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Sian Case, 53, agrees the life skills and maturity of older women only add to the qualities of a good teacher.

The mother of three, from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, used to work in project management for the Government, earning around £50,000 per year. After being made redundant, she decided to retrain as a maths teacher.

I’d got to the point where my children were growing up. Earning mega-money was no longer the most important thing,’ says Sian. ‘I was working 50-hour weeks, pouring my heart and soul into projects only to see funding pulled. I wanted a job I liked every day.

She first stepped into the classroom to teach in September 2016. ‘I remember thinking: “Just breathe…” but it was so daunting looking out at a room of 30 young faces, all expecting you to teach them something new.

It helps if you’ve had your own stroppy teenagers because you’re more mature, you can remain calm.

She doesn’t see her career as being stuck in a cul-de-sac, either.

People talk about teachers being poorly paid, but you can work up the levels of management, even in your 40s. I still have ambition. I’ve already been offered training in middle-management and perhaps one day I would like to be deputy head.

As a more experienced person, you also have the confidence to negotiate your starting salary and know your own worth. I’m sure as a younger person I would have accepted a much lower salary.

 

 The impact it’s had on my life has been wonderful. I work hard from Monday to Friday, 8am until 6pm, but never take any work home with me.

 

It’s a long day, but I enjoy being able to spend the school holidays with my family. And the emotional rewards are huge — every day you feel you’re making a difference to the lives of young people.

Excerpt from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5280731/Why-Jo-gave-six-figure-barristers-salary.html