So you think you can teach?

Although teaching is a vital career option to the future success of our country, it is often seen as the back up option. The thing you do if you can’t hack it in the City or if you leave university after multiple degrees and are frankly over qualified, yet lacking the passion to pursue a corporate career. With the steady and stable salaries, the role fails to capture the imagination of the typically avaricious graduate looking to make their mark in the Smoke.

Owning to this, teaching seems to have assumed the stereotype of a safe but cheerless occupation. I always hear that the UK is lacking good teachers and when indulging in my ‘blink and you will miss it’ holiday day’s allowance, I always wonder what it would like to have 5 months off a year and still get paid.

Good news for those planning on pursuing this fun and rewarding career and even better news for those wanting to teach maths. The government has introduced new teacher training scholarships for maths graduates in the 2013/14 academic year. First class degree graduates will receive a tax free bursary of £20,000, those with a 2:1 will get £15,000 and a 2:2 trainees will land £12,000.

According to recent figures released from the Teaching Agency, the proportion of maths graduates entering training with a 2:1 degree or better has risen from 51 to 62 per cent over the last year. The authorities are keen to keep this figure rising. Now has never been a better or more lucrative to teach maths!

The World's Helpful Bank? Surely this must be a typo…

Think you’re a budding entrepreneur? Want to be the next Dragon? Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to helping entrepreneurial students start and grow businesses, aims to support thousands of student businesses across the country. They are inviting plucky students to submit their businesses into a competition, which would see the winner scoop a £50,000 prize! This would obviously pay for many nights out and late-night Dominos, yet, rather more importantly it could give your fledging business just the boost it needs.

In order to apply, you need to be a current student or have graduated within 5 years and have run your company for at least a year. Of course, like with most things, you will also need to be 18 or over to apply.

There are two awards on offer, the ‘Best Start Up’ and the ‘Best Enterprise’. Should you get through your initial heat, you will be awarded a cash prizes of £1,000 for ‘Best Start Up’ and £5,000 for ‘Best Enterprise’ and will be automatically entered for the national final. The overall winner of ‘Best Start Up’ will be awarded £10,000, whilst the winner of ‘Best Enterprise’ will be awarded a cash prize of £50,000! Moreover, should you win either competition, you will be entitled to a two year mentoring program, which will give you access to senior members of the Lloyds Bank.

The deadline for award Nominations is 31^st January. Want to apply? Apply online by visiting Lloyds TSB - Enterprise Awards. What better way to kick start your business idea! For more of the same, please follow my blog.