It’s easy to miss it; while you are busy pursuing a career in commerce or the professions you’ve also been picking up some invaluable skills, knowledge and abilities that can give you a fresh and altogether more rewarding encore career – as a teacher.
Getting into it couldn’t be easier; there’s a group called Now Teach and they have the whole thing in hand – this is what they say …
“The Now Teach programme helps people who’ve already had a successful career become great teachers. We’ll be here to talk to you about whether the programme is right for you, and guide you through the application process.
The course is the only one designed solely for career changers. Depending on the school you are in, for most Now Teachers, you’ll work four days a week. The course is school-based and is delivered by various teacher training providers, with an additional layer of support from Now Teach. This means that we will be there to give further support when the going gets tough. We want you to make the greatest difference possible to the schools which need it most.
The bulk of the technical teacher training you do will be exactly the same as it is for any other trainee on their programme. Where Now Teach differs – beyond the time commitment – is in the wraparound support we offer you. Most crucially of all, of course, is a network of your fellow Now Teachers but beyond this we are learning fast about the very best ways we can help you – and your schools – get the most out of your past experience and help you become the teachers your students need.
Now Teach will be working in secondary schools in London, Hastings, East Anglia and the West Midlands
We understand that it is critically important that applicants are happy in the school they are to be placed in. We will try to place you in a school close to where you live, and make sure that its culture and ethos suits yours.
We are planning to expand further over the next few years so it is worth filling in an expression of interest and letting us know where you would like to teach. Amongst other factors our expansion plans will be based upon where potential candidates live.
We are mainly looking for teachers of maths, computer science, languages (French and Spanish), geography and all sciences. However, if you are interested in teaching something else, please do get in touch.
You are trained on the job by one of our training partners. The training will be a mixture of theory and practice – but based in the classroom. Depending on which school you are placed in it is likely you will also need to do some training in the summer before you start. The providers are all different but this can range from 2-4 weeks.
Unlike virtually every other programme in the country, most Now Teach teachers are able to complete their first year of training in one year while working only four days per week. The course is still full-time, but it gives you a greater degree of flexibility to fulfil other commitments you may have.
By the end of your first year, you will have gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). On successfully completing your second year of the programme, you will become a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT). After that, if both you and your school are happy, you would simply continue teaching there. Of course, at the end of the NQT period, you would be fully qualified and able to work anywhere you like. Now Teach trainees can also gain a PGCE and points towards a master’s degree if they want to.
Before the school year begins, you will spend several days at your new school where you will meet your colleagues and get to know the school.
You will be teaching in the classroom from day one. You will work closely with an outstanding teacher and over the course of the year you will take on more responsibility. Each week you will have co-planning and observation sessions with teachers in your school. You will have regular contact with tutors who will support your personalised training plan.”
Find out more, or sign up at: https://nowteach.org.uk/
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