So this teaching gig-how and when?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I spent a day talking about science careers in a school recently and that's when I realised that it was actually enjoyable to speak to people with enthusiasm, energy and a bit of, well, oomph. I know one day doesn't give me any insight into this complicated job but I'm going to try and distill what I've found out this week about  the required training. I don't think I ever had a bad teacher - I had some that were good and I had some that were exceptional, so I guess I'm lucky. I should also add that I went to a state-funded catholic school in the Valleys on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil- A place that makes the Elephant and Castle roundabout seem like a quiet place to spend an afternoon, but my class-mates and teachers are up there with some of my fondest memories and I still haven't really left education, so they must have done something right!

Effectively, you can go straight from your degree or after your PhD, actually, I think you can become a teacher at any point, but I'll cover a few of the things I've learnt about getting into it from where I am, i.e. not straight after graduating...

I've come across three major ways to get into teaching*- I'm sure there are more and this is not going to be a complete dissection of them- more a description of what I can see as some key benefits of each program, the big differences or, without getting too 'Dragon's Den' about it, their USP ( unique selling point, don'tcha know- check me out with the acronyms!). Please add anything extra in the comments, correct me if I get anything wrong and let me know what you've learnt. This blog is supposed to be helpful and a synopsis of what I've learnt - it's certainly not the 'be-all-and-end-all' of what there is to know about teaching.**

University-based training

1. PGCE- Participation Gets Clever Educators (not really)

The PostGraduate Certificate in Education is basically a qualification that teaches you how to be a teacher-NOT the subject you intend to teach, you're expected to know that from your degree. The course is generally one year full-time or two years part-time. You need to choose what level you wish to teach which means I would suggest some work experience - See the previous post for pre-application tips.

There's a really good, detailed website here so I won't re-hash it, but this site allows you look into the funding (not massive), application process (ideally mid-September to June), FAQs etc. on the standard PGCE process. I think most people go via this route straight out of university and, upon researching it, I can see why. It looks like half-way between university and placement, so I think it provides a nice transition for most university leavers. From what I can gather, the first term is mostly training on the basics of teaching, lesson-planning and how children learn, before some placements where you take on increasingly high levels of responsibility and independence from any observer that is present.

For me, I think this would feel a bit like a step back. Whilst the course is quite intense and, by no means, has anyone described it as easy, the transition into the classroom is more gradual than some of the other routes and this is a lot more like uni on 'teaching-steroids' (or teenager friendly supplements, whatever you think is more appropriate).

Financially, this appears to be the lowest paid, if that is a concern for you. Again, coming out of university with no pay, this will probably be less important than if you're used to a paying job. There are extra bursaries available if you want to teach something that no-one else wants to. Sorry, I meant something valuable and in demand, such as chemistry, physics, maths or computer science. For example, there are extra funding opportunities here. You should always keep in mind that, out of this bursary, you will also have to pay the tuition fees. I found loads of different figures for the tuition fee, ranging from around £4000-£9000, depending on whether you're Welsh or Northern Irish (the best [in terms of cost and as a life choice]), English or Scottish and where you study. Any numbers I quote you will be out of date by next September so I suggest you look into this on a case-by-case basis.

If you intend to teach secondary maths, physics, chemistry, modern foreign languages (MFL) or computer science, there is also the opportunity to join PremierPlus - which is I think is effectively a one-to-one coaching service to get you through the training. The fact that this might be required to make it through should start to make you realise that this is NOT an easy course to undertake and they are keen to help you through, if you are willing to give it your all.

School-based training (less like uni, more like an intense placement)

2. SchoolDirect

The major selling point of this programme is that you enter a school in your first few weeks and you get paid: Either a bursary of up to £20,000 as a graduate, or paid as an 'unqualified teacher' between £16000-£31000 (2013-2014 figures) if you have about three years of experience out of uni. Still on the finance, SchoolsDirect also offer a further 25 percent on top if you train at a school with >35% free meals participation.

