Teaching Law

[JanineG]

I'm a Solicitor looking to get out of private practice - frankly I've had enough of the whole basis of my career being money, money, money when I genuinely want to help my clients (but if we won' t get pots and pots of money then i can't take them on).

Anyway, enough moaning about my current position. What I want to do is look into teaching law at a local college or university, but I can't seem to find any information - anybody know of any helpful sites I can go on?

Any help gratefully received,
Thanks,
J xxxx

[Sammy Snake]

You would surely need some type of teaching qualification, like a PGCE?

[JanineG]

Thanks Sammy, but I'm not sure if I do, which is why I posted the question. When I was at university some of my lecturers were qualified Solicitors, not qualified teachers.

[saxy_jag]

For teaching students beyond compulsory school age, all you need to have is plenty of demonstrable experience and knowledge in your specialist area. However, pretty much all colleges are now asking that you have a teaching certificate and/or a PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education. Many will let you study for these 'on the job', as it were.

When I was at university a few years ago, we were told the minimum qualification for lecturing there was a Masters, and some of our lecturers also talked about a PGCE for teaching at university level.

For newcomers to community education, full-time work is rare. You usually have to get a foot in the door via the part-time route. Around springtime, community colleges advertise for part-time tutors. I know GCSE law courses in our local area are usually well-attended, so if you could familiarise yourself with the GCSE syllabus, you could find a couple of evenings' teaching a week for starters. If you're lucky, you might also land yourself a funded place on a teaching certificate course.

You might also think about teaching any related subjects as an alternative. That would depend on your specialism as a solicitor (if any), but many years ago, for instance, I was taught business theory by a law specialist.