1891 census-- profession- teacher

[earsdon]

I have discovered that my great gran was a schoolteacher when she was 18 in 1891. Wouls she have trained somewhere?

[dot.hawkes]

The use of pupil teachers was common in the 19th century, when the older pupils, who had attended school to the age of 15plus, were employed to reach the younger children the basic educational subjects. As these pupil-teachers progressed they were then made into school teachers, usually in small schools that did not attract the University educated teachers.

[dundurn]

Spot on Dot. It carried on into the 20th century at least in some places. Between 1922 and 1928 my mother was taught in a Scottish school about 3 miles from the nearest village. There was one classroom and 19 children ranging from 4 years old to 12. The teacher was viewed no differently than if she had a degree but in fact had never attended any sort of college. I don't believe there was even any form of in-service training. She would have worked with a trained teacher for three years and then been subject to a probationary period. After that she was completely on her own apart from occasional visits from the Schools Inspector. The resulting education (at least in my mother's case) was superlative.