A friend who recently started this used the word 'knackering' in a recent text. I think it's probably a lot more 'in-at-the-deep-end', but if you're looking to get stuck in straight away and don't relish the idea of being surrounded by 22 year old graduates (or, horrifyingly, 21 year old graduates, urgh) then I think this is probably a better route.

There is less easy-access information on SchoolDirect, such as the exact programme and that's because it's run Directly by the School (you can see where they got the name), so exactly how much time is spent in the classroom and how much time studying depends on the school. Fundamentally, you're in a class from day one but with a lot of support and guidance from another teacher in the classroom, who then fades out as you get more confident.

3. TeachFirst

So, I'm still on the fence here - are they a charity or an agency with a really good sales pitch?
In one sentence, this is a two year programme where you leave as a qualified teacher after teaching in a 'challenging school' with leadership training and possibly even a Masters.

Within minutes of approaching the TeachFirst representatives at my recent career fayre, I was bombarded with pitch perfect stats and graphs on the correlation between parental income and offspring's achievement, phrases like 'it takes more than two years to change society' and 'change their life and change yours'. It felt like somewhere between the KONY 2012 campaign and an ad for innocent smoothies, with it's slick but down-to-earth marketing and it's definitely-not-shiny-but-printed-on-recycled-paper brochure.

The nitty-gritty...
There's a six-week Summer Institute where you start learning the basics and then you spend the next year in the class for four days a week and train on the fifth day. You end that academic year with your PGCE but that's just half way. The summer between years one and two involves a placement intended to develop your leadership skills and give you new experiences. The second year involves more teaching and the opportunity to do a Masters qualifications geared towards teaching or education.

This all sounds pretty good to be honest, I've heard it's tough, but rewarding IF it's what you want to do. I think it's interesting that around 50% of the intake leave teaching, whilst the others are billed as continuing 'ambassadors' for TeachFirst. What this means in practice is that whilst the drop-out rate during the course is just around 10%, there are a lot of people doing it because it's a good back up for the future, not because they want to change the face of teaching, which is fine, I think it's just worth knowing.

The schools have to pay TeachFirst for you, they have to get a teacher to cover the day when you are still training and there is a certain attitude amongst (some of) the 'old-school' that you are jumped up little gits who, after 6 weeks of training, think they can rival the 'proper teachers'...That said, behind the bumph and brochures, there's seems to be a decent message and an excellent, if hardcore, training programme here. I've written more on TeachFirst simply due to the fact that their extensive marketing make them easy to research.

N.B. For all of the above you can apply for a student loan, or you can look into scholarships via societies such as the RSC, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

The Teaching Line on 0800 389 2500 was also really helpful answering all my queries when the websites were confusing and I'd recommend giving them a call. They are also on hand to answer questions about strengthening your application for the different courses and the application forms themselves. It's a free resource, so use it!

*I'm ignoring the fact that you don't actually require any teacher's training to teach in private schools - I think you'd have to be mental to try and do this job without training and I'm very pro-state school, so there. Make of that what you will.

** In the interest of time and space, I'll cover STEMNET, teaching fellowships and generic 'outreach' elsewhere, give me a break, it's early days and my posts are already far too long!

To teach or not to teach...

I'm genuinely watching Educating Essex on 4OD whilst writing this piece on teaching.  In the opening credits an adolecent student says 'Sir, I just feel like crying- is that normal?' To which the teacher replies 'At your age-Yes'. It's this sort of thing that has made me shy away from teaching! However, several of my teacher friends have advised me that, along with Educating Yorkshire, this programme is probably a fair representation of some of the best and worst days you can expect if you undertake the mammoth task of forming the young minds of Britain. This has never been something I have ever considered doing. Until now.

If, like me, you're thinking about teaching, here are some things to consider BEFORE you apply...

1. Do you REALLY want this?
Teaching is hard, to get through the training is tough, whichever route you take, and the job is even harder. It's stressful, demanding and often thankless so, if your heart isn't in it, it can be, well, horrible. Therefore...

