Encouraged by Cyrilla (or discouraged, since she thought primary school teaching was a bad idea ), I am looking for some novel, unusual and interesting ideas . Any suggestions?

Hazel

I think maybe we should know a little bit about what your likes are and what your skills and strengths are... otherwise we could come up with some freaky ideas.. though I guess you have wide ranging abilities.. lots going for you ...
what sort of areas are we looking at? or even what things would you NOT consider? a few guidelines?

Sorry, hazel, I didn't mean to be discouraging...it's just that it's not the job it used to be, IMO ...of course go for it if it's what you want to do!

I agree with SaxFan - if we could have some more info re your strengths/weaknesses, likes/dislikes etc. that would be helpful!

Primary Classroom Assistant? - just like teacher but without the paperwork

Or the salary... .

but how do they compare "per hour" when you consider all those hours that teachers put in at home in the evenings and weekends? I bet there's not much in it really.

Just had a look at the numbers.

There's no national pay scale for classroom assistants, but the starting salary is between £10,000 and £12,500 a year. With experience, this could go up to £14,000 to £17,000 a year

For a teacher, the starting salary (outside London) is £20,133, with an annual increment. After five years, the salary is £29,427. So, pretty much, a teacher working between two or three days a week will be better off than a classroom assistant working full time. I'd suspect that even with marking and so on, a part-time teacher will still have a better real-world hourly pay than a full-time classroom assistant.

Yes, but maybe the lack of hassle and responsibility - and being able to say goodbye to the job at the end of the day - makes it worth it?!

I'm extremely poor at the moment, having dropped a school day, but SO much happier now that I'm away from Horrible School and doing more of 'my own thing'. There are very definitely times when other things are more important than money!

Sorry, hazel, I don't think we're being much help here! (Apologies for my digression.)

It all depends on the person in question, I guess. I'd prefer a three-day working week with non-contact time in the evenings to a five-day working week with none.

I agree that money isn't everything though, I work in academia .

I have thought very hard about teaching, but have heard so many negative stories from people already in the profession that I am quite concerned that I may just be landing myself with a situation as bad as the NHS one. I have arranged some work experience for after I finish here, and if that goes well I will probably look for a part-time teaching assistant post until I can apply for a PCGE - I think that will be the best test of all. I'm hoping the OU pull their finger out and set up a primary PGCE course sometime soon!

Regarding other options, and my interests / skills, I think I would describe myself as a "mediochre polymath" or as my mum puts it, "jack of all trades, master of none" . I did science A levels, biology at uni, and I have a PhD in molecular genetics. But I could just have easily done history, art and english lit for A level, or french, maths and economics....I sort of just tossed a coin as I really didn't have a strong desire to become a scientist, but I was advised that science held the best future job prospects.

I think that's why so many people have said primary teaching would be ideal for me now - I'm good at lots of things such as maths, english, history / geography, science, art / craft, music (although I know I wouldn't be good enough to teach it exclusively - I must have a better understanding than many primary school teachers, judging by the fact that the first question almost every school I have contacted asks is, do you play the piano?). I've considered seconday teaching too (science / biology is the only option open there, due to my degree content) so will also do some work experience in secondary schools. I do plenty of lecturing to uni students, conference / course delegates, and at patient and public education events so I'm quite happy standing up in front of people and having to spout forth

However I'd like some ideas about other, less conventional jobs that would use my other skills - e.g. I am organised / methodical, I like problem-solving, I'm happy to drive as part of my job, and I like creating things. Genealogy is one of my hobbies; I also like cake decorating and making soft toys, fancy dress costumes and crafty things - but I can't see how to make a decent living out of those The only thing I'm really no good at is sport; although I have been learning to ice skate for the past few months, and I can ride a horse, I doubt I'd be offered a place on the Olympic teams for either!! Perhaps I could get a job on the England cricket team?

One thing that was suggested to me recently which quite appealed, just to give you an idea of how off-the-wall I am prepared to go, was to set up a business (I think you can buy them as franchises) travelling round maternity wards or baby clinics making baby footprints and handprints in little clay plaques (with the parents' permission of course ) as keepsakes, or gifts for grandparents....

