Calling All Primary School Teachers...

[mandspice]

I'm thinking about doing a PGCE after my maternity leave but have lots of questions......any primary school teachers on here who's brains I can pick..? Thanks

 

[daftscotslass]

I am but did the PGCE (called PGDE here) in Scotland. On hand anyway!

 

[mandspice]

Hey


I guess it may be slightly diff in Scotland but I have some general questions, hope you can help...

1. Are the PGCE course hours full time (ie mon - fri 9-5) / how many hours of lectures vs private study vs time in schools?
2. Is it best to do a week's work experience in a school BEFORE you submit your application or can this be done afterwards?
3. I plan to go the postgraduate route but I graduated 10 years ago - I've been working in the travel industry ever since. Will this length of time out of education count against me?
4. My degree was in Spanish and Portuguese - it's been a while & I'm not sure how confident I would be using languages as a specialist subject. Do you need a specialist subject for Primary?

Sorry for the essay & thanks for any advice you can give xx

 

[daftscotslass]

1. Are the PGCE course hours full time (ie mon - fri 9-5) / how many hours of lectures vs private study vs time in schools?

This will be different depending on the university (even within Scotland it's different) but we were told to expect full time hours. In reality we were there all day but lectures and tutorials were either 9-2 (with a few breaks in between of up to an hour) or 11-5. Some universities even have Wednesdays as a study day but no such luck with my college!

We had 3 placements - nursery, infants and upper school though again this differs between universities. The nursery placement was a short one and the other two 8 weeks+ each.

2. Is it best to do a week's work experience in a school BEFORE you submit your application or can this be done afterwards?

Definitely. The first time I applied I didn't get in. I had about 5 years experience working with children but no school experience. Went and worked as a learning support assistant for a year part time while still working my other job and got in first time after that .

3. I plan to go the postgraduate route but I graduated 10 years ago - I've been working in the travel industry ever since. Will this length of time out of education count against me?

I got in 4 years after I graduated and funnily enough had been working in hospitality doing a job I didn't need a degree for. I don't think it'll count against you at all, the universities seem to like it if you have a bit of life experience (people shouting at me on reception in the hotel has helped me deal with irate parents, lol) rather than going the school-university-school route.

4. My degree was in Spanish and Portuguese - it's been a while & I'm not sure how confident I would be using languages as a specialist subject. Do you need a specialist subject for Primary?

Nope. I know several people who did languages and then went on to do primary teaching. I did psychology and used very little (ok, none) of the stuff I learned in that degree in the PGDE.

Hope that helps a little. I've decided not to go back to work until January (was originally October). Was the best career move I made, I love the place I work. It's hard work (more than 9-3 as people seem to think!) but so worth it. Will be nice to have the holidays off with LO too!

 

[mandspice]

That's really helpful, thank you! Sounds as though it fits in really well with you and LO and this is partly why it appeals, as well as the fact that I've always wanted to do it. Originally wanted to do secondary school but my languages are too weak to specialise in now.....

The only problem I may have is fitting in some work experience before I apply - I want to apply this autumn for September 2009 entry - but sounds like it would be a good move to try and fit some in!

Sorry to be a pain but can you describe a typical working day as a primary teacher when you get a min? And lastly do you have a lot of free time in the holidays or is there work to be done?

Thanks a lot xxx

 

[Kylie1007]

I'm a primary teacher and did a PGCE. Ask away!

 

[mandspice]

Hey Kylie!

Thanks, would be good to have another perspective - daftscottslass answered my qus above but would love to hear your answers too.

1. Are the PGCE course hours full time (ie mon - fri 9-5) / how many hours of lectures vs private study vs time in schools?
2. Is it best to do a week's work experience in a school BEFORE you submit your application or can this be done afterwards?
3. I plan to go the postgraduate route but I graduated 10 years ago - I've been working in the travel industry ever since. Will this length of time out of education count against me?
4. My degree was in Spanish and Portuguese - it's been a while & I'm not sure how confident I would be using languages as a specialist subject. Do you need a specialist subject for Primary?
5. What is a typical day as a primary teacher like?
6. Do you have mostly free time in the hols or is there a lot of work to be done?

