"I'd always wanted a career with more meaning to it."
A newly qualified teacher talks about becoming a teacher after being made redundant from his previous job.
Greg is a 42-year-old science NQT with a specialism in biology.
He teaches Years 7-10 in Sheffield.
Greg had always had a dream of becoming a teacher but fell into a job in the print industry and stayed working his way up the ladder for twenty years.
In 2018 he lost his job and he used the opportunity to make his dream come true and do his PGCE and train as a science teacher.
Greg has found it very useful to have had a career prior to teaching. His experience in areas such as time management, communication and 'office politics' has meant that Greg has felt he had a step up when starting teaching.
He was also able to support some of his younger peers who were coping with pressures at work for the first time.
Greg feels that having made this career change now was the best thing he could have done and that it’s never too late to make the change.
More from this series
My pandemic year. video
Newly qualified teachers discuss the challenges and triumphs of starting their teaching careers during the global pandemic.
Starting out. video
From dealing with impostor syndrome to going through the wrong gates - newly qualified teachers tell us what it was like to literally be the new person at school.
What no one tells you. video
Our newly qualified teachers share their secrets on discipline, planning and building rapport with pupils.