Hmm, maybe I need to go on a course on writing concisely!! So I won't bore you all any more - any other ideas or opinions gratefully received

Hazel

One doesn't get a PhD by writing concisely .

Have you considered becoming a post-doc research assistant at a university?

Sounds like you'd be an ideal presenter on Blue Peter!

Might be worth checking out the baby idea though.

Trying to be sensible!

Learning Mentor if they still exist?

Similar sort of pay scale to teachers, a degree of flexibility to fashion your role, working with children. Just pick your school very carefully. Some Primary heads can be very nasty to staff and pupils alike.

I've seen a few jobs advertised asking for people to apply for a type of 'events organiser' in retirement homes. These are definitely paid positions (but I've no idea how well paid!) and they seem to want people to be responsible for organising a varied calendar of social activities for the residents. Is this something you would consider?

I thought they did.
My friend who is a primary teacher did her degree and PGCE with the OU.

Hey Hazel, thanks for all that. Wow!! it sounds like there's not much you couldn't do!!
Forget about writing concisely - it wasn't a bit boring.

Now the difficult thing is to find just what you'd like to do and what would work. That's tricky.
If it were me, then I would definitely hope to find something that uses your 'alternative' skills - I like the 'craft' things if you can find the niche.
All the things you mention have potential - cake decorating/soft toys/costumes -- you need to get known, don't you? But maybe that wouldn't be too bad using the Internet these days?

I've got cakes etc to take out of the oven, but I feel sure you can find something ... my brain is booting up!! Bound to be someone who might just trigger something useful.

how about becoming a vicar? i often consider it....

If teaching's looking to be your bag then what about A-Levels? It'd be stimulating without all the idiots who don't want to be there.

Hazel,
How about visiting a careers advisor??
Beverley.

In the past they have been no use to me whatsoever!!!!

Not yet - they currently offer a PGCE in selected secondary subjects...

Strange.
She definately did all her placements in primary and now has a year 2 class.

Hello Geraldine!!!

Wow, thanks for all the ideas - keep them coming...

Done that!! My current job includes supposedly doing research half the time (I had funding from the BMA), but I get so frustrated by the academics who will spend three weeks arguing about why they need to spend £3M on some bit of machinery just because Bristol Uni have one and have got 25 papers out of it, only to lose interest in when it arrives and have it gather dust in the corner for the next three years...I'd love to do research if it was better regulated and controlled, but at the moment it just doesn't fit in with needing to spend more time with the family.


Perhaps they did in previously, but they definitely don't now - I've had it from the horse's mouth that they are trying to set one up, but it won't be available for Sept 2007 start, and possibly not for 2008 either. There are several other distance learning PGCEs but all still require 18 weeks of teaching practice to be done locally to the host uni, and none are local to me (althought the one in the Lake District quite appeals...)


Good one. I've often wondered about church organists who do not feel particularly religious - how do they cope with having to sit through so many services, weddings, and funerals especially? Unfortunately vicars have to work weekends...especially through the summer .


Have done that twice briefly (one said I should be a psychiatric nurse , the other said Teach! but then it was a teaching recruitment event ) - if nothing obvious comes along I shall go and see a proper one once I've left work at the end of Feb.

Thanks for all the other ideas, gotta go now as my Xmas pressie turned up today , and I think it's time to kick my hubbie off the stool and have another go myself After the few botched attempts I had at Fur Elise this afternoon (used to be able to play it OK as a child), I can see I am going to be asking for some piano advice as well as I seem to have forgotten a lot of rudimentary things

Hazel

If there's something you really want to do, go for it!

One of Husband's colleagues originally trained as a pharmacist; after a couple of years she got bored of pharmacy so retrained as a computer programmer and now works in engineering research. Previous management where he worked realised that some research will take you down a blind alley, but the current management think that you can do cutting-edge research by looking it up on the internet


Would you have to change your screen name to revdbouffant?

Husband once considered training for the clergy. I quite liked the idea of being a vicar's wife and having the choir round for tea, but went off the idea after an hour spent with Mrs Four-Hoods in the vicarage kitchen - everyone popping in to discuss parish business, the joys of parish politics, having to be nice to everyone all the time (and I'm sure jod can add to the list of downsides).