started having a really bad time) I started to seriously struggle with my mental health. With it being a few weeks since I changed school I feel the best I have in ages, and I can just feel it, I don't want it.

I could finish the course. I would be better off money wise, better off in security for a job and I could still do a masters in another course but I also feel it's being motivated by fear; fear of SFE (who I read demand immediate payback), fear of the unknown and yeah, I guess what I'm wondering is have many people just finished it and gone onto something else? Should I continue? Over half of my SCITT are going into a job in September, and I haven't had one interview yet.

I think quitting teacher training is a really tricky decision, but you always need to do what is right for you. This is a really tough time of year mentally, and if you can get through to Easter, things will be easier.

Financially, the only thing you will have to pay back ASAP is the bursary outstanding for the month you quit in- however you can even arrange a payment plan for this if you need to. Other than that, your fees loan etc you pay back as normal.

On my PGCE, there were two people who finished the course who didn't go into teaching- but I do think you have to be mentally tough or have something lined up (one of them was planning a gap year in Australia) for this to work.

No course or career is worth your mental health, but equally I don't think it's a good idea to drop out without a back up plan unless you absolutely have to.

Have you spoken to your GP or a student mental health service? If not, I would suggest doing this!
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Avatar for Helper34
Helper34
OP
8
Hey,Thanks very much, do you mean the student finance bursary or the scitt one? I am arranging to speak to a service. I have a plan to do if i finish - I believe I can do it. I believe I can make it to Easter, but then we go back to our first school after... I have asked for the possibility I can stay at this one but I dont know if that would be a certainty. Really for me its just is it worth finishing it, if I dont feel like its a career I want
Original post by Helper34
Hey,Thanks very much, do you mean the student finance bursary or the scitt one? I am arranging to speak to a service. I have a plan to do if i finish - I believe I can do it. I believe I can make it to Easter, but then we go back to our first school after... I have asked for the possibility I can stay at this one but I dont know if that would be a certainty. Really for me its just is it worth finishing it, if I dont feel like its a career I want

I'm talking about the get-into-teaching bursaries, i.e. the ones everyone is entitled to. If your SCITT offers an additional bursary, then you'd need to talk to them about what, if anything, would need to be repaid.

Do talk to your training provider about staying at your current school- however be prepared for them to say no. It's quite rare for students to be allowed to stay on/swap placements just due to preference, but if you can point to particular problems in the way your first school treated you, then you may be given an alternative placement.

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