madteaparty Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Do you know anyone who has had a career of sorts and then picked up teaching? I don't know anyone that did this, but then I wonder why, because it seems like a logical and rewarding path. Is this a really naive question? i'm really curious so this is not a JAWM post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I have known one person who did it, and one who is in the process of it. The person who did it wanted to share his love for science and math with high school students. He became disillusioned very quickly and only did it for a year. I don't know if it was because he wasn't a good teacher (not all enthusiastic people can teach well) or if the students were truly uninterested (as he said they were). He also cited discipline issues. The person I know in process is going to be retired from the military at about age 40, so is taking classes now for a teaching credential. It remains to be seen how he will do. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I've only known of one, and not well, but DH fantasizes about teaching high school math as an active retirement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 School or tutoring? School wise, my high school physics teachers were mainly former engineers who switch to teaching as a career in their 40s due to financial stability and less overtime. They had already paid off their mortgage though before switching careers. At 65 they could comfortably retire on the teacher pension scheme. Two friend my age (mid 40s) switch from being engineers to being community college lecturers. The mechanical engineering friend teach logistics modules while the electrical engineering friend teach EE modules. Some of my relatives went into full time tutoring after they retire at 55. They aren't interested in teaching because of classroom management. For tutoring they usually teach one to one or a small group of siblings. Also they don't need to worry about bureaucracy and can tutor only the subjects they like. Most tutor math at all levels, some tutor English and Chinese as well at elementary school level. A paternal cousin's wife earned $5k per month doing after school tutoring at her home two decades ago, and that was comparable to her wage as a public school teacher at that time minus health and pension benefits. Her husband's health and pension benefits are great so it isn't an issue. My husband was offered a job as a community college lecturer more than a decade ago and decided he doesn't want to be tie down to bureaucracy again so he stayed in the private sector. He would consider tutoring but not teaching if and when he retire. His relatives tend to retire in their 70s due to finances so I don't think my husband would retire early either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I know a number and did it myself. Many of the community college teachers I know began in other areas and went over to teaching because it was more fulfilling and family-friendly. To teach in a public school, you need a teaching certificate from the state. Several of my friends have done a one-semester, full-time "career changer" program toward that end and are teaching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I know a handful. The men are looking for less hours and a pension w/ retiree medical.. The women are looking for less hours, small commute, pension w/retiree medical, family friendly schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I know a few. In general the ones who teach at the college level, even if it is a community college, seem happier with it than those who teach at the middle school or high school level. It's important to be aware of the 'Windfall Elimination' provision of the social security system, which hits both (some) government employees AND their spouses, permanently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I do know many second career teachers in public school. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 One of dh's former co-workers (an engineer) left the company, went back to school to get a teaching credential, and is now teaching science--high school level I believe. He was in the paper last year for winning some state award as a science teacher. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 "Troops to teachers" is a thing for retiring soldiers. They have a website that shows credential requirements for different states. I don't know much about it but I see it advertised sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Brother in law starts in his new classroom next week. A few years back he and my sister could see the writing on the wall for his career. He began taking required certification classes. Before and after taking the classes he taught evening classes at the cc. He had hoped he could do full time college teaching, but knew that was highly unlikely. His company completely dissolved last year. He landed a job with a local school district. I think he will end up coaching too. He coached his dd's travel softball and basketball teams for years. He's teaching business classes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 My uncle was a plumber and ran his own business for years, that got to be too physically demanding in his fifties so he went back to school and now teaches math. He enjoys it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 I'm a former engineer with a PhD. I teach high school math. I didn't go back to school. I went through an alternative certification program. I love it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 One of our history professors was previously a pastor. He went back to school, finished his PhD in his late 40s and is now a college professor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Dh and I was just talking about this last night. He could see teaching at a small college. He's an Episcopal priest but is able to retire at 57 with a pension and can take a job without penalty. He does lots of teaching at our church, was a professor at SMU, and has done other teaching, so I think it'd be great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 I know a number of people who've gone into teaching at the post-secondary level after another career. The only person I know who's gone on to teach in k-12 education is my oldest brother. He worked as an engineer until he was laid off about 4 years ago at age 53. At that time, his wife was an elementary school teacher with one year of teaching left before she could get her full pension. My brother went back to school and got his BEd in primary/elementary education, so that they could both teach overseas for a few years after she retired. They spent two years teaching in the UAE, are spending this year traveling, and plan to take one more two-year contract before they retire for good. They'll be 58 and 60. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 I'm thinking of doing this in a couple of years (high school math). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 IMO that is most common for Engineers or Retired Military. One of my former colleagues had an M.S. in Math. The instability and stress working as an Engineer got to him. He got a job teaching Math in a CC and he eventually got a pH.D. I don't know anyone who has done that and taught K-12. Working in the CC was like being retired for him with the benefits and free time. Sent from my SM-G355M using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 A good friend of ours was an accountant, and after all of his kids went off to college, he decided to go to college too, to become a teacher! This was in his 50's, and he has now been teaching for a couple years and loves it. I think it would be fun to do that and then try and work a bit overseas somewhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 (edited) "Troops to teachers" is a thing for retiring soldiers. They have a website that shows credential requirements for different states. I don't know much about it but I see it advertised sometimes. I'm thinking that soldiers retiring at 40ish would be better conditioned to go into teaching than civilians pushing 60. Most people don't realized the sheer number of hours per day that teachers really work and it can be more out of the gate when you're figuring it all out. It's never just a school day. Eta: I'm thinking specifically of public school teaching. Edited August 19, 2017 by KungFuPanda 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 My dad went into teaching high school in his early thirties, and after doing that for over two decades, he retired but went into teaching at the college level. I think there are ways to use your skills in all sorts of teaching ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted August 20, 2017 Author Share Posted August 20, 2017 To teach in a public school, you need a teaching certificate from the state. Several of my friends have done a one-semester, full-time "career changer" program toward that end and are teaching. In my state, it seems one would need an education degree if one didn't have it to begin with. So it's a bit more of an investment time/$ wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 In my state, it seems one would need an education degree if one didn't have it to begin with. So it's a bit more of an investment time/$ wise. The people I know all went right to work and simultaneously completed their Master's in Teaching. There are weekend programs such as Western Connecticut, and the district has tuition reimbursement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 My mom did this. Around the time my youngest brother graduated, she went back to school to get an emergency certification in teaching. She then taught special ed for a few years while she got her masters and some other certifications. It was very rewarding for her but hard on her too, so she applied for a counselor position at a high school and got the job. She did a brief stint as an assistant principal at a charter school, but the demands were too taxing on her health, so she went back to her old position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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