Chicken Memorials

[Lovemychooks]

I am thinking of becoming a Primary School Teacher but it seems really hard to get into. It seems that i'd have to do 3 years of study (which i'm quite happy to do), then do the Teacher Training and i'm presuming the PCGE. Has anyone had any recent experience of becoming a Primary School Teacher that they would like to share ?!

[Couperwife]

I dont know about Primary school, but I recently (about 5 years ago) trained to teach secondary "darlings"

 

you need a degree first of all - I dont think that you can teach without a degree.

 

then you can either do the PGCE - this is a full time course and you "visit" school to practice

 

or you can do GTP (graduate trainee program) this is where you work in a school employed as an unqualified teacher and do the training "in house"

 

I did the GTP, and really enjoyed it, you know very quickly if teaching is for you or not, in the PGCE, you dont start to teach for about 2 months

 

good luck

 

cathy

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[Lovemychooks]

Thanks Cathy, I appreciate your help

[Couperwife]

a few friends in school are doing the GTP course at the moment, if you need any more advice or information, pm me and i'll find out what I can for you

 

cathy

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[Guest]

Again I'm not primary I'm secondary.

 

There is also the SCITT programme - School Centred Initial Teacher Training which is a cross between GTP & PGCE. There are even some degree programmes that incorporate QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) as you do school placements throughout your term of study.

 

Hey Cathy - I also did GTP and I'm in my 6th year of teaching! We must have been training at around the same time. What subject do you teach - I think I did know but my memory isn't what it used to be! I was looking at some of my old GTP portfolio stuff the other day as well, as I'm going for AST now and there is some stuff I can take straight out of there.

[Couperwife]

I teach ICT

 

I'm head of Department now or rather Subject Leader

 

still get time to get on here though ( but never before 6pm, cos I dont get out of school till 6pm )

 

what do you teach? - I seem to remember its ICT aswell (or did I just make that up?? )

 

cathy

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[Guest]

I am thinking of becoming a Primary School Teacher but it seems really hard to get into. It seems that i'd have to do 3 years of study (which i'm quite happy to do), then do the Teacher Training and i'm presuming the PCGE. Has anyone had any recent experience of becoming a Primary School Teacher that they would like to share ?!

 

can't help with advice, just wanted to wish you tons of luck and to tell you to go for it!!!!

[Guest]

Yep I'm ICT as well! I decided not to go for Head of Department but to head down the AST route instead, I was without a head of department last year and did all the stuff and the management stuff is just too depressing at times.

 

Of course having said that I'm sorting out the AST stuff as second in department with responsibility for KS4! I don't do work after school but I do work at home after James is in bed. We must get together on a meet sometime - although we would bore the others stupid. Also you should be in my school - then you would be a Director Of Faculty - of course in the usual school acronym manner they are known as the DOF's.

[Lovemychooks]

Thanks penguinmad, i've asked Cathy loads of questions and hope I haven't confused her too much !! Thanks for your advice, i'm going to try and find out about that. I think i'll ring the people at teach.gov.uk too

[Janty]

I am Head of Design Technology and Year 7 at my school. I had degree in graphics and animation and then studied for a further two years to get my teaching degree. I'm in a middle school at the moment but I trained for secondary.

 

My husband is a primary school teacher. He took a BSc in general sciences and then a one year PGCE.

[Guest]

Oh one more tip - if you've finished uni and you are looking for a placement spec letters work amazingly. When I wanted a GTP place I wrote to every school within a 15 mile radius and 2 days later the phone started ringing off the hook as they all called to ask me for interviews etc. It was an amazing responst to something I didn't think would work very well.

 

Oh and I even said in my letter that I was pregnant! I had James in July and started teaching in September!!!

[Lovemychooks]

Thanks Janty, it's really useful to know how other people have done this.

 

Thanks penguinmad. I'm 31 and am changing career direction but have only got an HND at the moment so i'm quite prepared to take 3-4 years out to do this.....I love kids and everyone has always said to me that they think this would be the best career choice for me......fingers crossed

[Guest]

Loads of people change course in their 30's - I did and so many teachers have done the same. Get in touch with some primary schools and see if they have any advice for you, they may also give you the chance to go in and help out, see how you feel about it after a little go.

[Lovemychooks]

That's a good point. I'll get on to that on Monday. Thank you

[Janty]

I notice that you have an HND. I work with someone who had an HND and then after working in industry decided to change career and teach. They only had to do a two year B.Ed as the HND counted towards the final degree. It does depend on what subject you take up but I believe that your HND would count for at least 1 year of an ordinary degree anyway.

[little chickadee]

I'm a retired primary teacher (due to my M.E) but my mum has only just stopped teaching and did lots of in school training. The best advice I can give is to spend as much time helping outin school as you can. If you haven't done any "helping" you will find it difficult to get on a course. They will want to see that you have experience and still want to do it!

