Tony Collins

Just wonder how manyof you feel you may be in the Autistc Scale. Mr Sppok and Lisa Simpson are apparently.

Tony

I hope you find work soon Don and thanks for the positive advice when I was out of work. I'm now teaching in an east London School, so for everyone there is a route though it may not be in software.

Tony

Originally posted by Don Kiddick:
Tony,
I've always thought I might go into teaching at somepoint. A few questions.
What's the pay like (if you don't mind me asking ) ?
Do you get a good pension ?
What are the hours and holidays like ?
How long do you have to train for ? I already have a Bsc in Computing...presumbly I can do some kind of conversion course.
D.

Pay ? If you have a bit of experience and are not straight from college, you'll start on about 25k but this goes up rapidly.
Pension is very good + 50K interest free loan for house deposit if in London.
Hours 8.30 - 3 or 4 + marking
8 months training if a graduate. the course is a PGCE in England.
6k grant + 6k loan( which gov pays back for you ) tax free of course
4k golden hello after a year in teaching.

Simple Network Management protocol
Try to understand
get
set
getnext
MIB

I am 34.
I regret that I did not enter the trade earlier. Teaching IT is not like teaching English or Maths the kids want to do it. I'm training in one of the toughest schools in London( first to have a police station on site) but the kids are so enthusiastic, even the naugthy ones. It's great seeing a kid that is close to being chucked out of school turning up after school for help on their coursework. You don't get that feeling in software.
Tony

I've give up IT and gone into teacher training, far more interesting.
Tony

I only wish I had given up on Software 18 months ago but you never know how bad things are.
Teaching is the natural choice for me as the training grant is good and it is a secure job. If you are in England the benefits are:-
6000 grant
6000 loan repaid by tta when you go into teaching
50,000 loan/part buy of flat/house(only in London)
4,000 golden hello after a year of teaching.
Tony

After several interviews, I've given up software and started teacher training. Maybe it's a career for you all to think about in England.
I could not believe the technical test I was given on my last interview. It was a C test but the only core C question was, give the syntax for a pointer to a function( something noone remembers as it's so unintuative) the rest was regarding syntax from pthreads api etc. The man the passed that test is a better man than I. I think the market is still very competitive.

Tony

I personally think the Welsh need their own classification, I've never met such a nutty race.
Tony

Originally posted by Dan Chisholm:

In my daughter's preschool class, there was a boy with parents that own an English style family pub. One Saturday, I took the family there for lunch and my daughter's friend from school was there also. He and my daughter ended up sitting at the bar drinking milk and watching cartoons on the television. It was really cute.

I think this is because pubs in England are associated with community, I'm not sure if it is the same in the states.
Tony

The funny thing is all this 'war on terror' malarky is going to give socialism a chance in Britain. Gordon Brown will soon be our new PM.
I think a tory goverment is impossible we are only going towards europe.
tony
[ January 16, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Collins ]

I don't think it's just offshoring though, software has become easier to produce.
Tony

The grants very good, 6k + 6k(Student Loan paid back by the goverment whilst you stay in teaching) + 4k golden hello. I supose you don't know if you like it until you try it. Alot of my ex-work mates have followed the teaching path.
ICT and Computing teachers are very rare apparentlly.
Tony

Have any of you considered teaching ? Can't offshore that.
Tony

Well Joe and Stephen, it's called capitialism and i'm not that keen on it myself.
Tony