Your career and pay questions answered by John Howson
Q
I am a curriculum area manager in charge of a modern languages faculty, in post for 18 months on four management points. I have also crossed the threshold and am almost 48 years old. I hold an MA in education as well as a first degree. I am much more ambitious now than in my younger days and am keen to keen to get into leadership.
Would it be too early to apply for an assistant headship? I am worried about being unmarketable once I hit 50, and want to go for it as soon as possible. On the other hand I was appointed to a major post of responsibility and I don’t want to feel I’m letting anyone down.
A
I sympathise. But in the end it is your career, and you have to decide which is more important to you. At your age, I would look for the assistant headship, even if it meant changing schools. Although, even at 50, you could have 25 per cent of your working life to come, prejudice about promoting older staff to leadership posts for the first time remains. As to letting anyone down, that is the classic teacher’s guilt trip. When you finally retire, you will still be leaving some classes at different points in their education - it is an inevitable fact of teaching life.
Q
I am in my final year of a geography degree and am considering a teaching career. What career opportunities might I look forward to?
A
A period of classroom teaching would open many avenues. Apart from further work in your subject area, leading possibly to a career as an advanced skills teacher and then an adviser’s post, you could pursue a management post or work in related specialist areas such as special needs or pastoral work. Perhaps most attractive to geographers are the increasing opportunities to work almost anywhere in the world.
Q
You recently had a question about teaching in Scotland. What about Wales? As someone who trained and has always taught in England, are my qualifications valid?
A
The short answer is, yes. Although the National Assembly has control of education, including teacher training, in Wales, teaching qualifications obtained in England or Wales are valid, for now, in either country. Your problem may be finding a teaching post, as Wales is not short of teachers.
John Howson is visiting professor at Oxford Brookes University and managing director of Education Data Surveys. Do you have a career question for him? Email susan.young@newsint.co.uk
