# Trade best suited for a teacher



## teacher89 (20 Jun 2014)

Hi everyone, 

Sorry if this should be posted elsewhere.  I'm currently a teacher in a high risk behaviour class and have been for a couple years.  I'm considering applying to the forces and am curious about how my education degree would fit in, and if there is a trade I would naturally fit into.  My educational background is social studies (history, poli sci, etc.) and child psychology.  Any input would be appreciated.


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## upandatom (20 Jun 2014)

I would think Logisitics, dealing with people, money, and things.


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## The_Falcon (20 Jun 2014)

No one here knows you from a hole in the ground, and therefore can't give you an idea of what you may be suitable for (telling us your qualifcations is one thing, but personality, attitude, work ethic etc are also a big part of suitability).  I have known teachers in many different trades in the military.  And that goes for many people who join the reserves.  Their civilian occupation is usually not correlated with thier military occupation.  You need to figure out YOURSELF what occupation interests you based on the hundreds of threads here, the information on the official recruiting website, and via direct contact with staff at a recruiting centre.  No here can honestly do it for you, and why you would want people you have never met to give you life advice is something that perplexes me.


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## teacher89 (20 Jun 2014)

Hatchet man, despite your best effort to not answer my question, I think you inadvertently gave me a good answer. I was curious if there were any trades that fit naturally with the skills that teachers likely have. So if I read past the tone of your message, can I safely assume your answer to that no, there is not a trade that is obviously a fit with my current occupation and level of education?


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## The_Falcon (20 Jun 2014)

teacher89 said:
			
		

> Hatchet man, despite your best effort to not answer my question, I think you inadvertently gave me a good answer. I was curious if there were any trades that fit naturally with the skills that teachers likely have. So if I read past the tone of your message, can I safely assume your answer to that no, there is not a trade that is obviously a fit with my current occupation and level of education?



I did answer your question.  YOU to figure out what YOU are suited for YOURSELF.  Your current occupation, and education have nothing to do with your actual SUITABILITY for any occupation.


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## dapaterson (20 Jun 2014)

One occupation with minimal annual intake is Training Development Officer.  They are SMEs on education (many go off to get M Eds), and provide input into the development of training plans and training materials.  They are often engaged in acquisition of equipment to co-ord and facilitate the associated training requirements.

Check out the CAF Recruiting website for more info on TDOs.


(EDIT: Because I need remedial typing lessons)


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## Shamrock (20 Jun 2014)

Often overlooked, training and instruction are command imperatives.  The preparation of successive generations of soldiers is a responsibility of current generations.  It is thus possible, should you desire the preparation and delivery of instructional material, that most any trade is suitable for you and that employment at its centre of excellence desirable.

But it all comes back to, we don't know you from a hole in the wall.


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## exgunnertdo (20 Jun 2014)

Ditto the previous replies.

I am a Training Development Officer (TDO).  I was a junior high teacher while I was in the Reserves (Artillery Officer).  I applied for a Component Transfer about 9 years ago to become a TDO.  I think I received more in terms of my ability to be a TDO from being an Arty O, than from being a junior high teacher.  

Instruction in the CAF is mostly given bu the SMEs in the thing they are teaching, not by professional educators.  TDOs advise from the side on the process of creating training.  We are the SMEs in a process referred to as the "Systems Approach to Training" (our "branding" of it is called CFITES - the Canadian Forces Individual Training and Education System).  But we do very little teaching.

Like dapaterson said, TDO has very low annual intake, and almost no intake from right off the street.  Most new TDOs are transferred from other occupations.  To be competitive for one of the very few "off the street" TDO positions, you would need a Masters and experience in adult education.


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## Loachman (20 Jun 2014)

I doubt that there is a single Infantry Officer with a degree that matches his occupation. There is no Bachelor of Killing People and Breaking Things.

Your educational background and work experience would apply if they were in medicine, law, engineering etcetera and you wanted to do the same thing in the CF.

What do you want to do, and at what rank level? You would more likely (but not necessarily) "naturally fit" that.

And, as has been said, we have no clue who you are and what you're like and cannot, therefore, make any viable suggestions.


