What would you do?

TaytoShadow

I qualified as a secondary school teacher during the summer but didn't even apply for a teaching post because I decided to take a year away from it and work at my current job. I work as a cleaner with the Hse and have been for 5 years including throughout my collage years. I had planned on just working away and relaxing for the year and start trying to get into a teaching job from next September on.

My roster in my current job is a casual roster i.e. I work when I'm available and when I'm wanted. (this has been 5 days a week when not at collage and every weekend whilst I was at collage) The idea was that next September if I got a few weeks subbing or a teaching post with a little amount of hours I could keep working as the cleaner on my casual roster when not subbing.

But now I have been offered a permanent position as a cleaner working a 39 hour week. This would be great for job security but it rules out any chance of me doing subbing next year as I would have to work the required 39 hours each week.

Would being permanent in a government job help when looking for a teaching post or would I be better off keeping my temporary/casual position so I could work it around subbing?

Also is there any teaching jobs through the Hse? In places such as child and adolescence special care units?

Thanks

Enright

Take the job, very few hours available in teaching at present.

ps: If applying for subbing, learn to spell COLLEGE correctly (sorry, but I had to mention it)

chippers

The flexible contract that you are currently on sounds ideal for a NQT. If and when you pick up subbing work you can accept it while still maintaining your cleaning job and ultimately a steady income.

If I was you though I would speak with my boss in the HSE and find out if the flexible contract is likely to continue indefinitely. If they are offering some staff permanent contracts it might imply that they are changing their system of rostering which could have an affect on flexi-staff.

seavill

The only problem with your question (apart from what was pointed out above) is that you are working on the presumption that you will get a job or some subbing hours.

There is NO guarantee of EITHER. Be under no illusion. We have had ONE sub in since the start of the year. Yes only one person since September. We have almost like a permanent sub and plenty of people on small hours so there is no need for any subs so far this year. Now if other schools are similar or even someway similar there are very few subs actually required now compare this to the amount of unemployed qualified people and you see my point.

The other question I would ask is do you really want to teach? There is a fair difference between working as a cleaner with the HSE and becoming a full time teacher. It's something you really need to consider

evolving_doors

Ok first things first, getting a government job in environmental services won't matter a damn in the education department...

The jobs your talking about teaching secondary or primary in a hospital or special care unit are VERY rare, forget it if you have no prior full time teaching experience in a similar role.

Basically fella, if you want to earn a steady pensionable wage as a cleaner then go for it, the cleaners in my school probably earn more than myself..

If you need to pay a mortgage or want to get one, then go for the cleaning job.

I you are in a relationship and thinking about (or have) kids then take the cleaning job.

If you have no money worries and are willing to sweat it out subbing for about ten years (if you are fairly confident in getting sub work too)than ya, go for it if it makes you happy.
Bare in mind though, a stage may come where you will have to choose between dropping cleaning for teaching, if say a principal wants to keep you in the school for longer periods (maybe you can still do the cleaning during holidays!).

Think about the nature of your teaching subject, core subjects generally lead to longer hours (once you get into a school)...whereas a subject with low demand you might be stuck in a school for a long time without any opportunity for a principal to up your hours...

that's my two cent anyhow, loads of variables, and depends where you are in life..., family, kids, relationship, mortgage, health...this might not mean anything to you now if your young and single, but if things start to change you might find that persuing a teaching career to be monkey on your back.

rainbowtrout

seavill wrote: »

The only problem with your question (apart from what was pointed out above) is that you are working on the presumption that you will get a job or some subbing hours.

There is NO guarantee of EITHER. Be under no illusion. We have had ONE sub in since the start of the year. Yes only one person since September. We have almost like a permanent sub and plenty of people on small hours so there is no need for any subs so far this year. Now if other schools are similar or even someway similar there are very few subs actually required now compare this to the amount of unemployed qualified people and you see my point.

The other question I would ask is do you really want to teach? There is a fair difference between working as a cleaner with the HSE and becoming a full time teacher. It's something you really need to consider

Same in my school. We have one regular sub and the remaining hours are dished out to part time staff. The only other people we have coming in are coming in on maternity leaves, parental leave etc.

OP - if you want a regular wage for the forseeable future take the cleaning job. You don't seem all that pushed on teaching, you were taking a year out from it this year, not that there's much to take a year out from, there's very little work out there, and you will earn very little subbing if you get any.

You would probably be better off taking the job and keeping an eye out for contract teaching jobs and if you get one and still want to teach you can leave the cleaning job.

Working as a cleaner will have absolutely no bearing on your prospects as a teacher, even if it is within the public service. Principals don't care if you can clean, they want you to be able to teach.

Take the permanent job, apply for teaching jobs next summer if you want to teach, if you don't get one continue as you are.