Yes, Sir! £40k bursary for troops to train as teachers
FORMER soldiers will get £40,000 bursaries to retrain as teachers in a drive to restore discipline in the classroom, the Government has announced.
From September, all ex-servicemen and women will be able to apply for the money to do a teaching degree as long as they have the relevant A-levels.
The Department for Education hopes the veterans will bring a fresh perspective to their schools.
It means children could be taught by heroes from some of our most gruelling recent conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
The bursaries will be available for those who want to teach biology, chemistry, computing, maths or modern languages – subjects with teacher shortages. Education secretary Damian Hinds said: ‘Our ex- servicemen and women … have a wealth of experience and expertise that can be shared in the classroom, teaching pupils the knowledge they need to succeed alongside vital skills, such as leadership and self-discipline.’
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson added: ‘Through leadership, teamwork and problem- solving, veterans are ideally suited for a career in teaching once they leave the Armed Forces.’
The programme is open to veterans who have left fulltime employment in the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy in the past five years who do not already have a degree. Applicants will be able to apply for three-year bachelor’s degrees at UK universities and use the bursaries to pay for living costs.
The cash is paid in instalments during the second and third years, so anyone on the scheme has to undertake at least a year of training before they receive anything. Officials hope this will put off timewasters.
Trainees on bursaries will also be able to take out student loans to cover fees and the scheme replaces the current two-year Troops to Teachers programme, run by the University of Brighton. Former investment banker Alexander Mansfield, 31, spent more than five years in the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment before returning to his old school – Gunnersbury Catholic School in Brentford, West London, to teach under Troops to Teachers. He is now on a two-year course with Brighton University training as a modern foreign languages teacher. It involves learning on the job four days a week while earning around £17,000 a year.
From September, someone in a similar situation would be eligible for one of the new £40,000 bursaries. He said: ‘Discipline is a key skill I can transfer from the Army. It is not about shouting – it is about maintaining a relationship with people.’
‘Discipline is a key skill’