Making a difference: Transition to Teach reveals main motivation for moving into teaching
Date published: 02 May 2021
The Programme Manager at Transition to Teach, Rebecca Waring
Transition to Teach is currently recruiting for its 2021 programme beginning in September.
Transition to Teach is a Department for Education funded initiative which enables eligible career changers, those at risk of redundancy and early retirees to train for new teaching careers.
Residents from Oldham are encouraged to apply.
Data has also been released from Transition to Teach’s 2020 cohort.
A total of 105 candidates made up the 2020 group, bringing over 1500 years’ work experience into the teaching profession.
The majority of 2020 participants trained to teach maths (37%), followed by modern foreign languages (17%), chemistry (10%), physics (8%) and computer science (6%).
Transition to Teach utilises the Hogan Personality Assessment, identifying participant strengths and helping to support with potential challenges they may face in teaching.
Analysis of data from the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) across the two Transition to Teach cohorts (2020 and 2019) has revealed that the main motivation for candidates to move into teaching is the desire for a career where they feel they are helping and supporting others, or adding to the greater good of society.
This desire to positively impact society was a key reason for moving into teaching for Fateha Uddin, who studied for a BSc in biomedical science before embarking on a career in retail.
Fateha undertook her school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) in September 2019 supported by Transition to Teach, and started her newly qualified teacher (NQT) year in September 2020.
She said: “I was always interested in science at school so a degree in biomedical science was the natural choice for me.
"But after my degree, I ended up going into retail and became a floor manager for a large retail chain.
"I’m now teaching biology in KS4 and KS5 and teaching in all sciences up to KS3.
"Personally, my work-life balance is so much better now.
“The girls in the school I teach in are largely from an Eastern European or Asian background.
"Growing up, I didn’t have those strong female role models, and that has influenced my desire to be a role model for the students I teach.
“The best bit about teaching is the children, they are bonkers!
"You really have to hold in your laughter at the things they say sometimes.
"I also really like the supportive environment in teaching, it’s so different to what I was used to in retail.”
Programme Manager at Transition to Teach, Rebecca Waring, said: “As we recruit for our 2021 cohort of trainee teachers, it’s incredibly positive to see that participants are moving into teaching because they want to make a difference in the lives of young people.
"They’re ready to be the role models that young people need, challenging perceptions that might exist about certain subjects or professions and inspiring the future generation.
“Our service is there to help people work out if teaching is for them, and if they choose to proceed, then we support with the practical tasks like finding an initial teacher training provider, support through placements and even job applications when the time comes.
"If you would like to learn more about Transition to Teach, get in touch to see if you are eligible and you could be starting your teaching journey this September.”
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