Changing Career to Teaching

According to a HEA report in 2004, graduates of education have excellent employment prospects. Almost 100 per cent of respondents with the Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Teaching are in employment; 94.2 per cent of those with a Primary Degree in Education have positions and 88 per cent of Higher Diploma in Education graduates are in employment.

With figures like these its no wonder that more and more people are switching careers to teaching. The benefits are obvious. The phrase ‘cash rich, time poor’ is often used to describe workers in Ireland today, a poor work/life balance with stressful jobs and long hours leaves little time for family, friends and relaxation. While people may earn more in high-powered stressful jobs, many are choosing to take a pay cut in return for guaranteed weekends, mid-term and Christmas holidays and up to three months paid time off every summer.

Andy McAlister has been teaching maths and science in a secondary school in Wexford for the last four years. He took up a substitute-teaching job almost by accident, but loved it so much that he decided to do an HDip and change careers.

After completing his undergraduate degree in Chemistry in DCU in 1996, his initial plan was to go in to a research job. After six months he realised it wasn’t for him so he, along with many of his friends at the time, went on to do a year’s conversion course to IT. The IT industry in Ireland was booming in the mid-nineties, and these courses were hugely popular. ‘I walked in to a job about a week after I finished the course,’ he recalls.

He worked with Dell for over four years until the travel bug bit and he left to travel for two years in Asia. He returned to a much different IT employment scene. ‘When I came back, I couldn’t get a job. A two year gap is huge in IT because things change so much. In the interim my uncle suggested I do substitute teaching in the school he teaches in just for the money. I did it and ended up really enjoying it. Then I started getting offers of IT work but I didn’t really want to go back at that stage.’ At that point McAlister looked in to HDip courses and ended up studying for the qualification in Liverpool.

He came back and found a job without too much difficulty. Science and maths teachers are in demand and he soon landed a permanent position. He loves the job and is very happy with his decision to switch. ‘It’s very rewarding. I find it interesting trying to explain science in such a was that the class will understand it. I used to think teaching was boring, going over the same thing but then you realise every person in the class is different. Even if you’re teaching for 40 years, every time you teach a topic it will be a little bit different. It’s constantly changing and challenging.’

McAlister and his wife are expecting a baby in early 2008 and so the benefits of a career in teaching are becoming more and more valuable to him.

‘I see a lot of my friends (in IT) working very long hours. Even worse is that you could be sent away suddenly to Poland or America or wherever and you’re spending your weekend flying somewhere. That for me would be unacceptable with a child.’

‘I did not decide to do teaching because of the holidays,’ he says. ‘I would do teaching even if there were no summer holidays. But the work/life balance is great. If you’re young and single it gives you time to go off travelling, and if you have children you can spend time with them. If you only had four weeks to take a year, you wouldn’t take a week off to do what you would do in a mid-term. You get time to spend with family and see friends that you otherwise can't make time for.’

Lucy Rabbitte is a recent graduate from a journalism degree. After taking some time off to travel, she was unsure what job she wanted. When approached by her sister to cover maternity leave as a language support teacher in a Dublin primary school, she was reluctant but decided to try it for six months. After just a short time in the position she has gotten a full year’s contract with paid holidays and loves the work.

While she had never considered teaching as a possible career for herself, having seen how good the lifestyle is, Rabbitte is considering taking an Hdip next year. ‘I'm enjoying it so much, and I didn’t expect to. The kids are brilliant to work with and the holidays are great; it's a gentle enough transition from college.  I don’t feel like I’m working constantly like I thought I would have to after graduating.’

She sees a definite trend towards teaching. ‘The principal in my school just had an application from a guy with an MBA. She said it was unusual, but she is starting to see more and more applications from professional people rather than just graduates straight out of arts or education degrees.’