Hi
I am thinking of doing a pgce in view of teaching but I am concerned that it will be a bit much with having ms. Is there anybody that has experience of being a teacher with ms?
Thanks
I am not a typical teacher as I have been a supply teacher since 2000 to fit in with having four children. I had to give up teaching in March as with PPMS my legs could not cope with the amount of time you are on your feet as a teacher. Also, the school that I was doing supply in at this time has a lot of stairs and going up and down the stairs was really hard. It was the saddest thing I’ve ever done to give it up and I’ve got tears in my eyes as I write this. So, if your MS is not affecting your legs too much, I would say go for it. It is such a rewarding job. I loved it! You will need to pace yourself though as teaching (contrary to popular opinion) requires you to put in long hours. Hth Teresa xx
I really hope you get some positive answers, I’m afraid I can’t be as I’m in the process of gathering evidence to support my application for medical retirement. I started having symptoms last Easter and have been off work since the beginning of May, and was diagnosed with PPMS in September.
I have loved my job and it is with real regret that I have had to make this decision. I taught in a special school for children with learning difficulties and/or autism. I did try and go back on a phased return but after only observing for a few hours I was shattered and went home and slept for hours. If I’d actually been teaching, goodness knows what I would have been like!
Think very carefully about whether you would be able to cope with all the extra work as well. As I’m sure you’re aware it’s not just a case of teaching in the classroom. I used to have to work one day of the weekend and on many occasions half the school holidays as well. I was a Key Stage Leader and Literacy Leader as well so some of the work was to do with those responsibilities but a lot was just normal classroom stuff! On a school day I was regularly in school at 7.45 and didn’t leave until after 5pm. It can be a very stressful job, and rewarding too!
There are teachers on here; most seem to be secondary whereas I’m Primary. I’m aware that adjustments have been made for some such as not having to swap classrooms during the day. At my school we do have a supply teacher with RRMS who only does supply as she can’t manage a full time job. We also had a supply TA who had MS but was a qualified teacher and couldn’t manage the role
I obviously don’t know how you are affected, if it is your dream then maybe you should follow it but please don’t think (and I know you probably don’t) that there’s plenty of holidays and short working days!
Take Care,
Sarah x
Sorry to be a party pooper but whilst I utterly love teaching and know I will become very miserable if I ever have to give it up permanently I wouldn’t start my PGCE now. Training is all encompassing and totally exhausting even when you’re totally fit and well. Personally I’d say it’s asking for a relapse.
That sounds very depressing and you may be a very mild sufferer who will be fine but just be totally sure of what you’re taking on, fatigue is a killer for MS. Also the NQT year is even more tiring! Sorry this isn’t a more positive reply
Hi there,
Some very good responses for you to consider. I was a primary school teacher before I was diagnosed with MS and loved the job. I left my teaching job after my second baby was born and a year later was diagnosed with MS. When he started school I got a part time job as a TA mainly to familiarise my self with the new initiatives that had been introduced during my. 4 years out. I loved this job but money was rubbish and so I started to do supply teaching at the school and a few other local schools. All this time I was fine,no MS symptons. I did supply for 2 years then got another part time job as an education officer working for a charity. This was great as I was still working in schools but there was minimal planning /marking. Two years ago I got a different job as an education officer in a museum which I love. This is only part time but suits me well. My symptons have gradually got worse over the years and I know that I personally would not be able to cope teaching full time. My colleagues from my first teaching job work incredibly long hours and seem to have a much longer working day than when I first started.
Teaching is a great job but can be stressful and all consuming, but if you are feeling well then go for it.
Is it possible to go for it and if things become challeneging cross that bridge when you come to it? if we didn’t do things just because we anticipated they’d be hard or impossible most of us with MS probably wouldn’t do much (and sometimes it is fear more than MS itself that stops us from doing things) Maybe life with MS will be hard and that is just by the by!? and consider we have better treatment options and support now more so than previously and who knows what will be available for the future: Imagine if your MS is not that bad a course and you never pursued it, you’ll have big regrets. Also I believe it’s possible to find new ways to manage symptoms inorder to rise to most challenegs: Don’t know where abouts you live but you could google Expert patient programme- free six week course run by NHS,teaches people how to better manage their condition/symptoms- we learned lots about pacing/ managing fatigue and pain, problem solving etc. and may be of interest to you-also once completed six weeks, lead to teaching opporunities were you can teach the course to others. Don’t know if this or similar (heard of MSS doing something similar in Scotland I think?) is run near you but maybe look into something like this before you decide what you are capable of? Good luck
As we all know having MS can mean many different things. If your symptoms are manageable and your relapses mild I agree with the previous poster that you don’t know what you are capable of until you try.
However teaching is an incredibly tiring job. If you are looking at short hours and long holidays as a coping strategy I would seriously reconsider something that you could definitely do part time. (You can teach part time of course but it’s not a good career path for an inexperienced teacher)
My own experience was that I just didn’t have the stamina to continue my job in a very demanding inner city primary school. I felt personally that these children who were disadvantaged in so many other ways deserved better than a teacher who was constantly under par.
I don’t want to poop on your stoop but my advice would be to think carefully.
Jane
For any other job, I would say go for the qualification - and then decide if you are going to use it.
But, physically, teaching is mostly about being on your feet able to move around the room.
Even the practical sessions will require that you are on your feet.
Apart from knowing your subject(s), and being able to motivate the students to learn, you have to think about being able to keep order in a class - would your particular MS give you any trouble with that?
