u/Cold_Computer_1800

Hi everyone :))

I’m looking for some advice and would really appreciate hearing different perspectives from people who may have been in similar situations or have experience in teaching or career transitions.

For context, I’m currently a first-year pharmacy student at Monash University (4-year degree). I did IB and scored a 43 (ATAR equivalent 99.25), and I came from New Zealand on a scholarship. I originally chose pharmacy mainly because of the scholarship, the opportunity to study overseas, and because it was science-based (bio/chem related).

However, my long-term goal has always been to become a secondary school teacher — ideally an international school teacher teaching IB, and possibly travelling the world while doing it. I really like the idea of working with young people, inspiring students, and having a career that allows me flexibility to live and work in different countries.

I also find myself drawn to the lifestyle side of teaching. From what I understand, teachers often have longer breaks (around 12 weeks of holidays), and while I know teaching involves a lot of work outside of school hours, I personally feel like I would prefer having take-home work and more flexibility over time, rather than a more rigid full-time working structure with limited leave.

At the moment, I feel a bit conflicted. I’m studying pharmacy, but I still strongly feel pulled towards teaching in the future. An old high school teacher of mine mentioned that schools often value people with real-world professional experience because it brings depth to classroom teaching, so I’ve been wondering whether pharmacy could still be a useful pathway into education.

I guess I’m trying to figure out:

• whether staying in pharmacy is actually a good long-term decision if my passion is teaching
• whether the scholarship is “worth it” if I don’t end up working as a pharmacist
• or whether it would be better to switch into a Bachelor of Science/Biomed, even if that means taking on more debt, to stay more aligned with teaching from the start

I’m still very early into uni, so I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from:

• teachers (especially secondary or IB teachers)
• people who transitioned careers (especially from science/pharmacy into teaching)
• or anyone who has insight into international school teaching pathways

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks so much in advance :))