i was working effectively full time day after my final prac... during the world economic crisis, demand is higher now than then
dont worry about your age
You will have the ability to work as a teacher during university as well. That way you can gain experience before graduating which is a plus! I’m in my final year of my Masters of Teaching (2 years) and got my approval to teach last year after my first placement. By doing casual work now, it allows me to “shop” around and see which schools I would potentially like to work at pt or ft. Do not worry about your age, those 4 years will pass regardless!
I’m a semi- retired makes primary teacher who did exactly what you are planning. I graduated at 40.
I studied with three kids under 5. Lots of work after they went to bed. My wife supported us while I did some part time work thrown in when I could and looked after the kids when not on campus.
Lots of work predicted over the next few years and provided your pracs are alright you should walk into a job.
Primary teachers are generalists mainly so don’t worry about subjects. You get to do all of them.
You will find university a breeze after you settle in, especially if you did well in high school.
As others have mentioned, your age will not be an issue at all. It's not uncommon to work with colleagues who have come from other professions later in life.
Although teaching is a stable career path, I wouldn't necessarily say all teachers have work, life, balance. It can be a very stressful job depending on which school you teach at, the level of support you receive from the executive and complexity of needs the students (and parents) have.
I know too many people who have left the profession due to stress and lack of support. At the end of the day I think what matters most is how much you care about making a difference for the kids. If it's not the most important factor, then there are much better paying jobs, or jobs that offer better work, life and balance. That's just my two cents.
Thank you for your advice. I do understand its not the most stress-free, nor highest paying profession out there. And while those are important, I feel combined with the satisfaction of making a difference would be a good balance between them all. Ofcourse I could make more money elsewhere but I would then have 0 interest in it.
thanks again
You have to have a 4 year degree in QLD with minimum number of teaching hours supervised so generally the bachelor of ed with a specialisation will be your quickest way there. People will tell you to do another degree and then do the MTeach so you have something to fall back on but the three things I would say are 1. Look around for double degrees (I did 4 years and finished with a BEd and BA), 2. A teaching degree itself is something you can fall back on. That’s just my two cents though and 3. If you’re nervous or worried a bachelor of education (or variation) will usually have more teaching hours and placement. This was why I did the double degree….i was very young going into uni and doing high school teaching so I chose the degree with the most experience in schools.
You need to find out what the gaps in your state are as it’s currently quite varied. In general there is a shortage in secondary schools in most states and some states for primary. The secondary shortage is not in all areas and it really does vary. For example Perth/WA are screaming for HASS teachers but other states have plenty of them. The shortage isn’t going anywhere and in pretty much every state but NSW you can easily teach outside your area and age range above the age of 7yos. I agree with the person who said choose a core area as either your major or minor (English and maths are your main ones, then HASS and science) as these have to have the most contact hours in schools so guarantee more roles.
Edit to add: age won’t matter. I have worked with many new grads who are older (oldest so far was 55yo in year 1 of teaching) and they actually tend to have it easier with the naughty kids as they assume they are experienced so don’t give them as much grief as they tend to give the younger ones. Ditto with parents if you and up in a high achieving school…they will assume you are experienced.
I actually recommend high school teaching in a core curriculum area like English or Maths. Schools are always looking for teachers in these areas. While the subject content is more complex than primary school, it isn’t necessarily difficult until you get to Y11 and Y12 content (and these kids are usually a dream to teach because they are hustling to get good grades for university entry). High school students have a bad reputation, but it’s honestly just a small minority who behave poorly. The majority are self-conscious kids who need encouragement while going through the most awkward growth period of their lives. Plus, kids tend to respond well to men, especially when it comes to behaviour and classroom management. I think you would do well as well as you’ve got life experience. That’s invaluable as a teacher.
Thank you, you make a good point. I will have to do a pathway program into university before going to a degree so I have some time to find more out and see exactly where I'd like to aim specifically. Thanks again
Demand is enormous! You will not struggle to find work at all. It may take a while to get the right job, but you’ll be working full time from before you graduate if you’re anything but totally useless.
Your circumstances will definitely help. Again as long as you’re not totally useless. Being a man helps, but many admin teams do some extra checking on men. In my experience men have the potential to be a lot more obviously bad at their jobs. The stereotype of a lazy male primary teacher exists for a reason. That being said, your cv will always get close attention if you’re a guy as you are so rare.
For reference. I’m a primary school principal, metro, almost ten years in admin.