2. Get some experience
Even if you're sure you want to do this, make sure you get some time to be in a school, other than as a pupil - it will also help your application. A teacher friend pointed out that the side students see of teaching is only one side, you need to also experience the endless admin, meetings, planning and preparation that goes into teaching nowadays. Aim to get long placements, two weeks or more, you need the novelty to wear off and reality to settle in before you can truly decide if this is for you.

A good way to approach this is to contact the school(s) you went to - it's an obvious contact that you've inadvertently made. Of course, if you left because you punched a dinner lady or were THAT pupil that teachers dreaded then you can also use friends/family and, dare I say it, 'networks' to get your foot in the door. A lot of schools and teachers would be happy to have some free labour for a few weeks!

3. Get yourself an honest teacher friend
Most of us know a teacher, or the boyfriend/girlfriend of a teacher. Good teachers love telling others about their job (as I've learnt this week). They are also usually pretty good at critique. So, speak to them, drain them of information, tell them your honest and frank expectations and see if they think you've got the right idea of what to expect. If they're on board with your choice, they might even help with Point 2.

4. Primary or Secondary?
Contrary to popular belief Primary is not just finger-painting and Secondary is not just a chance to ogle the fit mums and questionable six-formers. Some advice I received this week was that primary gives you a chance to build a better connection with one group of students over a year, whilst secondary may be better if you have a passion for one particular subject. For help deciding, 'See Point 2'.

5. It's a half-day-how, hard can it be?
Most teachers are at work at least an hour before the students and several hours after. If they're not, they're probably not very good teachers. Now that I come to think about it, I saw very few teachers leaving the school gates when we did as kids, but I see a lot of lecturers doing a 10 am-4 pm-oh-yeah-but-I-need-to-avoid-the-commute. There's a lot of marking and admin done at home by those teachers who do make it out before 5 pm. I actually lived with three newly-qualified teachers for a while and they were often out the door by/before 6.30 am, home late and that doesn't include school-trips, school-plays, parents' evening, homework club, breakfast club.....Again, 'See Point 2'.

6. The holidays alone are worth it!
Whilst several of my teacher friends will happily tell you that they do, in fact, like the holidays that they get, they aren't strictly the same as the kids. There's a lot of catching up on assessments/more marking/sleep that goes on at Half Term and the holidays than you'd imagine. Point 2, maybe?

You should also remember that the holidays are at pre-set times through the year, there'll be no sneaking off for an impromptu long weeked or an off-peak cheap trip away. Also, from now on, your holiday is also when places are full of British kids.

I realise, reading this back, that it all sounds quite negative, I don't mean it to! Those people I know who are right for teaching genuinely love their jobs. I can quote them here in saying that is a job with little inter-colleague competition, usually a great, ever-changing atmosphere, a very social ethos (read 'a lot of extracurricular alcohol consumption), it doesn't put you off having kids (in fact, the holidays can make this easier) and you do feel like you are 'making a difference'.

So, are you man enough? I'm not sure. If you're still up for it the next blog covers the application routes you can go down.

Next week - Medical writing. Apparently not just writing the little folded piece of paper inside your medicine that you immediately bin. Who knew?

State vs Private??

I'll be posting on what I've learnt on teaching this week at some point tomorrow, but, in the meantime, there's an interesting conversation going on in my office about the perception of state schools vs private by the students themselves, rather than the much discussed debate around university intake, positive descrimination etc..
I'm aware that a lot of value and prestige is attributed to different universities and many people are, perhaps rightly, proud of attendance at one institution over another but, what I'd like to know, out of genuine and general interest is -
       
When you were at school, if it was a state school did you feel that you might have any difficulty reaching any of your career goals, purely because you didn't have a private school background?
       Additionally, if you were at a private school, did you feel that you had an automatic leg up purely from attending such a school, in comparison to student from a state school?

No judgement, you may have changed your views now, I'm just honestly interested to understand how you felt AS A TEENAGER about the correlation between your school and what job you would be 'allowed' to do.