Thanks x

 

[Kylie1007]

1. Are the PGCE course hours full time (ie mon - fri 9-5) / how many hours of lectures vs private study vs time in schools?
2. Is it best to do a week's work experience in a school BEFORE you submit your application or can this be done afterwards?
3. I plan to go the postgraduate route but I graduated 10 years ago - I've been working in the travel industry ever since. Will this length of time out of education count against me?
4. My degree was in Spanish and Portuguese - it's been a while & I'm not sure how confident I would be using languages as a specialist subject. Do you need a specialist subject for Primary?
5. What is a typical day as a primary teacher like?
6. Do you have mostly free time in the hols or is there a lot of work to be done?

Thanks x

I did my PGCE at DeMontfort in Bedford and it was arranged so that we spent a few days at college doing things like English/Maths/Science/ICT and our specialist subject (Mine was French) and Professional studies. I think we went to our school placements a few weeks into term and did a day a week with certain tasks we had to carry out or observations. They we had full time placements where we were expected to teach a percentage of the timetable, working up to about 75% at the end of our 3rd placement. You're given non contact time for planning etc. in school. I would say that it was a very full time course. At school you were expected to attend staff meetings and year group meetings etc.

I think you need to have done some work experience in a school before you do the course.

I dont think that your time out will matter - there are lots of mature students (like in their 50s!) who go into teacher training.

I think you need to specialise in a subject. As I said, I did middle years french so I am qualified to teach ages 7-14.

BEcause it's a year, you don't get much in the way of holidays so the summer hols don't count. I think I had plenty of free time in the holidays although you do get assignments to do and I worked late into the night, sometimes finishing at around 11pm (although I was a bit of a perfectionist with it to be honest)
As a student teacher you have a load of standards that you have to meet - many of which you do without thinking or are just part of the job. When you qualify and become an NQT (newly qualified teacher) you still have to meet some of the same standards but again, they're part of the job.

Daily routine as a teacher goes a bit like this.

7.30 - leave the house, arrive school 8am
8am -9ish - preparing your class, marking books etc. I used to go up to the staffroom at 8.30 for a coffee. Once a week you're generally required to do playground duty I hate that!!!
9-10 - usually literacy/numeracy
10-10.40ish - another subject
10.40-11 - play time
11-12 - maybe numeracy or literacy
12 - 1 - lunch. Some teachers run a lunchtime club or there may be a staff meeting or year group meeting. You don't need to do duty at lunch time as the dinner ladies do it.
There's normally assembly after lunch
1.30-3.30ish 2 lessons till end of day
3.30 onwards...marking/planning etc.

How much work depends on how much you want to put into it. I know some teachers who always seemed to be doing stuff although I always found time for a coffee It really depends on how conscientious you are - there is actually no need to be working for the whole day and you need to find time to sit down and have a coffee to discuss what so-and-so has done today!!! I love teaching and couldn't imagine doing anything else but it does have its bad points - parents being one of them the marking can get you down and there are lots of targets etc. You find that once a new thing or idea comes out and you're just getting used to it, they've brought in the next new thing. You are expected to give up evenings for parents evenings (only once a term) or school discos/fetes etc.

Have you looked at the GTC route? I think I would have liked to have done that - it's where you train on the job in a school. Looks really good.
Phew... any more qu's?

 

[daftscotslass]

System in England is very prescribed compared to what we have here, it's very different. We don't have to specialise in anything - we're qualified to teach nursery to P7 (strictly speaking we can teach up to our level F which can take you up to 2nd year high school). We don't have a national curriculum, just "guidelines" which are currently in the process of being scrapped in favour of something even less prescriptive!

My day is something like this...

Get to school around 8.15am
8.15 - 9am
The day is very varied. Usually do language and maths in the morning, occasionally PE and RME in the morning too, the rest in the afternoon. Each day is different. We only have assembly once a week.
Interval is 10.45-11am. We don't do playground duty. I spend most of this time marking so I have less to do later.
Lunch from 12.30 - 1.15pm
Kids leave at 3pm
Usually leave school any time between 4.30 and 5.30 but it's nothing that can't be done at home so sometimes everyone disappears at 3.15.

Kylie - do you mean the GTP? It seems like a great idea so people are going from Scotland to England to do it but it's not recognised as a qualification here so if someone did it and was ever to move out of England or Wales they wouldn't be able to teach unless they did the PGCE!

