Should I apply for this job ...

[Helen]

Could you expand the job by doing (paid) sessions for schools or festivals or birthday parties or....?  Think outside the box   dome

Helen

[niallk]

The hurry? Well one practical point is that I don't currently have a job because I was planning on going into teaching anyway and, while I don't have a job at present, I do have a mortgage. It's just ironic that having started on the changing career plan now I have an opportunity for what is, as my wife put it, my dream job becomes available.

Follow your heart and go for it!

Not many people describe what they work at as their 'dream job'

Either way, best of luck with the decision

[MarkRadice]

Go for it.  You might not get the chance again.

[jnb]

Well I've applied for it. It might not be viable in the long term but, even if it isn't, it would be interesting in the short term.

[ronin]

Applying for it makes sense, if it gets beyond the application stage you will at least get the chance to find out more about the role/position.

If it is not quaite as expected or there are aspects you find are sufficently negative you can always tactfully withdraw.

[jnb]

And I have an interview, although neither they nor I know when. They have problems with staff holidays and the planetarium not being available right now

[Helen]

Well done!! 

[niallk]

Congrats + best of luck! Somebody said "it's the things you don't do that you regret..."

[AWR]

I teach Physics and some Maths at a good community school in London.  It can be the best job in the world but you have to love it. 

The best advice I ever got (from a man who has posted above) is that you have to like your students.  If you haven't taught and think that it sounds simple, come and teach in an inner London school.  Last year I took a promotion at a different school.  I hated it!  I hated the management and I hated the ethos of the school.  Every day I dreaded getting up and going in to work.  It made me realize that you have to like your students and your school.  I was lucky.  My previous school wanted me back and wanted to go back!  I now love my job again.  Sure it's full time (ie every waking moment during term time) but it's brilliant.

The moral - try teaching before you decide.  Volunteer in some local schools and decide if it is for you.

Andrew

[jnb]

The moral - try teaching before you decide.  Volunteer in some local schools and decide if it is for you.

Andrew

That's what led me into reconsidering teaching. I regularly volunteer at some local schools. Though I'm looking to broaden that experience at some more schools this term before I commit. My secondary level experience has been at the school where my wife teaches; the fact that she was able to once use the excuse that she was late because some of her pupils had their ponies in our driveway probably suggests that it's not a representative sample.

[AWR]

I did teach for a few years at a posh school in Weybridge.  We had some under privileged kids - their parents only had Range Rovers!

[jnb]

And social deprivation meant having to share a pony?

To be fair it is more a reflection of it being a rural catchment area. There are plenty of people I know with horses and no money (these facts might be connected)

[Luke]

I appreciate the efforts of teachers. I still remember and am thankful for the efforts of my best teachers from over 20 years ago. I hope i haven't let them down too badly

OP, if it's not sink or swim, follow your heart, I would say

[jnb]

Well, that's the interview done, Now I just have to wait

[niallk]

Good luck

[brantuk]

Loads of luck to you jnb

Teaching is a great job and much more demanding than some folks think. The hols only just give you enough time to recover before the next term starts (speaking from experience). I admire anyone who sticks with it.

Hope you're successful with the planetarium job.

[AustinR]

Not sure why everyone is comparing running a planetarium to teaching. Are you going to be collecting homework at the end of the day?

Personally, it sounds like a great gig to me. If you can swing it financially, why not give it a try? You can always change your mind later. I doubt you'll be thinking on your death bed: "I really wish I hadn't taken that job at the planetarium!"

Plus part time means more time for observing.

If you don't take the job, pass along my resume

[jnb]

Not sure why everyone is comparing running a planetarium to teaching.

Because those are the two options I have open to me at the moment. Teaching secondary science or running the planetarium. The latter is probably more interesting, the former would probably pay better,

It was an interesting interview ... show a 5 minute science demonstration using no more than two props intermingled with the interviewer role playing a six year old terrified of black holes and someone religious who wants to know "where's god?"

