MG, another secondary teacher here. I completed a degree in science first, then went back a little later and did a graduate diploma of education.
I am qualified to teach secondary maths (at all levels) and science, and the senior science subjects I'm qualified to teach include physics and chemistry.
I'm not sure if there are different rules in different states, but as I had a science degree, junior science was a given. I had to have completed a certain number of credit points in mathematics subjects to get the maths qualification as a minor teaching method (ironically, science may be my major teaching method but I only teach maths now). For the senior science subjects it came down to which areas I had studied at uni. I had a major in chemistry so could tick off that one easily. I only did first year physics at uni, but that was enough to satisfy the NSW department of education that I could be a competent physics teacher, so it was also ticked off.
Qualifying to teach specific secondary subjects comes down to what sort of degree you have done, and which subjects were included in that degree. Perhaps contact the education department at a university and talk to them about what teaching methods your degree allows you to teach with a graduate diploma or whether you would need to study another degree altogether.
MG, I was half-way through a teacher training year. I'm trying to decide whether this is for me, if I want to finish just the course. I've taken a leave of absence atm: I just couldn't cope with some of the stuff I was learning, and that really affected my ability to do the course. A crappy placement tutor didn't help either.
My problems stem from I had a bad teenage experience. I learnt on week 2 of my course, at Uni, in a lecture theatre, that I come under headings for being emotionally abused and emotionally neglected as a teenager. I also learnt, a few weeks later, at the school in a small seminar, that I displayed all the characteristic traits of someone suffering from abuse/neglect that should be noticed by teachers and acted upon. That was without the teachers knowing my background, which they did know about half of what was going on. Many lectures have been on the fact teachers are supposed to do something - and something nice - if they notice you are having a problem.
I don't know what the laws are in Australia about teachers having any care for their students' wellbeing, but in the UK I have learnt that teachers HAVE to get involved. It really hurt that they didn't and that no-one cared (and yes, I checked the laws were in place when I was at school too: they came in a couple of years before this happened to me so the teachers should have been, by law, freshly trained on this). In fact that sent me into such a spiral of depression I was unable to cope with anything that was going on - not a good thing when you're supposed to be learning how to teach.
My advice for you is that if you wanted to do secondary teaching, get some counselling about it NOW and don't be afraid to scream for help if you find it's bothering you when you start your re-training.
Having said all of that, I just LOVED standing up in front of a class and just teaching - it was fantastic! I loved the teaching, just not being confronted with my teen years again.
It's the best feeling in the world when you know you've helped someone get to their "lightbulb" moment. The point at which everything clicks and makes sense. If you can deal with the massive workload and politics, then go for it! ...
Sorry I haven't contributed more..I'm actually jaded by my work at the moment...but that's another thread.
Good luck!
LZ - I'm sorry to hear you've had such a negative experience. It is difficult when we learn that things could/should have been done to assist us in the past and how unjust our experience was. But I have learnt to take my experience and use it to provide better care for those I am entrusted with. Not always so easy, but I try.
MG - I originally went into teaching knowing that what happened wasn't right, but that I could help others. Finding out how bad my life was, then that something should have been done, which would have changed my life completely: that was a lot harder to cope with than I thought.
I think Ali said almost everything I would say about primary teaching. I can't imagine doing anything else - it is THE most rewarding job, but also the most stressful and all-consuming. I can imagine that if you are not passionate about it, it would be the worst job in the world!
Be prepared for long hours (I am in my 9th year and still work 8-4:30pm plus a couple of hours several days a week at night and up to half a day on weekends), lots of politics (wondering what changes the new national curriculum will bring - we've had three new syllabus' since I started, and there's lots of focus on literacy and numeracy standards here in Qld) and spending the vast majority of your days on behaviour management. If you don't have the behaviour management skills, then you just don't get to teach - and that's where the rewards are. Those lightbulb moments. And, as Ali said, if just one child moves on and looks back and remembers something I did, if I can make a difference in just one child's life, then I consider it a career well chosen.
Having said all that, I am soooooo looking forward to my maternity leave (1 week and 3 days to go!) and if I wasn't going on leave, I'd be looking for some time out in other ways as it has burnt me out to a certain degree. It is an all-consuming way of life (if you want to be a great teacher) so I am really looking forward to being something else besides a 'teacher'.
I hope you make the right decision for you.
BTW, if you already have a degree, you can do a post-grad course in 1 year, at least as far as I know.
Have you spent any time at schools, volunteering? That's not a bad way to see if you like it. And spend extra time volunteering while you are studying too, it's an excellent way to build skills and to make sure it's the right career for you.
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