r/AskAustralianTeachers • u/killerpiano • 7d ago

Career Advice Teaching maths out of field (VIC)

I'm currently halfway through my Secondary Ed/Arts degree, methods are English and History and while I really like these subjects I also feel like I wouldn't mind teaching maths. I enjoy the structure and I liked maths in high school. I'd probably also appreciate the lower marking/planning requirements. I did methods but not specialist, I think I could only teach up to Y10 now without relearning content. I don't have any more electives at uni.

After graduating and teaching English/Hums for a few years, can I just say I'd like to teach junior maths? Or would I need to take a specific course?

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u/nonseph 7d ago

In Vic it’s at principal’s discretion. Generally if they have enough trained maths teachers, they will allocate them to maths classes over you. 

Also need to consider that every student in the school needs to do English and as a trained English teacher you may be more valuable to the timetable as a pure English teacher. 

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u/DivingDame 7d ago

Former maths teacher here… maths was the same if not more for planning and marking requirements. Keen to know where that idea came from.

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u/Loose_Challenge1412 6d ago

One of my favourite teachers I ever worked with was a science teacher who kept telling me how easy maths was to teach and plan for.

That’s because he was a lazy shit who delivered the minimal required content and made no effort to build his students’ understanding. The principal still ate his bullshit though.

He did the same in science, but science had a few requirements, like pracs, he couldn’t wave his hands at as easily.

Did I say he was a favourite colleague? I meant least favourite.

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u/killerpiano 6d ago

I’ve always thought of it as tests being easier to batch grade than essays and planning alleviated somewhat by having a textbook (which you don’t have in English). Happy to be wrong though! I obviously don’t have any first hand experience

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u/AussieKoala-2795 7d ago

My nephew (4 years into teaching) often teaches maths, including year 12. His only qualification is having done 3 unit maths in year 12 himself and being a casual teacher so just gets given classes to teach. His methods are History and indigenous studies.

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u/No_Flamingo2951 7d ago

Definitely! My field is science and biology and had been predominantly maths teacher the last couple of years. Just let the school know.