'Why Become a Teacher?' #KTChat - Conversation Highlights

Thank you to those who participated in our Twitter Chat on Wednesday 31st May 2017 where we held an online conversation on the topic, ‘Why Become a Teacher?’. We discussed 6 key questions where our experts provided useful advice for prospective teachers interested in joining the profession. 

For those who missed our online chat, you can catch up on the conversation highlights below including the key points mentioned that will help you with your career decision-making. You can also view the tweets by searching on Twitter #KTChat.

Meet the expert panel members involved:

Question 1 highlights:

• Training options: school-based routes including School Direct and School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) courses or university led routes. 

• Everybody learns differently and each course caters for different people. 

• The school based route is good for some but others may be more suited to the university led route. 

TOP TIP: understand the best way you learn and this will help when deciding on a training programme. 

• @MrsHumanities completed a PGCE course but would have benefitted more from being surrounded by the practical side of teaching, like School Direct.

• Canterbury Christ Church University provide a number of teacher training options which you can learn about here. 

• For more information regarding your teacher training options, visit the below websites:

Kent-Teach - Routes into Teaching

Get into Teaching

UCAS 

• Experience of working in schools either on a voluntary or employed basis is highly valuable; it can largely help your teacher training year including your training application. You will gain an insight into how schools are run on a daily basis as well improve your understanding of the curriculum etc. Contact Leigh Academies Trust if you are interested as they will be happy to help those of you looking for experience, where possible. 

Question 2 highlights:

We discussed a number of different benefits; our experts tweeted the following: 

• Additionally, there is a great pension scheme and once you are qualified you will receive a minimum salary of £22,467; this is the start of the Main Pay Scale and will increase over the years. 

Question 3 highlights:

• Dealing with constant change can be challenging; just as you get used to one thing something changes nationally or internally in the school. Learning to be flexible and proactive can help tremendously in this situation and allow you to more ably deal with changes. 

• The amount of support you have around you can be dependent on the school you work at. 

TOP TIP: Accept help from colleagues, participate in lesson observations, always see errors/mistakes as learning curves and don’t try to be a perfect teacher – this doesn’t exist. 

• Make time for friends and family, participate in mindfulness activities, and address issues quickly particularly if more school support is needed. 

• Often, support is available to teachers but they just don’t know it or need guidance on accessing these avenues of support.

• Kent-Teach Wellbeing blog section provides information and advice on improving your wellbeing. 

• Time management can be a problem. 

TOP TIP: rather than constantly juggling your workload focus on the important work and leave the unnecessary tasks that largely contribute to your workload.

• Secondary school teacher @MrsHumanities shared the following charts that she uses to help her manage homework scheduling/collecting and marking:

• Differentiation is important; it can be difficult ensuring lower ability students are given enough support whilst pushing those high ability students and extending their learning.

• Helen and Grant advise NQTs to speak with their mentors if they are feeling overwhelmed – that’s what they are there for! 

• Like most careers, teaching can be challenging however, many teachers will agree that the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Question 4 highlights:

• Long working hours are inevitable during the busier months to some extent.

TOP TIP: Work smart by understanding what jobs are important and delete those unnecessary tasks. 

• Strong teachers learn to prioritise their workload effectively; learn these 8 tips including the 80:20 rule.

• You can still benefit from a social life if you stay organised and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Question 5 highlights:

• Teach First train and support committed trainee teachers to become inspirational classroom leaders in low-income communities. NQT Induction Manager, Grant Reeves, is a strong example of this.  Within 3 years of Grant’s teaching career, he became Subject Leader, KS2 Team Leader and was then part of the Senior Leadership Team. Quickly following this, he was a SENCO and Inclusion Manager and during his 7th year teaching he became Assistant Headteacher. This shows the potential there is to quickly progress up the school ladder. 

• Once you complete your NQT year, you could become an NQT Mentor to support those NQTs with their first year teaching; this is excellent experience to add to your CV.

• Get on Twitter and learn about the Teacher Meet Ups by searching #TeacherMeet.  Additionally bookmark this Teach Meet Forum. Learn here about the upcoming TeachMeet in Canterbury on 5th July 2017.

• Ask your schools about what CPD opportunities are available and learn about external opportunities here. 

Question 6 highlights:

• Experience of working in a school is valuable and will strengthen your teacher training application. It will help you decide for sure that it is the right career for you and normally you are required to have a minimum of two weeks experience.

• Volunteering is the most likely option unless you are successful at finding a paid support position in a school. Apply for jobs in Kent here. 

• Volunteering will show how passionate and serious you are about becoming a teacher and you will learn a considerable amount including the daily running’s of a school. 

If you have any questions contact kent.teach@kent.gov.uk or you can contact our experts via Twitter: Mrs Humanities, Mr P Goodson, Leigh Academies Trust, Jennifer Shearman, NQT Induction Team (Helen Taylor & Grant Reeves)

If you're stuck for things to do this summer, check out these 10 events happening all over the county.