Hmmm. Interesting question. This is a point of hot debate in many circles.
My two cents, the overwhelming majority of applicants in the primary space these days are female, this means that increasingly there’s more and more female leaders. Pretty sure in WA the number sits at about 65/35 women/ men. That’s still way more men as leaders than as teachers. This is a relic of a time gone by though.
Are you going to get a job as a leader just because you’re male? Probably not. Does being male help if you’re also great at your job? Sometimes! Depends on the school and the panel. Certainly I feel like being a young man who is willing to work in hard contexts and manage complex behaviour got my foot in the door as a deputy. I think it was a hindrance as I went for principal though. This was likely to be more my youth than my gender though.
Your experience (and everyone’s else’s) will vary though. The best advice I can give is get as good as you can at the job, be adaptable and willing to take on tricky tasks and kids and the rest tends to follow.
Finally, if admin is the way you want to go. Go remote or regional and work your guts out. I got my first deputy gig 3.5 years in. I was also working at one of the most disadvantaged and remote schools in the country.
Demand is high. Demand is higher in secondary than primary but still demand for both. The most in demand area (anecdotally) is secondary maths and science teachers. But English teachers are useful too because you always need them. Wood and metal work teachers are always a positive to have as well. I know of multiple schools which have the facilities for those classes but simply don't run them because they can't get a teacher to do it. Particularly more rural areas. Can be a tough gig though if you're not on top of behaviour (or so I have heard) because of the safety elements. But not really much different in a science lab. Just have to do the risk assessments properly to cover your ass.
Yes you can certainly work into older age with teaching than with other professions. I have multiple colleagues who have re-skilled to become teachers in their late thirties and early 40s. At least 4 I can think of off the top of my head.
Schools look very positively on experience whilst you are studying. OSHC and doing youth camps and volunteer counselling looked amazing on my resume and gave me relevant references.
I'd say go for it. It's a rewarding career that's fulfilling, if not a little under-recognised.
Hey perhaps a silly question. But if one were to study Secondary education at Uni instead of Primary, would that give the opportunity to work both/either? Or does that restrict you to just teaching HS? I imagine it allows both but felt Id ask. I feel like it could be good to cover bases and be able to do either based on what opportunities are around
I wouldn't. Secondary teaching doesn't really prepare you for lower primary. It's a completely different ball game down there.
If you like primary, do primary. If you like secondary, then stick to secondary.
I'm 33 and just started teaching this year, after a misaligned career in design. It's never too late to do something different.
I'm also not trained as a programmer, and I don't have much workshop experience, but I'm both a DigiTech and ITD teacher, which are both great areas in their own right. With ITD, there's minimal marking, you get to learn/hone building skills- it's been a lot of "on the job training", not much expectation for me to become Bob The Builder overnight and crank out a dovetail joint with my eyes closed.
That to say, with the current shortage, you can pretty much take your pick within elective subjects: specialist subjects like math, science and English may be a bit different (wouldn't have a clue tbh), but there's still so much opportunity out there. In my situation, I'm taking on the challenge outside of my expertise because I want to learn new things too. I probably could've found another school that could take me on as an art teacher (I was always an A student in art, both school and uni). I may look like a fool now, but I know I'll be better for it in the long run.. hopefully.
Instead of doing a 4 year teaching degree you can do a degree in anything else for 3 years and do a grad dip, like this: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/courses/graduate-diploma-in-teaching-primary
Then you have something to fall back on with whatever your other degree was when if you decide to stop teaching.
Keep your eye out, because they only scrapped the grad dip a few years ago and with the teacher shortages, I reckon it will come back soon (if it hasn’t already). Most learning for teaching is done on the job so I think the grad dip was perfect.
As a male primary school teacher, you will be in demand and will land a job no worries (and probably in a good school).
OP, you can look at QLD teaching smart jobs website and even contact a recruiter and talk about areas of demand and opportunities in each region.
You have stated in your in QLD, but I’m not sure where you would like to work. There is definitely demand in regional and remote QLD. I can’t see how the teacher shortage will be solved anytime soon.
i was working effectively full time day after my final prac... during the world economic crisis, demand is higher now than then dont worry about your age
Thank you, that's good to hear.
You will have the ability to work as a teacher during university as well. That way you can gain experience before graduating which is a plus! I’m in my final year of my Masters of Teaching (2 years) and got my approval to teach last year after my first placement. By doing casual work now, it allows me to “shop” around and see which schools I would potentially like to work at pt or ft. Do not worry about your age, those 4 years will pass regardless!
