Ex-troops without degrees to train as teachers

[BertRoot]

Former armed forces personnel without degrees will be fast-tracked into teaching in England under a new government programme.
The Troops to Teachers scheme will help "highly skilled" former military personnel become teachers within two years.

Education Minister David Laws said ex-members of "our inspiring armed forces" could make great teachers.
Teaching unions doubted whether two years' training would be enough.
According to the Department for Education (DfE), service leavers without degrees "will be the only people able to start training as a teacher without a degree and be qualified within two years".
'Outstanding' potential The DfE stressed that the scheme would use a rigorous assessment, selection and recruitment process to identify those "with the potential to become outstanding teachers".
From January 2014 those selected for the scheme will earn a salary, training four days a week on-the-job in classrooms around England and one day at university.
After two years' training they will count as 'newly qualified teachers' and will have gained an honours degrees in education, specialising either as secondary school subject teachers or as primary teachers.

"We know that our highly-skilled servicemen and women can inspire young people and help raise educational attainment." ”

David Laws Education Minister

A DfE spokesman stressed that top military specialists often have relevant experience, particularly in science and technology which could help redress the shortage of teachers in some subjects.
Many military personnel also have experience of "teaching, instructing, mentoring and coaching" which would count as credits towards the degree, says the government.
The government also wants to attract former service staff who have degrees into teaching, and is offering a range of training options to them under the scheme.
Mr Laws said military values such as leadership, discipline, motivation, and teamwork would benefit children.
"We want to capture the ethos and talents of those leaving the armed forces and bring this experience into teaching. We know that our highly-skilled servicemen and women can inspire young people and help raise educational attainment."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said both veterans and their young pupils would gain from the scheme.
"A career in the armed forces provides skills and experience you cannot gain anywhere else and I would encourage anyone leaving the services to take the opportunity to pass on their invaluable knowledge".
'Learning ethos' Teachers' leaders offered a cautious welcome to the contribution that ex-forces personnel could make to teaching, but Chris Keates of the NASUWT warned of a difference between maintaining military discipline and ensuring good behaviour in classrooms.
"To say you can simply transfer the skills from one to the other is an oversimplification of the complexities of dealing with pupil behaviour in schools," she said.
Brian Lightman, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said one day a week at university was not enough for trainee teachers without degrees.

Head teacher Mike Tull: "Discipline within a military context is fundamentally different to within a school or a classroom context"


"There is no doubt that some ex-military personnel have the potential to make excellent teachers, but they need the right preparation and support.
"From what we've seen so far, this programme lacks both... a military ethos belongs in the military. Schools need a learning ethos."
Christine Blower, of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Teaching is a wonderful profession and we welcome applicants from all walks of life who feel they can make the commitment to teach, including ex-military personnel.
"However, teaching involves a complex mix of knowledge, skills and understanding of child development and trainees need both a high level of education themselves and thorough teacher training before they can take on the demands of educating our young people.
Russell Hobby, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "It seems predicated on the notion that military service automatically makes someone a good teacher, whereas the reality is, some will make brilliant teachers and some won't."
Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said Labour supported re-training troops as teachers but said the government had been too slow to do it.
"It has taken three years for Michael Gove just to launch this scheme, and during that time only a handful of volunteers have come forward".



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22798200

Fuck this. Why should ex military get any preferential treatment?

[rmj2663]

P E teachers only I say.
Most of the Ex grunts I know only have a basic understanding of basic maths and english, let alone Chemistry or Biology.

[greaseweasel]

Because they spent years dodging bullets for a government that doesn't give a shit.

[blaggard]

Having an Education of any kind does not dispose towards the ability to teach and NOBODY should be short cutting the system.

[blacksheep]

Those that can do, those that can't...

Know plenty of teachers, most fell into it through lack of any other choice, not sure any of them are any good at it - it's what happens when you push everyone to go into higher education and there's no direct jobs for them.

[Ginnerfreak]

I think the assumption here is that any squaddie leaving the forces can automatically become a teacher.. that’s a little naive...

I doubt very much that someone with little desire to teach or mental capacity or someone who lacks basic English and math’s skills will make it into the classroom!

Also, a large percentage of the armed forces personnel hold job roles not that dissimilar to civvy street. I work with many MOD staff in places like the GOSCC who are in IT roles from Service Desk to Service Delivery manager and IT Manager. These people are very qualified, very intelligent and very articulate.

Not everyone in the forces is an infantry man and not every infantry man is a thick squaddie.

[I Black Belt]

There's an alternate scenario here. I was educated by largely ex military guys in the eighties. Granted it was a grammar school and as such was deemed to be a bit "posher" than the comprehensives, but these guys were nasty spiteful vindictive fuckers who took absolutely no messing at all.

Perhaps there's some value in restoring a bit of fear and respect back into the school system, through discipline?