I have to say I do spend the first and last weeks of the holiday in for a few hours here and there. Don't think I could tidy up the carnage from classroom moves and get myself organised for a new term if I didn't . It worries me greatly having to go back when I can't go in and make the classroom mine before I start back! I also spend quite a bit of time at home doing my planning during the holidays. I find it far more relaxed rather than having to run about like a maniac to get it all done during term time!

 

[Kylie1007]

Yes I do mean the GTP! Lost the plot (I've had a baby since I last taught )

 

[mandspice]

Thanks so much girls. I did look into the GTP route but apparently it's very hard /competitive to find a school to accept you.

Anyway, you've given me lots of food for thought and it's all very exciting. Interesting to hear about the differences between Scotland and England too. Hope you don't mind if I pm you if anything else comes up. I'll let you know how I get on, although it'll be a little while yet as I don't plan to start until Sept 09.

 

[daftscotslass]

Good luck, it's a good choice! I have a friend who's due next week who's applying for next year too

 

[valentine]

I'm really interested in doing this too girls, so thanks so much Kylie and daftscotslass for your replies. I'm in Scotland and would be applying to Moray House. My partner is a P1 teacher and we have been together since his student/probationary teacher/first job days so I am well aware of challenges ahead!

My main worry is getting in and want to apply for acceptance in August 2010 - so am planning to contact my local primary school (just up the road) at the start of next term and ask to go in for a half a day or so a week asap. My main problem really is what to do with DD during this time and during training and my probation year (full time) as I really don't want to and can't afford to be away from her 5 full days a week!

Valentine Xxx

 

[Kylie1007]

I loved doing supply because I got to do the bit of the job that I love without the long winded bits like planning, marking and afterschool commitments! Plus I loved turning up at 8.30 and leaving at 3.30! It appeals very much to my lazy side!

feel free to PM any time

 

[Magic Monkey]

I am a primary school teacher, have taught from year r to year 2. I am usually at school from 8 till 4 - 4.30 3 days a week and 5.30ish the other 2 as we have meetings twice a week. I always have a 30 min lunch break as I make myself stop, but most at my school don't.

I didn't do a PGCE, but have a friend who has just finished hers - her degree was in psychology and she didn't have to specialise in anything, she is now qualified to do year 1 to year 6 (the PGCE courses round here don't cover early years). I think that this is dependant on which uni you go to rather than which country tbh. From the hours she put in it was a very full time course.

I would def try to get some experience first - can you arrange to go in somewhere for a day/half a day a week for next year? My friend came in to me for a day a week and I had to write a reference for her (she wouldn't have got on without the experience). She had only just started this when she applied, but that was good enough and I didn't do the reference until the summer before she started. (Ithink this is so that you don't start in a school, then give up once you are on the course)

 

[daftscotslass]

I'm really interested in doing this too girls, so thanks so much Kylie and daftscotslass for your replies. I'm in Scotland and would be applying to Moray House. My partner is a P1 teacher and we have been together since his student/probationary teacher/first job days so I am well aware of challenges ahead!

My main worry is getting in and want to apply for acceptance in August 2010 - so am planning to contact my local primary school (just up the road) at the start of next term and ask to go in for a half a day or so a week asap. My main problem really is what to do with DD during this time and during training and my probation year (full time) as I really don't want to and can't afford to be away from her 5 full days a week!

Valentine Xxx

Have you thought about the part time route? I don't know if Moray house do it but I know Jordanhill do. Basically if you can find part time work as a support for learning assistant you can go ahead and do the PGDE part time through your local authority. Not all authorities do it though, I think. One of my friends from Dumfries is starting it in August (via a college linked with J'hill).

The friend I mentioned above is also looking to go to MH as her hubby works in Edinburgh.

You have a built in advisor at home but feel free to drop me a PM if I can help any .

 

[valentine]

Have you thought about the part time route? I don't know if Moray house do it but I know Jordanhill do. Basically if you can find part time work as a support for learning assistant you can go ahead and do the PGDE part time through your local authority. Not all authorities do it though, I think. One of my friends from Dumfries is starting it in August (via a college linked with J'hill).

The friend I mentioned above is also looking to go to MH as her hubby works in Edinburgh.

You have a built in advisor at home but feel free to drop me a PM if I can help any .

Ooooh - that's something to think about, I'll do some research.

Thanks dsl, I'll keep you posted.

Valentine Xxx