I got laid off.

Anonymous

February 20,2024 at 4:33PM UTC

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I got laid off. I see some job opening for a teacher in a private school. Pay will be minimal but I thought maybe something is better than nothing. What do you all think? My friends think I should hold off and do some courses instead for upskilling/reskiling.

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Jana MaclellanFebruary 20,2024 at 5:19PM UTC
Are you wanting to be a teacher? If so, taking classes would be a positive move. If you don't take classes, you could be looking at another lay off.
AnonymousFebruary 20,2024 at 5:45PM UTC
Were you already teaching? Have you previously wanted to be a teacher and taken a different path? If the answer to both questions is no, don't take the private school job. Teaching is an incredibly hard profession and not something that one should just dip their toe in because they feel like they don't have many other options.
AnonymousFebruary 20,2024 at 6:51PM UTC
I taught for about 10 years.
If you are interested in teaching as a long term profession I would definitely consider a degree. Most states require a degree and teaching certificate for public schools. I‘m not sure about your school/state but typically the more education you have, the more you get paid as a teacher.
If it’s a temporary thing that doesn’t require a certificate or degree, and you have solid content knowledge and experience working with kids I’d just go for it. You’ll learn a ton through the experience and can better decide how much you want to invest in that career path.
I loved teaching but it is very challenging and in my state the pay was so bad I had to wait tables at night and work full time over the summer. This was not sustainable and even though I have a bachelors, masters degrees and spent two additional years working towards a doctorate, I decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze for me.
AnonymousFebruary 20,2024 at 8:20PM UTC
Do you plan to stick to the job or use it to make money while continuing to look? I know people taken less than ideal jobs while looking and I have considered the same but I work with data. And data does not have feelings. My concern is if you are a classroom teacher and plan to only be there a few months, the disruption when you leave may be hard on the kids. So, since kids and their education is involved, in this case, I think the question may be, "Is this a good decision for me and the kids." If it is just about a temporary paycheck, a less relationship-heavy role that you can more easily leave may be better. And upskilling is always the answer if you have the funds. It will set you up for success and bigger paychecks later on.
AnonymousFebruary 21,2024 at 8:58AM UTC
I'm confused. How can you take a teaching position if you're not a qualified teacher?