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## Shamrock (20 Jun 2014)

Loachman said:
			
		

> I doubt that there is a single Infantry Officer with a degree that matches his occupation. There is no Bachelor of Killing People and Breaking Things.



Surely there are one or two engineers in the infantry.


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## Smirnoff123 (20 Jun 2014)

While it could be beneficial to join a trade that relates to your civilian experiences, the army trains you/ retrains you their way on every aspect of the trade regardless. I personally enjoy being able to do something that is different in the reserves than what I do in my civilian work. 

I'm sure that your skills and experiences from your profession will help you in many ways regardless of what trade you pick, and the skills learned in the CF will help you in civvie life.

Edit to add:
One of my course Warrants was infantry, with tours to Afghanistan. She was a grade 8 school teacher. Having summers off is great for progressing in the reserves.


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## brihard (20 Jun 2014)

Loachman said:
			
		

> There is no Bachelor of Killing People and Breaking Things.



That's a damned travesty.


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## PMedMoe (20 Jun 2014)

Loachman said:
			
		

> There is no Bachelor of Killing People and Breaking Things.



If there was, I would have stayed in university.  Do they credit life experience?   >


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## teacher89 (20 Jun 2014)

Thanks for the responses. A bit about me that might help; I'm very interested in psychology, maps, and puzzles. I enjoy high stress situations, as I have a cool head under pressure. The occupations that stood out to me were intelligence operator and intelligence officer. Do they recruit these positions off the street?


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## The_Falcon (20 Jun 2014)

teacher89 said:
			
		

> Thanks for the responses. A bit about me that might help; I'm very interested in psychology, maps, and puzzles. *I enjoy high stress situations, as I have a cool head under pressure*.


That's nice, but again, WE DO NOT KNOW YOU.  You can tell us anything you want, it doesn't mean it true, since no one here can verify it.  That's especially applicable for the bold part.  Many people think they can handle high stress and be cool under pressure (or at least use it as a throw away line on resume), that is until they have been sleep deprived for several days, and are sitting in a muddy trench, being eaten alive by bugs, while it's pouring rain, having DS staff jacking them up every 5 mins.  Having never met you, we cannot ascertain if this is something you can actually put up with.  I don't understand what you aren't getting about this. 




> The occupations that stood out to me were intelligence operator and intelligence officer. Do they recruit these positions off the street?



Generally no, and there is already a bunch of threads about this.  I guess it would be too much to ask for you to search for these threads, or any of the others where someone else has asked "Am I suitable for X trade"


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## teacher89 (20 Jun 2014)

I think that when people post on a forum they understand that they aren't known to the audience. Therefore they are looking for an answer based on the information provided. For example, I am good at such and such a skill area. Is there anywhere where this skill is required?  It is not your job to verify whether my self assessment is accurate. I am simply asking hypotheticals. If you cannot provide me with constructive feedback based on my given information I am not interested in your response.


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## MAJONES (20 Jun 2014)

Well, dude, I went from teaching high school physics and chemistry to pilot; might work for you to.  However, as has been stated already, we don't know you and making career choices based on advice from an Internet forum will most likely end badly.  If you are serious about joining the CF go see a recruiter.


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## The_Falcon (20 Jun 2014)

teacher89 said:
			
		

> I think that when people post on a forum they understand that they aren't known to the audience. Therefore they are looking for an answer based on the information provided. For example, I am good at such and such a skill area. Is there anywhere where this skill is required?  It is not your job to verify whether my self assessment is accurate. I am simply asking hypotheticals. If you cannot provide me with constructive feedback based on my given information I am not interested in your response.



You can not be interested in my responses all you like, but considering at least 4 others have said the same thing (we don't know you, therefore we can't offer viable advice) you should take the hint.  And in point of fact, as a moderator, it is my responsibility to question what people say about themselves. 

So I am going to say this one more time (as this is going in circles) read the threads/forums about trades/occupations that interest you, if you can think of NEW and UNIQUE questions to ask, then ask them.  Watch the videos on the forces.ca site, go to a recruiting centre and speak to the staff there. And the DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU ARE SUITED FOR A PARTICULAR OCCUPATION.  I am pretty sure you went through a similar process to become a teacher, so now you get to apply it to the military.  

Locked.


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