PE Teaching

[sweetsixteen]

I am 16 and am thinking about what i want to do for my future career. I love sport and am interested in becoming a PE teacher, however a lot of people have advised me against teaching, as apparently it can be harder work then first thought and you end up with hardly any free time. I have also thought about working in a lesiure centre as opposed to in a school. Does anybody teach PE or something similar who could offer any advice??

Thanks!! ;-)

oh and another thing...... what is the pay like if you teach?? apparently its a bit rubbish!!!! is that ture/false??

[Scarlett]

I am a teacher and it IS a really dreadful job. However if you love kids and love sport, a PE teacher may be the thing for you. There may well be less preparation involved in the teaching of PE- less marking perhaps? the pay is roughly �18,000 as an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) to �30,000 as a Head of Dept or Head Teacher. The best thing to do is organise some work experience in a school, or in several schools. There you can shadow a PE teacher (follow them around) and see if it is for you or not. Your school will probably organise work experience in your year. I would imagine that you would get paid less in a leisure centre or gym, but the work would be less stressful and you wouldn't have to take it home with you every night. Try both!

[sweetsixteen]

Thanks Scarlett, I did do work experience in a lesiure centre in july but it wasnt very helpfull as i didnt really get to see much of the sporty side of things - i helped on reception and did a lot of cleaning! I think i'll try to organise some more work experience in a PE department in a school 'cause that would probably be better than cleaning and answering the telephone!!

Anyway, thanks for your help.

;-)

[simms]

The pay for teaching is very good compared to many jobs, especially in the sector you like ie sport and leisure. You also get substantially more time off, although you may well need it to recover....A teaching qualification will open other horizons to you such as teaching abroad, teaching teachers (ooh there's a thought), and like learning to ride a bike it is something you can pick up again at different periods in your life.

[splodge24]

I used to work in a leisure centre, it was great fun. Very 'hands on' and enjoyable if you are into sports. The lowest paid person there was on about �14000 and that increased for the rest of us depending on the courses we went on. Then there is always the option to branch out and become a fitness instructer or personal trainer. where you can charge your own fee per hour. One of the people who i worked with took a job at the local football club as a trainer and is now earning good money and really enjoys the job. There are lots of possibilities if you look past just working in a leisure centre.   

[banjo]

I wanted to be a PE teacher when I was your age too, but my family, friends and teachers told me I was too academic for it as a career and I acted on their 'advice'.  7 years and a Politics degree later, I'm applying for a 4 year PE teacher training degree - go with what you want to do and you cant go wrong.  Dont let other people scare you off - research it and make your own decision.

 

Besides, even if you do a degree in PE teaching, you dont necessarily have to go into teaching - a number of other sport related careers will also be open to you!