I have to teach Further Maths now...

[debecca]

... can I borrow some motivation and a brain from someone else please?

Thank you

 

[Bee]

ooh lucky u :lolL]

I have no brains so thats me out

I have a free period then PC Passport lot are in! Oh fun

 

[Ginnymarie]

hello
that sounds terrifying to me.
debecca - where in lancaster do you stay and teach
i went to lancaster uni
x

 

[Little miss pink]

Oh you lucky things I would give my left arm to be a teacher! (well at least i think i would cos I've never actually been one so cannot say from experience but always wanted to try and get into it).

I wish i'd just done it from uni!

LMP x

 

[Bee]

Oh its not that much fun

I didn't do it straight away at uni - I did my degree then did my PGDE after a year out.

 

[Tillytots]

there you go my love....borrow my brain prob needs dusting off, I havent used it in a while


x

 

[Suzie and Faith]

Hehe, whilst i didn't mind Maths i doubt my brain would be much use, it's total mush these days!

Little Miss Pink - why not do an open degree? That way you can do it nice and slowly and around your other committments? That's what i'm doing and I want to go into teaching.

xx

 

[Little miss pink]

Hehe, whilst i didn't mind Maths i doubt my brain would be much use, it's total mush these days!

Little Miss Pink - why not do an open degree? That way you can do it nice and slowly and around your other committments? That's what i'm doing and I want to go into teaching.

xx

Does the open degree mean you can still work full time and study for a pgce? What about the time you have to spend in a class room?

Is there information on an open degree on the tda website?

sorry for 20 questions!

LMP x

 

[Bee]

I'm not sure if u can do the PGCE via open university but u can do a degree that u will need to do the PGCE. PGCE is very practical based so u would need to go to uni full or part time to do placements.

There will be loads of info about teaching on the net - just google it. Entry requirements

Well that how it would work up here for the PGDE (same thing, different name )

 

[debecca]

Another alternative is the GTP (graduate teacher programme... what I did!) where you work full-time as a teacher while you train so you're earning a better wage while you do it. Well, that's the theory but if you're training to teach a shortage subject like maths you're WAY better off doing the PGCE because they pay you about £12k tax free to do it and that's before student loans etc

Mind you, I wouldn't advise any of my friends to go into teaching. I've been doing it 5 years and I feel burnt out and like I want my life back. I still love being in the classroom with the kids and I know I'm good at what I do, but I hate being at home on a Sunday feeling I ought to be working all day

Thanks for the good luck wishes and brains, girls. I think the lesson went OK, what the kids thought is another matter

 

[Bee]

Ah yeah I remember reading that scheme - we don't have it in Scotland, only PGDE or BE'd degree up here

 

[debecca]

Yeah I don't think it's even valid in Scotland so if I come up there I'm unqualified despite a teaching qualification, NQT induction, and 5 years' experience

 

[Bee]

Typical

But then u lot get more finanical support - we get nothing when we do the PGDE. I am only just getting paid for my probation year.

The joys of teaching

 

[daftscotslass]

Typical

But then u lot get more finanical support - we get nothing when we do the PGDE. I am only just getting paid for my probation year.

The joys of teaching

Ooh yeah my friend that qualified in London got about £9000 in total.

Me? I got more student debt.

 

[Bee]

Yip same here

but then we get our fees paid

 

[Little miss pink]

Another alternative is the GTP (graduate teacher programme... what I did!) where you work full-time as a teacher while you train so you're earning a better wage while you do it. Well, that's the theory but if you're training to teach a shortage subject like maths you're WAY better off doing the PGCE because they pay you about £12k tax free to do it and that's before student loans etc

Mind you, I wouldn't advise any of my friends to go into teaching. I've been doing it 5 years and I feel burnt out and like I want my life back. I still love being in the classroom with the kids and I know I'm good at what I do, but I hate being at home on a Sunday feeling I ought to be working all day

Thanks for the good luck wishes and brains, girls. I think the lesson went OK, what the kids thought is another matter

Hi Debecca

Did you have much classroom experience before you did your GTP? I've been looking into it but i was a little scared by the prospect of being a teacher immediately before training. Do you get a lot of support or are you instantly expected to be able to manage a class even if you've no past experience? See i work in an office at the moment and everything about the GTP sounds fab apart from that bit. Sorry to quiz you but i don't know many teachers to ask about the practicalities of the training programmes.

