college..

[charleyy !]

i'm finishing a beauty course at college this year but i've decided that being a beautician is really not the kind of area of work that i want to go into.. i think i want to train to be a primary school teacher. is there any way i could get qualifications (a levels) other than at night classes. sorry if this is a stupid question but i really have no idea about it..

[Buenchico]

You need to remember that A-levels are only the first stage. You can't teach without a university degree, so (whatever route you take) it will be a long haul. (With full-time study, it usually takes 2 years to get A-levels plus a further 3 or 4 years to get a degree and teaching qualifications).

This link tells you about teacher training but it's really aimed at people who've already got A-levels:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/becomingateacher /waysintoteaching/yourroute.aspx

Realistically, you'll probably either have to take a further full-time college course or attend evening classes.

If that sounds a bit too daunting, you might like to consider a career as a teaching assistant:
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyo urcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile180/
(As a teaching assistant, you'd get to work in the classroom without spending hours slaving over essays on comparative educational philosophies, developmental psychology, cognitive development and all of the other things that teachers have to study).

Chris

[Suzieb]

I'm sure you don't HAVE to have A-levels to do a teaching degree? If you're 19 or over you could ask about an Access course.
Basically, if you want to go to university to do something such as teaching/nursing/criminal justice etc but don't have the right qualifications, you do an Access course for 2 years and then normally get an interview with a certain uni.

Or maybe something other than A levels such as Btecs or Diplomas?

[Lil O'lady]

You might be able to find a 'taster' course that will place you briefly in a school as a teaching assistant to see how you're suited. Primary school TA's seem very highly valued and you might enjoy it more than being a full-status teacher.