Switching from primary to high school teaching

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Australia Teachers Chatboard

Switching from primary to high school teaching

by Peter

May 17, 2017

Dear teacher colleagues,

I would appreciate your advice/insight on a decision I have before me. I have been primary school trained and have worked in primary school for almost five years now. At the end of my 5th year I am considering switching to highschool teaching for a number of reasons:

1. I find I feel more comfortable teaching older kids.

2. I feel it's time for a new challenge.

3. I have been told that high school teachers aren't as involved in extracurricular events (sports carnivals, day trips etc) as primary school teachers. So in other words a high school teacher's job is more strictly about teaching in comparison to a primary school teacher.

Are there any teachers who have made the switch (even if your switch was vice versa) who can offer me some tips and advice about switching (and if there is any truth to the claims I mentioned in point #3)? Any pointers will be helpful:

- Workload comparisons

- Day to da...See More

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Daryl Depends on your state. In general, you have to be highly qualified in one area, i.e. have a single-subject credential or pass a test to teach a particular subject. In general, at least in CA, you are not qualified to teach at the high school level without passing an exam and completing a teaching methods for _____ course, so they can't switch you w...See MoreDepends on your state. In general, you have to be highly qualified in one area, i.e. have a single-subject credential or pass a test to teach a particular subject. In general, at least in CA, you are not qualified to teach at the high school level without passing an exam and completing a teaching methods for _____ course, so they can't switch you willy nilly from English to math to science. YOu might teach different courses within a department, like Biology, Chem, Physics, etc, but you generally won't move between disciplines unless you are credentialed in both. I suggest you look up the credential requirements in your state to see what you are qualified to teach given your education and license.

In general, your time table is that you're required to arrive at work about 1/2 an hour before the school day begins. You'll teach 5 classes, have one period off to grade/plan and lunch. Your school may also have a snack break, but that depends on the site. You may also have a homeroom. In general, you are not required to do supervision the way you would be at an elementary site. However, you may be required to perform adjunct duties for a particular number of hours. Again, that depends on the site.

Finally, the workload can be immense or minuscule. It just depends on how hard you want to work. I know teachers who planned one year and just repeat the year, every year, regardless of the needs of their students. I know teacher who don't assign anything they have to grade. But if you're doing the job well, you're going to put in a lot of time. I, for example, have 240 students. I require that they write frequently, and I give feedback on their writing. I adjust my lessons for every class, every year, and depending on the students in the class, my plans change from period to period. Grading takes HOURS AND HOURS of my time.

Doing it right is a lot of work. If you can't be bothered to put in the hours to chaperone a carnival, stay in elementary because I would trade two hours at a carnival for 200 essays any day. It might be more draining because little kids are more annoying, but in high school, you have way more responsibility.

May 19, 2017

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