henry hill

good luck mate, sorry i dont know much about the paperwork but i'd seriously recommend that you reconsider. A british school is an unforgiving place and full of absolute twats for students.

bcqcboy

Has anyone heard a single positive comment about British schools within the past decade or met a single British teacher who liked his / her job? Almost everything I've heard or read sounds nightmarish. I imagine that I would be sacked within days if not hours if I worked at a typical British school.

peelieorion

I worked in the U.K for 7 years and loved it (Primary level) Like most jobs if you have a supportive head with a vision, your job is rewarding. Hard work though and a lot of paperwork and definetely pick your job carefully. Supply work pays well and is a good way in the door.

torbek

^ I'm kind of ruled out of supply work as I need a WP...

(Australians under 30 or with a British grandparent can get a more flexible visa that doesn't require WP.)

Also heard it's a nightmare, but also met a few Aussies who said it was a good experience, despite difficulties on occasions.

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omlagus

Try this link for some info on teaching in the UK............................

http://www.sandbox.tda.gov.uk/teachers.aspx

defender

Don't know about WPs mate, but a friend of mine went to the UK armed with a new shiny Teaching cert. from Australia (not sure what the technical name for his cert was, I don't know enough about the Aussie system, but he was newly qualified to teach in Aus). Anyway, he wasn't able to work certain jobs (his cert. didn't give him QTS) but got a job through an agency and was pretty well paid for temporary placements (term at a time I think) in private schools.

Pretty sure he was connected to the agency from Australia, possibly one of the ads you refer to.

On the bright side, he was able to get a very well paid job in an international school here after a year's experience in the UK.

I don't really know the fine workings of the WP system, but the spirit of it is that if you are providing skills that are desired in the UK then they will allow you to work - obviously there's a teacher shortage so (in the spirit of things at least) you should be OK. In the UK as in Thailand you put yourself in the hands of bureaucrats who specialise in making and justifying odd decisions!

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omlagus

defender................

The link I posted gives info on QTS and OTTP. Search the site..........

kingwilly

Cannot stress this enough, PARTICULARLY after having some good experiences in thailand, recall the twat-kid for the debating stuff you had to do, now, on a badness scale multiply his atittuide by the first 3 digit number that comes into your head - that's UK teaching.

Had a friend got a job in Slough - left after first class first day (BTW he was an experiennced teacher in Aus of 15 years or something - so not a newbie)

His wife got a job at Eton college - loved it and the $$ was good.

Have another friend currently at Rugby School - again experienced teacher, he's been there 7 years or so, loves it.

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DaiHard

After having taught in the UK for a number of year I've watched the system go down the toilet. Unless you work in a private (called Public) school like Eton or Rugby then most likely you'll be swamped by masses of paperwork, an inflexible curriculum, extreme political correctness, a management that will happily sacrifice you to save their own butts, long hours and, worse, undisciplined feral kids. It has been recently ranked as the most stressful job in the country and just below a policeman in the likelihood of getting seriously assaulted (one woman teacher was recently raped by a 15 year old in her own classroom and it was her that ended up in court).

There is a shortage of teachers for reason. My advise, choose something else, you'll easily get work (and a wp) in the hospitality trade in London they just love Aussies.

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defender

I'll keep trying

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Forrest

I had a great job in the UK....

...Teaching A-level politics in a large govt secondary school in Cornwall, my classroom look out to sea and up onto Dartmoor.

You can be very choosy at the moment in the UK... if you pick carefully you'll get a cracking job.

No clue about paperwork.

Good luck!

GeeCee

Why don't you come to Australia for experience? You won't have those problems and WA is screaming out for teachers....They have just employed 150 OS teachers to fill the gaps.

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torbek

Not interested in slightest in teaching in Australia.

If I went back to Aus, I'd go back to banking and get paid real money ithout being the least bit PC!

More looking for an "experience" in Europe and to get a couple of years western system under my belt so I can return to international schools in Asia.



BTW I was thinking about just heading to UK early 08 and knock doors until I get something...as it seems the Australian based agents aren't all that keen if they have to secure a WP for you as well (ie. if you are ruled out of supply teaching). Feasible?

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Nemo.

I want to go back to UK but my relatives (and news articles I have read) say huge bias against older "new" teachers. It seems a new teacher "should be under 30" and many will recruit the youngest (and easiest to manage). I may be ok as have higher quals and want to work in Public School system - and I want the QTS to work in international schools

As an OTT (overseas trained teacher) you will be dumped with all the sink schools in Brixton etc etc. The kids will be violent druggies/drunks/wanna be killers and gangsters. I would never teach in the scum bag schools and thats were the teacher shortages are!

Basically buy some body armor and remember you cant even defend yourself in a British school. If a kid attacks you with a knife and you grab the knife then you will be prosecuted for attacking the kid! Dont laugh I know too many Brit teachers who ran away from UK for these type of reasons (and the hard work)