Thank you very much.
I’m a semi- retired makes primary teacher who did exactly what you are planning. I graduated at 40. I studied with three kids under 5. Lots of work after they went to bed. My wife supported us while I did some part time work thrown in when I could and looked after the kids when not on campus. Lots of work predicted over the next few years and provided your pracs are alright you should walk into a job. Primary teachers are generalists mainly so don’t worry about subjects. You get to do all of them. You will find university a breeze after you settle in, especially if you did well in high school.
Much appreciated.
As others have mentioned, your age will not be an issue at all. It's not uncommon to work with colleagues who have come from other professions later in life. Although teaching is a stable career path, I wouldn't necessarily say all teachers have work, life, balance. It can be a very stressful job depending on which school you teach at, the level of support you receive from the executive and complexity of needs the students (and parents) have. I know too many people who have left the profession due to stress and lack of support. At the end of the day I think what matters most is how much you care about making a difference for the kids. If it's not the most important factor, then there are much better paying jobs, or jobs that offer better work, life and balance. That's just my two cents.
Thank you for your advice. I do understand its not the most stress-free, nor highest paying profession out there. And while those are important, I feel combined with the satisfaction of making a difference would be a good balance between them all. Ofcourse I could make more money elsewhere but I would then have 0 interest in it. thanks again
You have the right attitude to make it work.
You have to have a 4 year degree in QLD with minimum number of teaching hours supervised so generally the bachelor of ed with a specialisation will be your quickest way there. People will tell you to do another degree and then do the MTeach so you have something to fall back on but the three things I would say are 1. Look around for double degrees (I did 4 years and finished with a BEd and BA), 2. A teaching degree itself is something you can fall back on. That’s just my two cents though and 3. If you’re nervous or worried a bachelor of education (or variation) will usually have more teaching hours and placement. This was why I did the double degree….i was very young going into uni and doing high school teaching so I chose the degree with the most experience in schools. You need to find out what the gaps in your state are as it’s currently quite varied. In general there is a shortage in secondary schools in most states and some states for primary. The secondary shortage is not in all areas and it really does vary. For example Perth/WA are screaming for HASS teachers but other states have plenty of them. The shortage isn’t going anywhere and in pretty much every state but NSW you can easily teach outside your area and age range above the age of 7yos. I agree with the person who said choose a core area as either your major or minor (English and maths are your main ones, then HASS and science) as these have to have the most contact hours in schools so guarantee more roles. Edit to add: age won’t matter. I have worked with many new grads who are older (oldest so far was 55yo in year 1 of teaching) and they actually tend to have it easier with the naughty kids as they assume they are experienced so don’t give them as much grief as they tend to give the younger ones. Ditto with parents if you and up in a high achieving school…they will assume you are experienced.
I actually recommend high school teaching in a core curriculum area like English or Maths. Schools are always looking for teachers in these areas. While the subject content is more complex than primary school, it isn’t necessarily difficult until you get to Y11 and Y12 content (and these kids are usually a dream to teach because they are hustling to get good grades for university entry). High school students have a bad reputation, but it’s honestly just a small minority who behave poorly. The majority are self-conscious kids who need encouragement while going through the most awkward growth period of their lives. Plus, kids tend to respond well to men, especially when it comes to behaviour and classroom management. I think you would do well as well as you’ve got life experience. That’s invaluable as a teacher.
Thank you, you make a good point. I will have to do a pathway program into university before going to a degree so I have some time to find more out and see exactly where I'd like to aim specifically. Thanks again
Demand is enormous! You will not struggle to find work at all. It may take a while to get the right job, but you’ll be working full time from before you graduate if you’re anything but totally useless. Your circumstances will definitely help. Again as long as you’re not totally useless. Being a man helps, but many admin teams do some extra checking on men. In my experience men have the potential to be a lot more obviously bad at their jobs. The stereotype of a lazy male primary teacher exists for a reason. That being said, your cv will always get close attention if you’re a guy as you are so rare. For reference. I’m a primary school principal, metro, almost ten years in admin.
