You’re not alone if you’ve found yourself looking for ways to get more job satisfaction and fulfilment from your career. Many of us reach a point where we realise we want to give back to our communities in some way and help others, but just haven’t quite figured out exactly how to do it.
Good news is we don’t have to start over or even quit our existing jobs to do it. Many professionals are enjoying new levels of purpose in their work through sharing their skills and experience within further education (FE) teaching. As an FE teacher, you can shape your industry’s future talent and ultimately change lives without changing your career.
Nehal Vanjani, a mum of two, is a chartered accountant. Having spent much of her career working at one of the Big 4 accounting firms in Mumbai, where she grew up, she then turned to FE teaching — a move that’s been a total game-changer.
“I actually hated learning accounting in the beginning at school,” she says, with a laugh, “but I had a very dedicated and motivated teacher who inspired me to take it as my main subject, and somehow I passed all my exams.”
After completing various accounting courses and while working with a firm in Mumbai, she was invited to give guest lectures at Mumbai University.
“This is where my interest in teaching began. I loved passing my knowledge on and inspiring others; I was spreading the message that women and girls could do accounting as well, which felt important in such a male-dominated industry.”
Nehal moved to the UK after getting married, where she returned to working full-time as an accountant. But working for clients just wasn’t motivating her in the same way as teaching.
“It was very challenging and demanding,” she says. “I had a huge portfolio of accounts, was working long hours, and wasn’t getting the satisfaction that I used to get from sharing my knowledge and inspiring young people. I knew I wanted to get back to teaching.”
She soon moved into teaching at a college closer to where she lived, where there were learners of all different ages and backgrounds, keen to explore their passions and advance their careers.
“It’s really interesting and rewarding, teaching a broader, diverse range of students in further education who really want to learn, and seeing what they go on to achieve,” Nehal says. “They don’t always know which way they want to go, so seeing them become inspired through their learning, and find focus is incredible. Some have ended up working in big accountancy firms, some have started their own businesses. Last year, one of my Level 2 accountancy students ended up applying for a role within the college’s finance department and got the job! I was so pleased for him!”
FE teaching has also offered huge flexibility to Nehal. She’s able to spend time with her children throughout the school holidays — even as a full-time teacher. Many of her colleagues work part-time alongside their current job, or work variable hours, as part of a flexible contract. In fact, 54% of FE teachers are either part-time or working ad hoc hours.
The convenience and accessibility of FE teaching is a huge part of the appeal, especially with FE institutions of all types located right across the country. “There are a lot of FE colleges in the UK,” says Nehal, “so no matter where you are, there’s likely to be at least one or two close to you.”
What’s more, the demand for FE teachers stretches across a wide range of industries, from health and social care to engineering and manufacturing, construction, digital and IT, legal and more. Many of us aren’t aware that our professional skills are valuable, and can be put to use alongside our main job to boost our incomes and give us that fulfilment we might be missing.
“Whatever your professional level, there’s an opportunity to get into FE teaching,” Nehal says. “You don’t need to be a qualified teacher; you can get training while you teach. You just need to be a professional wanting to try something new.”
It’s an exciting prospect, and perhaps surprising to many without any teaching experience that you can kick-start a career in FE teaching and begin earning straight away.
But are certain skills required from the get-go?
Of course, outside of your professional skills, a few personal qualities do help, Nehal adds. Patience, empathy, and good interpersonal skills all come into play when teaching diverse groups of people, but plenty of support and training is provided through the FE colleges.
“You have access to mentoring schemes, induction programmes, and CPD (Continuing Professional Development) days. There’s a lot of support ongoing. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking at first, but if you know your subject well, you tend to have confidence,” says Nehal.
Use your existing industry-experience, teach part-time alongside your current job, and make an impact by becoming a further education teacher. Find out more here.