LMP x

 

[debecca]

Hi Debecca

Did you have much classroom experience before you did your GTP? I've been looking into it but i was a little scared by the prospect of being a teacher immediately before training. Do you get a lot of support or are you instantly expected to be able to manage a class even if you've no past experience? See i work in an office at the moment and everything about the GTP sounds fab apart from that bit. Sorry to quiz you but i don't know many teachers to ask about the practicalities of the training programmes.
LMP x

No problem LMP, ask away!

The GTP is designed for people with no classrooom experience. I happened to have taught unqualified for 2 years before I started it so I was an odd case but there were two other GTP trainees in my school training at the same time as me with NO experience whatsoever.

You begin observing the classes you will eventually be teaching so you can see good practice, and you have one afternoon / day off a week to go and learn how to be a teacher (which is dull but useful I guess if you've not done it before) where you do seminars and basically go back to uni - also brilliant for meeting GTPers from other schools to share gossip and advice.

Then after a couple of weeks you are given one class to teach and your timetable gradually builds up, with the aim of getting a 40% timetable by Christmas - this is usually enough as you will be spending a lot of time planning each lesson at the beginning (and you will have an assignment to write too!)...

You are also expected to build up a portfolio in your own time which proves you are meeting the requirements of being a teacher (e.g. include a letter from a parent with your response to show "communications with parents" is being met).

It IS hard work, but so is the PGCE. I think given the choice the PGCE might be the better option in retrospect because if you don't like your school you're only there about 6 weeks whereas with the GTP if you're not already based in a school and you start and discover you don't like the school you're stuffed! There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of training.

If you want more advice there is a teacher forum at http://www.tes.co.uk/ where teachers can answer your questions any time you like - there is a GTP forum and a Student Teacher forum there too.

What subject are you thinking of? Primary or Secondary? xxx

 

[Little miss pink]

Hi debecca

Thank you so so much for all that info. I'm off to take a look on some of the websites. Whenever i've spoken to someone at the TDA they always told me i'd be expected to teach on my own from day one on a GTP and i thought surely this couldn't be the case and a few other teachers have said they would be surprised if a school allowed that if you have no previous experiance. So thanks for giving me a little insight into what a GTP is really like.

Off to do some more research into my options now....

LMP x

 

[kalia]

Debecca's advice about feeling burnt out is true. A lot of people leave teaching after the first few years. I'm really lucky as I left a school which was burning me out (I worked at least 45 hours a week) and now teach part time in a school I love and do supply (therefore no marking or preperation etc.) 2 days a week.

I would recommend teaching as it can be great fun and I'd recommend working part time after you have fully qualified. That way you get to have a better work-life balance And you still get a decent pay for the part time work. At the top of the pay scale in Scotland (after 7 years of teaching) I will earn £20 500 for working three days a week I'm a few years off that still but I know plenty of people working full time for less. And they don't love their jobs like I do either.

I did the PGCE in Scotland. We had 3 6 week blocks at uni, and 3 6 week blocks at a school (usually 2 different schools, sometimes 3). The stuff at uni was pretty useless to be honest. I remember asking what to do if a pupil refused to do what I asked and being told if I said it with enough authority they would do it So I continued, no, but seriously, what if they won't do what you've asked and the tutor maintained that that wouldn't happen Being in schools was what taught me how to teach. I also recommend books by Bill Rogers for what to do if pupils won't do what you ask

Do you want to train for primary or secondary, LMP (or are they called something else in England?)

 

[Happybunny]

I think teaching is hard work, but it is also great fun. I think it really does depend on what school you work in. At my previous school I was suffering with stress and anxiety, but I changed to a different school and the ethos was much better and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work. Having said that, you can never escape, as Rebecca puts it, the dreaded 'Sunday feeling', when you feel guilt because you know you should be working.

I did a PGCE and I can honestly say it was a waste of time. 37 weeks is not long enough to learn the profession properly. The uni based stuff was pointless; I learned the most from my placements. I still felt completely unprepared by the time I got my first teaching post, but luckily I had a good mentor and I learned pretty quickly on the job.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do!!