We spoke with our Youth Ambassadors about what they feel attracts young people into careers in education and what would give a career or training opportunity in the education sector “youth friendly appeal”. This is what we found!
Our Youth Ambassadors feel that having a passion for a specific subject draws young people into a career in teaching, as well as the sense of satisfaction they gain from making a difference to young people’s lives.
One Youth Ambassador spoke about job security as an appealing element of teaching, mentioning “lots of teaching jobs often come with a level of job security, which can be attractive to young people who are concerned about finding stable employment in an uncertain job market.”
In contrast, one of our Youth Ambassadors from Northern Ireland shared that there is a lack of teaching jobs where they live, particularly in primary schools, so more job stability would make this sector more appealing.
Some of our Youth Ambassadors shared that a career in Education didn’t appeal to them as they didn’t like the thought of going back to school after spending so much time there as a student.
They also raised concerns regarding managing student behaviour, and explained that the lack of flexibility in the profession can make it unappealing – for e.g., “getting time off last minute if you are ill is very troublesome if there is not a structure in place to organise cover work”.
Our Youth Ambassadors also recognised further challenges in the profession that they feel put them off, including the salary and the increasing demands of standardised testing.
Our Youth Ambassadors shared their thoughts on what would make a career or opportunity to train in a role in the education sector more appealing. They said:
“More talks and insight into teaching and why a young person should consider it.”
“Easing potential teachers into the field and exposing them as much as possible to different classrooms and schools.”
“Ensure they are well prepared with the paperwork and planning that needs to be done, and support them with managing their time.”
