Teaching is my escape from the City

FORMER headhunter James Carter, 29, from West Hampstead, is taking what is fast becoming a well-trodden escape route for City workers and retraining as a teacher.

He left his job in the summer and began a post-graduate education certificate at the Institute of Education in London in September, with a view to using his natural sciences degree from Cambridge University to become a secondary school science teacher.

He said: "I've been thinking about switching to teaching for a while and the financial turmoil of the past few months gave me the push I needed to finally do it.

"I'd really grown to dislike my job, which was basically just sales, and wasn't getting much from it. But it's easy to get stuck doing something because it feels too difficult to move. I wanted something that would feel more satisfying and worthwhile. It became clear earlier this year that the economy was only going to get worse and my job would become more insecure. Suddenly teaching looked an even more attractive and safe option.

"I've saved up enough money from working in the City that I can afford to take a year off to train, especially with the bursaries and 'golden handshake' the Government gives to science teachers. I can still pay my mortgage while I'm studying and I'm looking forward to a decent wage once I'm qualified.

"Looking at my former colleagues in the City getting increasingly anxious about their jobs, I'm glad I did it now. More and more people will be forced out over the next year and I should think the teacher training courses will be swamped."