Training has helped one man leave his job in the banking industry to try out his dream career as a teacher.
Mike Tuer, 43, worked in corporate banking for 20 years, but had been planning to change his career since 2005, the Journal reports.
He decided to give up his well-paid job and move to a comprehensive school in a poor area of London after applying for teacher training from the Training and Development Agency for Schools, which has reported a number of cases where people are giving up their jobs to work in the classroom.
Applications for this were up 47 per cent in the north-east last year and Mr Tuer, who went to school in Gateshead, said that he wanted to try and help people in his new job.
"When I was at school ... not many people left with O-levels," he said, adding: "Without the energy and commitment of my teachers, there is no way I would have had the life I did."
Mr Teur said that even though moving careers was hard - he had to take a year out from his job in order to take training to get his skills to the level needed - he felt that it was "the right time" to try a change.
Another man who has changed his career recently is Angus Cory of East Boldon in Tyne and Wear.
According to the Shields Gazette, he has moved into the boating industry after being made redundant from his job as an IT manager for Nike.
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