Profile: How I made the transition from engineer to teacher

I was in charge of a 200-man crew with five ships operating all over the world - my first day in front of school children was much more nerve-wracking!

I’ve done recruitment over the years and was always moaned that we got candidates that looked good on paper but seemed to lack common sense. They had been taught scientific theories and engineering without knowing why or what they were really for.

During the 2018 oil market downturn I was offered early retirement. Schlumberger had been good to me and the energy sector was the only industry I ever knew but I turned down similar roles to revaluate my work / life balance.

50 is too early to retire when the rest of the family is working or at school, so I started teaching a local group of people IT skills. It was a far cry from being a seismologist but I enjoyed it and I sensed a chance to help some of those young applicants I’d met, make their way in the trade.

I had three decades of knowledge and knew I had more in me - to inspire future engineers to come up with solutions that the world needs now. My friends and family were split, half thinking I would make a good teacher and half thinking I was completely mad to even attempt it!

After researching, at my very first ‘Get Into Teaching’ event, I was lucky to meet someone from Now Teach, a charity specialising in helping late-stage career changers, like myself, get into the classroom.  She signed me up and I was helped through the application stages, placements and still get support when I want to chat about how things are going or solve problems. Their network was a big help and I have friends going through exactly the same as me that I can always talk to.

I was perhaps a little naive going into training in 2019 and found myself surprised at how much thought has to go into a lesson and how tiring a teaching day is. I assumed I would just be winging it but quickly found classes were disasters without lots of planning.

There were more rude awakenings. During my placement the following year I realised just how boring teaching can be without real world examples. Coming from an engineering background I was able to recount occasions when I have used the theory we’d just covered. “Why do I need to know this sir?”, “when will I ever need it?” are common questions from bored pupils. Being able to answer this with real and personal examples can change a lesson from stale to inspiring. I also found myself as a career guidance counsellor, telling pupils what it’s like in the workplace, what they do they really need to know and how to behave to pursue a profession.

These early classroom encounters were scary but I realised they are (mostly) listening to everything I said and there’s a responsibility to make every word and lesson count. You’ve been there, done it, you’re their guide.

I feel lucky. I’m about to the finish my first academic year as a newly qualified teacher at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and I’m helping with the opening of a STEM based Sixth Form. I used to get a cash bonus for doing well in industry, but it’s nothing to the satisfaction of when a pupil thanks me for learning something – that moment when they ‘get it’. A lot of pupils are surprisingly unsure of what careers to pursue, having past professionals working with them in schools allows them to experience what is possible.  If anything, it feels like a natural career progression, that I’m giving back.

Engineering firms don’t have a divine right to an endless stream of working talent, we have to hustle. To get the engineers and scientists we need in the future, we require the best and experienced to train them. As individuals, we are uniquely placed to do this. Companies can facilitate this by making formal partnerships with secondary schools and Sixth Form colleges, providing input, workshops, lectures and site visits. This is how we inspire young people.

I for one would be happy to have much more industrial ties with our aptly named Sir Isaac Newton East Sixth Form – drop me a line!

Chris Goode, former engineer and current physics teacher

If you are interested in changing careers, contact nowteach.org.uk