Good luck

[sparkleeeeee]

i am a secondary teacher and did an hons degree in science and a pgce but you can do a B.Ed in three years but you will not get the extra funding that you get for the PGCE. i have been told if you are trained in secondary you can teach primary but you cant do it the other way around. i am changing to primary when i return after baby break. there is also more competition for primary jobs especially if you live in an area where the year 7s have just moved up.

good luck, it is a great job. stressful and hard work but very rewarding

you can work in an independent school without a degree etc but you probably would find it hard to get in unless you had something extremely special to offer.

even if you decide its not for you when you have had some experience of teaching its a valuable qualification to have as there are not alot of jobs where having the ability to train someone would not be an advantage.

also choose your degree subjects wisely, i can teach science, maths, geology and geography as main subjects. if my degree was in a more specialised subject i would find it hard to widen my field.

also try to do things outside uni that will make you more attractive to schools later, i worked for the british geological survey and for the council on environmental surveys. i used to help with the uni summer schools and i also used to temp in offices on target based assignments.

you could ask to help in your local primary school one morning or afternoon a week, you will have to sit and listen to children read or help with activities and it is a great insite to life in school. i used to love doing it and the teachers are glad of the help.

[lizinsa]

I've just sent off my pgce application form - just waiting to hear if I've got an interview, eek! I'm applying for primary in London and currently in my final year of uni.

 

I'd recommend the tda website (www.tda.gov.uk) which has loads of info on ways into teaching, funding etc. I'd also recommend something called the Student Associate Scheme which helps you get experience in school but also structured tasks which help give you a better feel for what the job entails plus you get a tax free bursary! I've done a lot of volunteering in schools over the years, and been told that training providers look favourably on it. If you have any questions, just ask.

 

Good luck, if it's something you want to do, go for it!

[nicki9]

I'm a secondary teacher also. I think the best advice here has to be to spend time in schools. Spend time at infant . junior and secondary level, just to make sure you choose the right age group for you. It will also give you a good insight into whether you will enjoy the job when you get going.

 

Choose a range of schools, don't just look at the best in the area. When I did my PGCE our tutor made sue everyone on the course spent some time in really difficult schools, just to make sure people saw the reality. I have appreciated that ever since.

 

It really is a career you need to love if you want to stick at it, it will never be just a job. Try looking through the TES that gives you ideas about jobs that are around, current issues in teaching etc, and speak to as many teachers as you can, about the good and bad sides!

 

Good luck.

[Lovemychooks]

Thanks for all your info. I will look at all this today and next week and hopefully get somewhere. Thank you so much.

[Couperwife]

Eeeeek, I didnt realise that so many of us were teachers

 

it would be hellish if we all got together and talked "school" Kev wont go on staff do's any more cos he says that we all talk shop all night

 

 

I wonder if there is a teacher / chicken link

[Guest]

I'm having a party for all my teacher friends next month. One woman (who is a total lunatic) keeps saying "oh I'll have a plus one by then" (yes she IS desperate - 38 and very desperate). We all said to her why would you even want to bring someone when everyone will just talk shop all night. "Ooops, word censored!"ody else brings their partners.

 

My Mum said aren't you inviting anyone who isn't from school and I said no point - they will just get bored. Ms desperate invited 2 non teaching freinds to her party and they found it very trying indeed. Even more so when they realised that all the teachers thought they were a gay couple!

[CatsCube]

Oh Im currently studying for my degree so I can go into teaching, If your wanting to do it as a career change you dont have to give up work to study. I study with the OU and Im about to start my third year in Feb. You can transfer existing credit from previous study and you may find that easier than going to uni as a mature student.

 

Im loving my study, its been flexible allowing me to take time off when my childreen were born, and I can fit in study around my other commitments, and pick and choose what exact areas I want to study. Im not sure what age group I want to teach yet, but I have got a whole still, as I dont intend to return to full time work til all my own chileren are at school.

[Chicken Licken]

Another teacher I'm afraid - geography for me originally and now special needs (a serious change in direction for me). The OU are worth a look too. I used to mentor OU PGCE trainees and it strikes me as a good way to do it. Do visit schools in all phases and see what they are like. I used to think I couldn't cope with the sheer quantity of shoelaces and snotty noses -- now I just take it in my stride only the shoes are bigger (I am secondary SEN).

 

Also consider are there any jobs in it at the end. Primary BEd and PGCE folks have been finding it really hard to find jobs recently (falling birth rate etc. etc) it would be heart breaking to get qualified and discover there are no jobs around at the end in your area.

 

Best of luck and lots of school visits coming your way!!

[Guest]

Yep think carefully about the extra issues you get to deal with at different age groups. I am pants with the younger ones - a year 7 was in tears the other day cos ""Ooops, word censored!"ody likes me, "Ooops, word censored!"ody talks to me" and I wanted to tell him to get a grip and grow up!

 

One of my year 11 tutor group got a text message just before we went to assembly on Friday - his girlfriend dumped him BY TEXT. He threw his phone at the wall, slammed out and punched walls on the way out before going AWOL from assembly. I took my group down to assembly then went AWOL myself to nip round the smoking corners and find my boy to make sure he was OK and give him some good advice (definately not teacherly advice!) - then I wrote him a note for lesson 1 and had him come to my class instead (fortunately he was in my subject) so I could make sure he calmed down without causing anyone else loads of hassle. I kept him out of trouble for the day and made him feel a little better.