You have to have your wits about you and give it everything you have got to make a success of it. But that is why it is a challenge to communicate and manage your classroom so that your children will have an interesting and stimulating learning experience. And unlike other jobs, if your'e a success, your children will give you instant feedback. None of this waiting for two years before somebody even notices you. Do a good job and the delight on children's faces will tell you straight away.
Secondly your country does need you - the growing school population means that teachers in shortage subjects like modern foreign languages, mathematics and science will be in demand. No you are never going to make a fortune, but you are very unlikely to ever be unemployed, you should be able to work anywhere in the UK and if you make a success of your work, you should expect to be a head of department within years and a head/deputy head after 20 years.
Furthermore you do get 13 weeks holiday when you can still travel and some of those things you never could afford to do as a student.
There are two routes as a teacher - either an honours degree followed by a PGCE or a four-year course, which gives you the honours degree and qualified teacher status. The four-year course offers more time to reflect, prepare and see a variety of schools and you will know more about education tan those that have just done a PGCE course. It is undoubtedly better for the person who feels sure that teaching is the career for them.
Even if you finally decide not to go into teaching, a four-year course will have been an excellent education in your own subject and in training you to communicate to other people. This is a skill, which is highly valued in all industries, and you should have gained the confidence to deal with people without getting flustered, nervous or confused. With so much graduate unemployment and a plethora of fairly tedious and uninteresting jobs around, why not choose course that offers you work that is valued, is never dull and the prospect of certain employment?