[BertRoot]

I agree with that Ginner, we have many ex military where I work and the one thing that is evident is that they still answer to rank, so we have a Program Director who was a higher rank in the army than his current boss and it shows. The thing that pisses me off is that the fast track process exists at all...

[greaseweasel]

I think the assumption here is that any squaddie leaving the forces can automatically become a teacher.. that’s a little naive...

Exactly, the OP even states its for 'highly skilled' ex military.

[blaggard]

NO FAST TRACK, END OF....it doesn't matter WHO the candidate might be.

[Over Carl]

I think the assumption here is that any squaddie leaving the forces can automatically become a teacher.. that’s a little naive...

I doubt very much that someone with little desire to teach or mental capacity or someone who lacks basic English and math’s skills will make it into the classroom!

Also, a large percentage of the armed forces personnel hold job roles not that dissimilar to civvy street. I work with many MOD staff in places like the GOSCC who are in IT roles from Service Desk to Service Delivery manager and IT Manager. These people are very qualified, very intelligent and very articulate.

Not everyone in the forces is an infantry man and not every infantry man is a thick squaddie.

I see what you are saying, but if we take the point that these people are doing normal jobs just in a different organisation, then I'm baffled why they should be the only people eligible to serve in a role crucially important to the future of our country without the relevant qualifications.

[burner1]

Teaching should be a vocation with a level standard of training for the job, regardless of them being an ex squaddie or plumber.

Saying that, teachers should have more access to a better discipline approach than they do now: Too many shits know they can get away with so much more crap than when I was at school.

[Geko]

The current system isn't working. I see too many teachers on Facebook who can't grasp basic grammar skills. If you don't know where to put a comma or an apostrophe, or you don't know the difference between their, they're and there. I don't want you teaching my children.

[super mike]

NO FAST TRACK, END OF....it doesn't matter WHO the candidate might be.

It does state that the ex-mil personnel will be 'highly skilled'. One assumes this has been written by a spanner and they meant 'experienced' or similar. which alludes to lads who have done a fair bit of time and in that time taught a lot of things to a lot of blokes.
Someone who has worked up to RSM or similar is a lot more qualified than someone who has never left the education system (school, college, uni, PGCE, NQT, teacher) and managed to earn a degree in basket weaving in that time; especially if they, as it says above, will end up with an honours degree after the 2 years of hands on training.

I don't see anything wrong with it. Teachers that want to teach as opposed to those who fell into it after they ran out of options after doing some worthless degree make for much better, more organised and more engaging teachers.

[{{909}}]

How much of modern teaching is reliant on the teachers own ability in the subject they teach? I would imagine a certain level of knowledge is required but the majority of class substance will come from books and other media in a modern classroom. If ex troops can present the info competently and at the same time drill some fucking DISCIPLINE and RESPECT into the fucking little shits. then its a great idea. I hope it turns all schools into Full Metal Jacket style compounds where everyone has to 'gimme 20' if they step out of line.

To be fair I failed my GCSE English, but I have enough knowledge of English to teach at the level I do, its far more important to have the classroom skills rather than advanced English skills in my case.

[blaggard]

It does state that the ex-mil personnel will be 'highly skilled'. One assumes this has been written by a spanner and they meant 'experienced' or similar. which alludes to lads who have done a fair bit of time and in that time taught a lot of things to a lot of blokes.
Someone who has worked up to RSM or similar is a lot more qualified than someone who has never left the education system (school, college, uni, PGCE, NQT, teacher) and managed to earn a degree in basket weaving in that time; especially if they, as it says above, will end up with an honours degree after the 2 years of hands on training.

I don't see anything wrong with it. Teachers that want to teach as opposed to those who fell into it after they ran out of options after doing some worthless degree make for much better, more organised and more engaging teachers.

Fine, let's do the same for surgeons. . . . .you want to be first on the table?

[super mike]

Fine, let's do the same for surgeons. . . . .you want to be first on the table?

I'd be fine with being cut open by an ex-Army medic who has then gone through all the necessary training to become a surgeon.

In the same way that children would be taught by experienced ex-forces personnel who had gone through all the training to become a teacher.

[Over Carl]

I'd be fine with being cut open by an ex-Army medic who has then gone through all the necessary training to become a surgeon.

In the same way that children would be taught by experienced ex-forces personnel who had gone through all the training to become a teacher.

That's the kind of answer I would expect of a politician rather than yourself.

Would you be happy with someone who used to be an army chef, but who has since completed a fast track training course to be a surgeon (but lacks some of the relevant qualifications any other person would need to be allowed to do the job) operating on you?

[blaggard]

That's the kind of answer I would expect of a politician rather than yourself.

Would you be happy with someone who used to be an army chef, but who has since completed a fast track training course to be a surgeon (but lacks some of the relevant qualifications any other person would need to be allowed to do the job) operating on you?

Well put.