All PhD-ed and nowhere to go

So, I’ve just got back from the Nature Careers Expo 2013. For those of you that don’t know, ‘Nature’ is one of THE journals that we scientists would all like to get in to - It's like our ‘Vogue’. For several years now they've run a day where different companies pitch themselves to PhD students and PostDocs, and vice versa. Where it differs from your standard university careers fayre is that the exhibitors almost all have vacancies and are genuinely on the look out for ‘talent’, whilst the attendees are, like me, genuinely looking for jobs and not just interested in a novelty gonk and some pens – although there is a lot of that and I left my fair share of free tat, plus a nice T-shirt from Digital Science. I’m not going to describe the entire expo- that’s too time-consuming, not helpful for me and quite boring for you! What I’ll do in this post is describe some good strategies for getting the most out of such an event. This has all been gathered from advice from the careers service and my own experience on the day, see if it helps...

       1. Try to go to see a careers adviser BEFORE the event

 

The excellent careers service at King’s gave me some great tips on the best way to find out what you want without sounding like a self-serving tool. E.g. Don’t ask ‘What can I do because I don’t have THAT skill’, ask ‘What kind of training do you offer to new starters’

They will be able to give you some pointers so that you can narrow down the number of inhibitors you actually want/need to speak to. It's a long day so you need some sort of strategy and a careers advisor can help you to crystallise (no pun intended, chemists) what you want to get out of the day.

  

        2. Prepare

This sound obvious but take the time to at least google all the relevant employers and have an idea what they do. The exhibitors are busy and you can see them start to glaze over as they start to tell you things about the company you can find on Wikipedia.

  
3.  Discount the exhibitors you really don’t need to see

Yes, I know they’re giving away chocolate at the Science in Switzerland stand, but if you’re going to have to fake 20 minutes of interest umming-and-ahhing just buy yourself a Mars bar and move on – there’s not a lot of time at these things and the exhibitors get a bit ‘peopled-out’ by the end of the day. Catch them early! 

4. Once you’ve got your list of 5-10 stands, DON’T start with your favourite!

Whether you clam up, mumble, or, like me, you’re a waffler, we all tend to show a bit of start-of-the-day nerves. You want to make your best impression, so give yourself chance to settle in.

        5. Pick your moment

I did most of my ‘networking’ (Urgh, I know) and quizzing of staff early and not at lunch. The few people I did chat to during lunch were a bit distracted and, frankly, hungry.

        6. Take notes

It's easy to think ‘I’ll remember that, I don’t want to look too keen by whipping out my notebook’ but you won’t. There are a couple of things I wish I’d written down – names, buzzwords, it’s just too easy to forget them within seconds in such a noisy, busy atmosphere. Take down exhibitor names for job application cover letters.

       

     7. Go back for more

I got the best feedback and the most positive reaction from people at stands where, after speaking to them and having a think, I approached them for a second or third time. You want them to remember you, you want a job and it’s a really good chance to speak to someone in the company, so, why not? They’re bombarded with random faces asking the same questions all day, so make yourself stand out with a re-visit.

       

        8. Take their advice

A big part of today was about employers telling us what they want, or employees at the companies telling us what they have that made them desirable. There’s no point in focusing on ‘Oh, but I haven’t done a policy internship’ or ‘I didn't get any opportunity to present as part of my degree’. They don’t care, if you want a job, go the extra mile because plenty of other people are willing to do so to get that job!

  

        9. Follow up

So I haven’t done this yet as it’s 2 hours since the conference ended and I don’t want to be THAT person, but, once I have something I want to say/ask, I fully intend on dropping all the people I spoke to anything from a polite ‘touch-base’ to a full blown job application. Even the jobs you’re not so sure about, there’s no harm in keeping in touch.

    

     10.  Talk to strangers and get their details (see how I avoided the word ‘Network’)

Everyone hates this word- it makes us feel all scummy inside, I know, but, the thing is, we do it all the time. When you start a new job, chat someone up at the bar or even bump in to Steve from Accounting at a Metallica/Rhianna/Justin Beiber gig, it’s all networking really – chatting to someone you didn't know before and finding out if you’ve got any common ground. Usually at conferences, there are the big names at one end, guffawing over some in-joke, the cool-PhD student group at the bar getting hammered, and, if you’re foolish enough to go alone, as I often do, then you can find yourself feeling like the last kid into the lunch-room with no-one to talk to. Today was different, meeting new people wasn’t the subliminal event, as it is at a conference, it was the whole point of the day, so you can genuinely walk up to someone, chat about their work and exchange a business card or e-mail address without feeling weird about it. Honest. 

