Landing School, Northwest, IYRS or another route?

So I am in my mid-30s, have been teaching high school (English) for a decade and am ready for a change. Like many, I am beguiled by the romance of wooden boats and am now considering it as a next career. I grew up sailing and have been a caretaker on a historic vessel so the shift is not entirely earth-shattering though my girlfriend just rolls her eyes when I talk about it.

I've contacted the Landing School, IRYS and Northwest School of Boatbuilding and they all pretty much have the same thing to say: come to us, we'll train you with the best, and (just about) guarantee employment. The tuition ranges from 25k for Northwest's 9 month program to 40k to IYRS's 2 year program.

I don't quite know what my vision is for myself aside from working with my hands hopefully restoring wooden vessels. Perhaps I would try to teach at some point but I think I would need to spend years becoming a shipwright first.

I'm looking for thoughts about if this is worth it. I do have the summers off after all and have thought that maybe this is possible another way: by keeping my teaching career--which I have admittedly soured on but wouldn't kill me to stay in--and getting my training (somewhere?) over the summers.

Opinions here seem to be mixed on the wisdom of changing careers into wooden boat restoration and I agree it's a hell of a lot of money to shell out for something that might not pan out.

I live in NYC by the way.

 

Two other schools:

Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, Michigan http://www.glbbs.org/ Tuition is $12K for 1st year, $11K for 2nd year. Pat Mahon who is the program director/lead instructor previously taught at Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building.

The Apprenticeshop in Rockland, Maine http://www.apprenticeshop.org/ Tuition is $18K for 1st year, $9K for 2nd year. The Apprenticeshop's program is focused on traditional building, and perhaps less structure than most of the other schools.

 

Based on recent conversations with representatives of several schools almost all of the graduates who want a job receive at least one job offer, though not that many find work in traditional boat building/repair/restoration. My guess is almost all of the jobs pay significantly less than teaching school, and the best paying jobs may go to the graduates of the systems courses (propulsion/electrical/plumbing/etc) rather than boat building.

Do you have any experience with boat building or other woodworking? If not consider taking a short course or workshop this summer. The WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Maine has a very extensive selection of one and two week courses. You'll learn some skills and get at least a hint of whether the reality come close to the romance for you.

 

Another school:

Seattle Central College - Marine Carpentry https://www.seattlecentral.edu/programs/marinecarpentry/index.php Probably the lowest tuition of any boat school, but the cost of living in Seattle is probably higher than most. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/careers-carved-at-wood-tech-center/