Honestly, there are a LOT of jobs out there that will pay your bills, teach you valuable skills, and allow you to help people. I’ve been a teacher and a policy professional. Both jobs have less impact than an AMF employee but enough to be satisfying. Both jobs paid my rent. Both jobs have taught me really valuable lessons about management, organization, and public speaking. These lower prestige, conventional choices can teach people the skills that EA will need to be a strong and balanced movement going forward.
Can you say more about your experiences as a teacher and as a policy professional? What did you have to do to get those jobs, and what were the expectations once you had them? What was the pay like? Were you able to observe the interview/hiring process for anybody else being hired for the same jobs? This is exactly the kind of concrete info I’m hoping to find more of.
I entered the UK Civil Service this year. I work on Fuel Poverty Policy—I think of ways to make it easier for the poorest people in the UK to heat their homes. I think the 80k article about it is actually pretty accurate, but let me know if you have any other questions about it.
https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/policy-oriented-civil-service-uk/
Teaching was my first career. I entered by doing a Bachelor of Education degree in Canada and then being recruited to work in the UK, because the UK is struggling to fill teaching vacancies. You can usually enter teaching by doing a 1-2 year course after your Bachelor degree as well. Some countries have a program like Teach First or Teach for America that will let you straight into the classroom.
In Canada, teaching is very competitive, but in the UK many schools are struggling to recruit enough teachers. That meant it wasn’t too difficult to get a job offer, especially through a teaching agency. I found that, to get an interview and offer from a “good school,” it was useful for me to ask the headteacher to take me on a tour of the school. Making small talk with the headteacher and asking interesting questions helped me to get an interview.
Teaching is a hard job, and it’s probably true that the easier it is to get hired, the harder your job will be. You’re expected to work 40-55 hours per week during the school year. Pay varies by country, but in the UK it starts just above the national median wage (£25-30k). Most people aren’t particularly good teachers until they’ve had 5+ years experience. However, in teaching you get useful feedback very quickly, you make a living wage, and you learn lots of useful skills. Going back to teaching is my “plan Z” right now and I’m glad I have it as an option.
Honestly, there are a LOT of jobs out there that will pay your bills, teach you valuable skills, and allow you to help people. I’ve been a teacher and a policy professional. Both jobs have less impact than an AMF employee but enough to be satisfying. Both jobs paid my rent. Both jobs have taught me really valuable lessons about management, organization, and public speaking. These lower prestige, conventional choices can teach people the skills that EA will need to be a strong and balanced movement going forward.
Can you say more about your experiences as a teacher and as a policy professional? What did you have to do to get those jobs, and what were the expectations once you had them? What was the pay like? Were you able to observe the interview/hiring process for anybody else being hired for the same jobs? This is exactly the kind of concrete info I’m hoping to find more of.
I entered the UK Civil Service this year. I work on Fuel Poverty Policy—I think of ways to make it easier for the poorest people in the UK to heat their homes. I think the 80k article about it is actually pretty accurate, but let me know if you have any other questions about it. https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/policy-oriented-civil-service-uk/
Teaching was my first career. I entered by doing a Bachelor of Education degree in Canada and then being recruited to work in the UK, because the UK is struggling to fill teaching vacancies. You can usually enter teaching by doing a 1-2 year course after your Bachelor degree as well. Some countries have a program like Teach First or Teach for America that will let you straight into the classroom.
In Canada, teaching is very competitive, but in the UK many schools are struggling to recruit enough teachers. That meant it wasn’t too difficult to get a job offer, especially through a teaching agency. I found that, to get an interview and offer from a “good school,” it was useful for me to ask the headteacher to take me on a tour of the school. Making small talk with the headteacher and asking interesting questions helped me to get an interview.
Teaching is a hard job, and it’s probably true that the easier it is to get hired, the harder your job will be. You’re expected to work 40-55 hours per week during the school year. Pay varies by country, but in the UK it starts just above the national median wage (£25-30k). Most people aren’t particularly good teachers until they’ve had 5+ years experience. However, in teaching you get useful feedback very quickly, you make a living wage, and you learn lots of useful skills. Going back to teaching is my “plan Z” right now and I’m glad I have it as an option.