Working mums yearn to go back to school

Mums with children under 16 were asked to vote for the jobs which they thought would be best for mothers returning to work and voted for a career in education above working in the health sector (69 per cent), retail (73 per cent), finance (55 per cent), HR (57 per cent) and sales (60 per cent). The legal profession was seen as one of the worst jobs for mothers returning to work, with none of those questioned claiming that it suited them.

The renewed ambition and passion of mothers returning to the workplace was also revealed with the survey showing that 51 per cent want to develop their career, and a further 67 per cent are looking to be challenged. As well as career development, mums returning to work also need part-time hours (79 per cent) and flexible working arrangements  (86 per cent).

The survey also brought up the challenges of returning to the workplace after a career break. Only 33 per cent of people surveyed felt that they were ‘treated like an equal’, 45 per cent managed to juggle work and family life and a low 12 per cent had received opportunities to further their career.

The figures are released ahead of a new drive to attract female workers back into the teaching profession, which currently sees an average of 9,100 return each year.

Miranda Platt said that: “Taking time out from the classroom really made me realise how much I loved working in teaching – I missed the children, I missed my colleagues, and I even missed the challenges! Sitting stuck behind a desk just doesn’t compare. When I came back, I was concerned about how I might juggle family commitments and childcare but I’m working part-time and I’m even on new courses to build my experience and salary. Many schools are now offering flexible working and job sharing opportunities. Perfect for mums like me!”

Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA comments:

“Teaching is fast becoming a boomerang profession. People are voting with their feet to come back to it, after acquiring valuable experiences either at home or in other workplaces. Those returning to teaching are discovering that today’s profession offers greater flexibility, better pay, and much more structured career development than even a few years ago. When combined with the second-to-none job satisfaction that comes from working with young people, it is not hard to see why  teaching is a uniquely compelling profession to which people are magnetically drawn back.

“And jobseekers are not the only ones to benefit. Schools can recruit staff with a new skills mix and a real commitment to the profession. Almost 97,000 people are now working part-time in schools and provide an essential variety of skills, background and experience to enable our students to realise their full potential.”

To find out more about returning to teaching, visit www.tda.gov.uk/returning
 

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Notes to editors

• Returner courses have been established specifically for teachers looking to return to the profession, focusing on updating all skills and classroom techniques.
• These courses are fully funded by the Training and Development Agency (TDA), eradicating the cost of the tuition fees. In addition to this all TDA returner courses attract a bursary of up to £150 per week for those attending, and further payment for childcare costs.
• These courses do not form a mandatory part of returning to teaching and teachers may choose to update themselves through independent study, backed up with school based observation.
• Course structure, content, and format have largely remained the same over the last few years. The main elements of the course cover updates in education and pedagogy, and there is also a school placement element, which runs for a minimum of 10 days, giving teachers a chance to focus on more subject based aspects.
• Course content will alter slightly every year depending on new developments in education and within other TDA projects (e.g. Every Child Matters, Professional Standards, etc).
• The TDA Return To Teach helpline service can be accessed from 9am-6pm and provides those thinking about returning to teaching with an information pack, course listings, copies of the RTT magazine and a useful contacts booklet with telephone numbers and website addresses for education related sites, and subject specific sites. Further information and advice is available on the RTT website:  www.tda.gov.uk/returning