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career change
Are you thinking of becoming a teacher? Do your research so there are no surprises. Photograph: Alamy
Are you thinking of becoming a teacher? Do your research so there are no surprises. Photograph: Alamy

Boardroom to classroom: why I swapped the FTSE 100 for teaching

This article is more than 8 years old
Leaving a well-paid job in business to pursue a career in teaching isn't easy, but the difference you can make to children's lives is priceless

I can't pinpoint the exact moment I decided to leave a corporate career spanning more than 20 years to teach children. I was successful and happy, yet I couldn't ignore the "Is this it?" feeling that hit me each time I drove to work.

I studied natural sciences at university and spent 14 years climbing the career ladder in a FTSE 100 business. But, eight years on, I couldn't shake the feeling that there must be something else to life.

Teaching came to mind as it combined my love of working with people alongside making a difference to children's lives. I wasn't interested in going back to full-time study, so I focused on classroom learning programmes and embarked on Teach First's two-year leadership programme.

Changing career hasn't been easy. Two years on, I'm director of achievement for science at Heanor Gate Science College and have no regrets. However, I had to put in some hard graft and get the basics right to break into teaching. I took a blow financially – selling the car and, much to my sports-mad family's dismay, cancelling our Sky subscription – but these are small prices to pay for such a rewarding career.

While friends were supportive, they thought I was mad to give up a career with great financial rewards. There were also negative reactions from teacher colleagues who were sceptical because I didn't have an educational background. My previous skills, however, helped me build relationships quickly and I found that most teachers unite around a common motivation: to make a difference to children's lives.

And you need that motivation. If you are thinking of entering teaching simply because of the long holidays, this won't be the ideal career change and you'll soon come unstuck.

You may get six weeks off in the summer, but it's likely that some of this will be spent planning for the new academic year and you'll have to put a lot of hard work into term time to pay for it. Expect to put in a few extra hours at the weekend and evenings, too, for marking and feedback.

One of the biggest challenges can be the physical demands of the job. You are on your feet and interacting with people almost all of the day, so you have to be someone enjoys this.

If there were three pieces of advice I'd give someone thinking about a career change, they would be: research as much as you can from as many different angles, spend time with people who are already doing the job, and go through the positives and negatives so you're prepared, there are no surprises and you go in with eyes wide open.

For me, changing career was the right choice. The thing that makes me smile the most is when you see children believing in themselves. I have received some amazing, and humbling, feedback from the students. They make me feel that I'm making a difference every day, and nothing in the business world can compare to it.

Katie Roberts is director of achievement for science at Heanor Gate Science College in Derbyshire

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