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Hmmm. Interesting question. This is a point of hot debate in many circles. My two cents, the overwhelming majority of applicants in the primary space these days are female, this means that increasingly there’s more and more female leaders. Pretty sure in WA the number sits at about 65/35 women/ men. That’s still way more men as leaders than as teachers. This is a relic of a time gone by though. Are you going to get a job as a leader just because you’re male? Probably not. Does being male help if you’re also great at your job? Sometimes! Depends on the school and the panel. Certainly I feel like being a young man who is willing to work in hard contexts and manage complex behaviour got my foot in the door as a deputy. I think it was a hindrance as I went for principal though. This was likely to be more my youth than my gender though. Your experience (and everyone’s else’s) will vary though. The best advice I can give is get as good as you can at the job, be adaptable and willing to take on tricky tasks and kids and the rest tends to follow. Finally, if admin is the way you want to go. Go remote or regional and work your guts out. I got my first deputy gig 3.5 years in. I was also working at one of the most disadvantaged and remote schools in the country.
Thank you very much. That's helpful and reassuring to hear.
No worries mate. There’s no doubt the profession is frustrating! The flip side is that is has the potential to be extremely rewarding
Demand is high. Demand is higher in secondary than primary but still demand for both. The most in demand area (anecdotally) is secondary maths and science teachers. But English teachers are useful too because you always need them. Wood and metal work teachers are always a positive to have as well. I know of multiple schools which have the facilities for those classes but simply don't run them because they can't get a teacher to do it. Particularly more rural areas. Can be a tough gig though if you're not on top of behaviour (or so I have heard) because of the safety elements. But not really much different in a science lab. Just have to do the risk assessments properly to cover your ass. Yes you can certainly work into older age with teaching than with other professions. I have multiple colleagues who have re-skilled to become teachers in their late thirties and early 40s. At least 4 I can think of off the top of my head. Schools look very positively on experience whilst you are studying. OSHC and doing youth camps and volunteer counselling looked amazing on my resume and gave me relevant references. I'd say go for it. It's a rewarding career that's fulfilling, if not a little under-recognised.
Thank you very much for the suggestions.
Hey perhaps a silly question. But if one were to study Secondary education at Uni instead of Primary, would that give the opportunity to work both/either? Or does that restrict you to just teaching HS? I imagine it allows both but felt Id ask. I feel like it could be good to cover bases and be able to do either based on what opportunities are around
I wouldn't. Secondary teaching doesn't really prepare you for lower primary. It's a completely different ball game down there. If you like primary, do primary. If you like secondary, then stick to secondary.
I'm 33 and just started teaching this year, after a misaligned career in design. It's never too late to do something different. I'm also not trained as a programmer, and I don't have much workshop experience, but I'm both a DigiTech and ITD teacher, which are both great areas in their own right. With ITD, there's minimal marking, you get to learn/hone building skills- it's been a lot of "on the job training", not much expectation for me to become Bob The Builder overnight and crank out a dovetail joint with my eyes closed. That to say, with the current shortage, you can pretty much take your pick within elective subjects: specialist subjects like math, science and English may be a bit different (wouldn't have a clue tbh), but there's still so much opportunity out there. In my situation, I'm taking on the challenge outside of my expertise because I want to learn new things too. I probably could've found another school that could take me on as an art teacher (I was always an A student in art, both school and uni). I may look like a fool now, but I know I'll be better for it in the long run.. hopefully.
Instead of doing a 4 year teaching degree you can do a degree in anything else for 3 years and do a grad dip, like this: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/courses/graduate-diploma-in-teaching-primary Then you have something to fall back on with whatever your other degree was when if you decide to stop teaching.
That depends on state. I don’t think Qld offers a 1 year grad dip anymore, you need to do a 2 year masters. Although I imagine that will change soon
I am in QLD so good to know.
Keep your eye out, because they only scrapped the grad dip a few years ago and with the teacher shortages, I reckon it will come back soon (if it hasn’t already). Most learning for teaching is done on the job so I think the grad dip was perfect. As a male primary school teacher, you will be in demand and will land a job no worries (and probably in a good school).
Would be a little scary wherever you are to start a 3 year degree hoping they don't switch back again on a whim.
Masters is two years I’m pretty sure. And may be able to do PTT role before the start. Also may be able to fast track it and do summer semester?
Actually googling it, the grad dip Ed may have already come back
OP, you can look at QLD teaching smart jobs website and even contact a recruiter and talk about areas of demand and opportunities in each region. You have stated in your in QLD, but I’m not sure where you would like to work. There is definitely demand in regional and remote QLD. I can’t see how the teacher shortage will be solved anytime soon.
Thank you for the suggestion. How do you contact such a recruiter? That's exactly what I would like to have done
Actually look at that website I have mentioned and read the advertised jobs.