I had an interesting conversation with my brother. He, like many others, asked me how the ‘teaching thing’ was going. As always, I had to sadly say there is no teaching going on in my life right now. I have slowly figured out how the pathway to a teach role works and have had ample opportunity to explain it to my persecutors (I mean, friends who are kind enough to take and interest and enquire how the ‘teaching thing’ is going). The pathway is to work as a casual or substitute teacher. Not only do you build relationships with the local schools, but with the experience gained and documented it’s possible to successfully apply for a short-term contract. And with that on your CV you are more likely to obtain a full-time role.
My brother listened sympathetically and then told me his teaching horror story. An acquaintance transitioned from her existing career to teaching, as I’ve intended to do. She also had to start out with intermittent roles, leading her to sell her house and downsize. And even as she persists, he believes it is still difficult for her to make ends meet. I still don’t know if it’s fear of leaving the corporate safety net career or just normal financial pragmatism that keeps me where I am. But while I prevaricate, spare a thought for the public teachers of US schools. According to boredteachers.com (https://www.boredteachers.com/news/american-teachers-vs-world), “American teachers are paid significantly less than their counterparts around the world. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United States ranks 27th out of 32 developed countries when it came to teacher salaries.”