[barkis]

Because those are the two options I have open to me at the moment. Teaching secondary science or running the planetarium. The latter is probably more interesting, the former would probably pay better,

It was an interesting interview ... show a 5 minute science demonstration using no more than two props intermingled with the interviewer role playing a six year old terrified of black holes and someone religious who wants to know "where's god?"

Then a very tactful approach required on both counts. I'm sure you will have negotiated those testing

subjects adequately  .  

Ron.

[Stub Mandrel]

My fingers are crossed for you (makes it hard to type...)

Having been an employer, many of the best recruits were people who changed career to follow their vocation. These are people who  really want to do the job. So I'm glad you went for it. Good luck.

[stev74]

Best of luck with the job jnb, I hope you get it! 

I'm a bit late to this thread and I see you've already made the decision to go for it which is great. I made a similar decision a year and a half ago and haven't looked back. With the chance of a redundancy from a job in an industry I'd been in for 20 years, I had the option to carry on in said industry or follow my dream.

I'd been doing astronomy outreach in my own time for years and over that time found it very difficult to hire a mobile planetarium in my area for the events that I was organising so along with a friend of mine we decided to set up our own. After the initial 6 months doing research, setting up the business, buying the equipment and training the last year has been incredible.

It's been a real privilege to teach all ages about the wonders of the night sky and travel all over to science festivals, schools, dark sky islands, Brownies and Cubs events to name a few. Hundreds of folks have seen our shows and it's a real buzz every time you hear a gasp, a WOW or a "I never knew that!". So many doors have been opened that I'd never of imagined and I've had the chance to work with some amazing people including professors.

The icing on the cake was when we learnt last month that we had been shortlisted and then won funding from the Royal Astronomical Society's flagship outreach campaign RAS 200: Sky & Earth. We are part of a team that will be offering astronomy themed respite breaks for carers, this will give us an opportunity to engage with a whole range of people, some of whom may never have had the chance to learn anything about science or the night sky.

https://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/2629-460k-for-public-engagement-in-astronomy-and-geophysics-six-teams-win-ras-funding 

As the job will be part-time there might be scope to expand the role in the future and maybe look at taking the outreach out of the facility further afield, as part of the role or on your own, maybe even look at a mobile planetarium.

I'm not sure what type of planetarium you will be working at, whether it's digital (like ours) or optomechanical but if I can offer any advice or there's anyway I can help feel free to drop me a PM.   

All the best

[AustinR]

Best of luck with the job jnb, I hope you get it! 

I'm a bit late to this thread and I see you've already made the decision to go for it which is great. I made a similar decision a year and a half ago and haven't looked back. With the chance of a redundancy from a job in an industry I'd been in for 20 years, I had the option to carry on in said industry or follow my dream.

I'd been doing astronomy outreach in my own time for years and over that time found it very difficult to hire a mobile planetarium in my area for the events that I was organising so along with a friend of mine we decided to set up our own. After the initial 6 months doing research, setting up the business, buying the equipment and training the last year has been incredible.

Fantastic. If anyone here needs a little extra inspiration to follow their passion, look no further than the post above.

Need a software engineer?

[jnb]

Because those are the two options I have open to me at the moment. Teaching secondary science or running the planetarium. The latter is probably more interesting, the former would probably pay better,

It was an interesting interview ... show a 5 minute science demonstration using no more than two props intermingled with the interviewer role playing a six year old terrified of black holes and someone religious who wants to know "where's god?"

Then a very tactful approach required on both counts. I'm sure you will have negotiated those testing

subjects adequately  .  

Ron.

Oh it was quite easy. In both cases I just slapped the interviewer around the face and told said "Oh for heavens sake ... Grow up!". I assumed that was the sort of thing they were after. (OK that wasn't really what I did   )

[jimbo747]

If you did become a teacher you might as well sell your astro gear as you'll never get chance to use it. Wife was a primary school teacher, most devoted person you'll see, but job was killing her with the 16 hour days and 7 days a week, health problems like weight, gall stones and cancer. Best thing she did was quit.

Planetarium job sounds awesome though

[jnb]

Well the observatory have invited me in to have a look at the planetarium when it's set up, so that sounds optimistic. At the same time I have interviews at two universities for PGCE courses.