Other pointers from talks/presentations throughout the day

• You don’t necessarily need a business card as a lot of the stands have iPads and e-registration for you to leave your details – I got the impression the last thing they want is 412 tiny pieces of paper that they can’t link to a face.

• Take a CV – I wouldn’t hand them out as they're difficult to tailor to so many exhibitors but, like today, there might be a CV clinic. There will definitely be a number of HR professionals. Who knows you might network yourself into one of them glancing over it with regard to their company? 

•    The exhibitors are busy – they aren’t there to tell you what job you should do. Try asking them different questions to everyone else to get the most out of them!

•  If you check out the Nature Careers Expo 2013 site, there are all the slides on cover letter and CV preparation that we covered in some of the workshops, plus a list of exhitors. I spoke to Johnson and Johnson, Teach First, Medimmune, Macmillan Science Communication, Nature Publishing Group, Vitae, Bioscience Careers Group,  Digital Science and Envision Pharma Group

In my next blog, I’m going to investigate one of the careers that I looked into today – teaching. More specifically, I’m going to try and fathom the difference between the normal PGCE and the TeachFirst programme, endorsed by the government and who ‘inspire change in education in and outside the classroom. Apparently.

Pro-Blogue (like a Prologue, but for a blog, get it? Nevermind…)

With my life plan firmly mapped out, I finished my Chemistry degree at the University of Surrey (not particularly high on the league tables, but they’ve got a lovely lake on campus…) I did a PhD (which I loved) in synthetic organic chemistry (more cooking) at University College London (UCL), and then took up a PostDoc at King’s College London with a focus on medicinal chemistry (even more cooking, but with the idea that what you make has to actually do something).  I’ve been so convinced that I was going to be a Synthetic Organic Chemist in Industry I’ve not actually stopped in the last eight years to re-evaluate if a. I still want to do this job, b. I’m likely to get this job and c. I'm better suited to life away from the ‘bench’ (read-kitchen). So, what changed?

I’ll be honest, I’ve applied for 26 synthetic jobs in the last 18 months and achieved 2 (unsuccessful) interviews, 6 rejections and a staggering 18 ‘no replies’. Fundamentally, there are so many people applying for each post (around 100 per post, if not more) the companies can’t be bothered to e-mail those who haven’t been successful. This leaves those of us who are waiting for replies in a bit of a shaky ‘limbo’ – only finding out that we didn't get an interview if one of our colleagues managed to get one. We’ve all been there, ‘brave-facing’ it and congratulating your friend, all the while thinking ‘Why them – what’s bloody wrong with me?’ It’s not that you’re not pleased for them, it’s simply that it’s really tough out there at the moment, we’re all competing for the same scarce jobs. Not to mention that there is a huge reservoir of highly skilled scientists that have just been made redundant. So we’re also competing against people who’ve already been doing that job, are older, more experienced, wiser and dare I say it, better?

So this is where I start thinking about the skills I can offer that aren’t just chemistry-related. In the midst of my application ‘fun’, a friend and colleague recommended me to a school to present to a group of 15 year old girls for a day about ‘Careers in Science’. I thought it would be a nice diversion, a day out of the lab and then back to normal. The curve ball was that I absolutely loved it! I mean really loved it, I got home and bored the pants off my then-boyfriend-now-husband (did I mention I also got married recently). I loved talking about my work, loved engaging with some genuine enthusiasm, loved the immediate response you get from working with people and, perhaps most surprisingly, I found that I was good at it!

Since then I got married, went on honeymoon and generally forgot all about my career. Who needs a life plan when you’ve got a happy hour Mai Tai lined up? Now it’s time to take stock. Did I just enjoy my day out of the lab because it was different or am I destined to try something new?