Following the recent post looking at different career paths I was asked about training in particular lecturing. I have taken the liberty of expanding this slightly with a look at teaching and training too – all food for thought! 
I have now spoken to a few people hoping to get a broad overview; here is a summary of their thoughts and comments.
Firstly PiPS member Sue Knight was most helpful. Sue had recently completed a contract working at a local further education college as a lecturer.
Speaking to Sue it was clear that, although she had valued the experience, it had not offered her the engagement or fulfillment that she had hoped for. The pay was frankly dire with details such as half pay to attend meetings and preparation and marking were already included in the hourly teaching rate.
Overall Sue reflected that it had been challenging but not sufficiently stimulating. “I had also misjudged the amount of time it would take! Considering this was part of a portfolio of work which included running my own business”.
Sue gained a PTTLs (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) qualification to add to her experience and qualifications. This was a qualification she reflected had not been overly challenging intellectually or financially but is a useful addition to her CV.
One of the challenges was the students themselves, they were not all necessarily as motivated as they might have been if studying for a vocational qualification that was essential to their career. Perhaps that is something to be cognisant of when you consider training – the who for and why.
Take a look at Sue’s LinkedIn page here
I then spoke to Claire Murphy (not a PiPS member but one of my sisters, so close enough)
Claire is a headteacher who recruits teachers in all subjects. I asked her what qualifications are needed to teach in schools.
In greatest demand is in maths or science subjects (you will apparently be of a premium and attract great offers and remuneration so something to consider)
This is of course a potted version but food for thought
There are several ways into teaching holding a BA (in just about anything) plus either PGCE (Post Graduate Certification in Education) or with QTS (Quality Teacher Status). Michael Gove is supporting an initiative to bring in experienced workers into teaching via a system called NQT (Non qualified teacher) which is based on learning as you go – working in a school and studying at college on release. Apparently this are harder to come by as clearly one needs to be sponsored by a school but may be a new way forward to bring in more quality teachers with a wider experience (that might be you then!) The pay on the latter is less but as a means to an end seems like a great plan.
Take a look at Claire’s LinkedIn profile here
And finally Larry Watson – clearly a PiPS member. Here is what he has to say….
Coming towards the end of my service there was a dawning realisation that I was unemployable. My conversations with friends and associates revealed that their working practices and expectations were restrictive and generally dull. I had been fortunate to have had considerable freedom and autonomy in my various roles in policing with an expectation to be innovative and creative in finding solutions to deliver results.
So being self-employed was looming large as the only option for me. The question then became how and what would, could I do. I looked at what I had done and enjoyed the most and quickly identified as training and developing others.
I had experience yet no qualifications so identified the Certificate of Education as the thing I needed. As the Admin Insp on the TSG I was responsible for in house training with a Sergeant and PC so organised for all three of us to sign up for the Cert Ed course available through the Met, over a two year period. We were able to complete the course work, practical lessons and observed lessons for our assessments within the unit
The cream on the cake was attending an introduction to counselling by default in that I was signed up to just to make up the numbers (this was outside of policing and paid for this myself). For me it was a light bulb moment in the realisation that all my interview skills to prosecute and persecute which had never delivered long term change flipped 180 degrees to enable individuals to change themselves and subsequently their behaviour, brilliant. I signed up with Relate to gain a Certificate in Couple Relationship Counselling, which took me several years to accomplish.
This put me in a position to take on private counselling clients prior to retirement and commence training with Detective Training Services in the January after retiring in the December using my policing skills around investigations and prosecutions whilst setting up my own training company, The Way Consulting and devise programmes for management development for public and private sector enabling change within the individual managers and subsequently for the organisation using the combination of the training and counselling skills.
There have of course been some bends in the road, but it was the right choice for me to go it alone and I have never looked back.
Take a look here at Larry’s LinkedIn profile here
Hope this is of use to anyone thinking about teaching, training or lecturing. I would suggest that you reach out to anyone in the same career you are interested in – people are invariably hugely helpful I find.
Warmest to all
Angela
Angela Hackett
Director Police into Private Sector – PiPS