The generally accepted figure is that for each contact hour, you need between 8 and 16 hours preparation time. I would use the higher figure, but then I never taught below Undergraduate level.
If you can cope with these problems, go for it. With a PGCE, you could probably get work doing private tutoring - and then you can sit down.
Geoff
For me it is not the physical issues but the mental agility.
You do spend all day on the alert and when you’re constantly “giving out” to youngsters it is inevitably draining. Of course, the rewards that you get when the kids give you something back are like nothing else 
I don’t think that the phase you opt for would make much difference. I spent 15 years in mainstream and have done 9 years in Special Needs. The demands are different but equal. Remember that you will have a couple of hours work each evening plus at least half a day at weekends. It’s also very hard to switch off! I think Dr Geoff is overstating the amount of time you spend preparing. For me I spend the same amount of time preparing as I do teaching - ie: a one hour lesson takes one hour of preparation. There are also pressure points during the year - but for me times when workload piles on are balanced out by a bit of slack when Y11 leave after their exams 
Why not volunteer in a local school? You will get a better picture of the way a teacher’s day pans out. Once you become an active member of the school community rather than a passive photocopier and pencil-sharpener you’ll know if it’s for you.
Hi,
I completed my PGCE in 1997 and teach Chemistry/Science to 11-18 year olds.
I bought my first house in 2000
I had my daughter in 2002.
…
I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2010. (looking back had symptoms for 10+ years)
…
Life goes on. Don’t let MS hold you back - if you really want it go for it. As others have said, It is a very demanding course and a very demanding career but also very rewarding.
Good Luck
Carol Anne
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’ve got a lot lof thinking to do. I did some shadowing at a primary school recently and having gained a bit more insight I think my biggest concern is fatigue. I feel I have a lot to offer but I do get brain fog sometimes (others don’t actually notice, or so they say!) but I wouldn’t want to let the children down and also I have to think about my quality of life. Tough.
I think it is a difficult decision to make and ultimately you know what you are capable of. I think that fatigue cannot be underestimated. I could not understand why I was so desperately tired after a day’s worth of supply in the last few years and just put it down to the rigours of working with four children to look after as well. Now I know better. But it is such a wonderful job and one you can easily step into after months away. The curriculum may change but not the way you teach and interact with the children. I expect you can tell by the wistful tone of my writing that I miss it. Hope you manage to decide what you want to do. Teresa xx
Yes! I’ve been a primary teacher for 18 years. I was diagnosed with MS last October although my symptoms have been worsening for a couple of years. I have understanding colleagues who open doors, give me my mug in the staffroom, photocopy and all sorts. My stage partner (lovely woman) is great and she often photocopies stuff for me and even pushes the wheel chair when I’m incapable of getting to the other end of the school for meetings.
My teaching life has changed dramatically. Your teaching life will depend upon your symptoms. I have huge problems walking so I swap classes with my stage partner at PE times so she teaches my class PE and I teach her class French, RME and problem solving. The school I work in is big for the area (more than 450 pupils) and has a lift to the second floor. The previous headteacher was wonderful and very supportive - she got a disabled parking space put at the back door as it is the only one that has no steps. She also located me in the classroom nearest the office end of the school so I was close to office staff, the disabled parking space, disabled toilet and lift. The current headteacher I am not sure of! Seems supportive but…maybe just the way things come out. He is happy for me to do the shared teaching and has rearranged things so my time out is over assembly times so I don’t have to up stairs with the children. I’m using a crutch to walk and barely stand without it, my balance is so poor. I teach from an office seat! Next progression will probably be a wheelchair - I might find that easier and I may feel less tired. Just trying to get about is tiring.
There is so much I miss doing: running about the class at the end of the day to make sure those last bits are off the floor, my displays, the running about with the children at PE times. My list is endless. I’m still capable of doing the job but have to pace myself - last week was first week back after the holidays and I had a forward plan meeting with the PT who dropped casually into conversation ‘will you manage tomorrow’s technology meeting’? Couldn’t say no, could I?! Two meeintgs in a row with marking don’t go! It took me from Wednesday to Tuesday to finish that marking! Will make sure that doesn’t happen again!
I wouldn’t (and have never) tried to put anyone off teaching because I love my job and it can be a very satisfying career.
Hi I’m an assistant headteacher at a very challenging secondary school. I was diagnosed with MS in December 2015 but have had obvious symptoms for a good 4/5 years. Teaching is a hard job. It’s difficult managing the stresses of the job, the time constraints, the workload. You just have to keep on top of things. Having MS is tough too and in the same way you have to find ways of managing your condition. I suffer with fatigue but have found ways to ensure I can still work in my role and do a good job- it just takes a little more planning! Whether teaching is or isn’t a career I would recommend is a different issue, but I certainly wouldn’t advise against it just on the basis that you’ve got MS! Good luck Nicci
Hello,
I have often thought about this question when I returned from Prague where I taught TEFL for 5 years. I decided that a PGCE would be far too stressful for me personally as one thing guaranteed to give me a relapse is an exam or assessment! But I can recommend TEFL. The main drawback is that the money’s not very good, but you do get to travel and teach withoiut the long hours of marking or so much preparation.
I’m now trying to get a job as a teaching assistant as although the money’s not that good, I think I have the right skills set for it and hopefully there lower stress in the job will help me stay healthy.
All the best with whatever you decided to do. The original post was in 2012, so if you can update us with what you did and how you’re getting on that would be great
Roary,