Now Teach set up to get end-of-career professionals into teaching

A new organisation, called Now Teach, has been co-founded by journalist Lucy Kellaway and aims to get high-end professionals into teaching

Lucy Kellaway is giving up her job as columnist and associate editor of the Financial Times to teach maths in a ‘challenging’ London secondary school.

Her co-founded charity Now Teach hopes others will follow suit when they come to the end of their careers to avoid a "colossal waste of talent".

Kellaway told the Guardian: “I’ve had one of the nicest jobs in journalism by writing a column for 22 years. I love it, but I don’t want to spend my entire life doing it.

“I think teaching is hugely important and I’m in the luxurious position of being able to take on the task. My mother was a teacher. One of my daughters is a teacher. It’s in the family, and I’m very excited about making this move.”

Kellaway will start her new career as a maths teacher from next summer.

Participants of Now Teach will do a two week summer course before being trained on the job in schools.

Recruitment is beginning for a pilot year in 2017/18 which will be restricted to London secondaries. There is a focus on finding maths and science teachers but the charity says professionals who want to teach other subjects should also get in touch.