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Received an offer for primary PGCE today for St.Mary's. Over the moon.
I have an interview on March 26th for Exeter!! Primary PGCE with English Specialism.

Any advice?
Original post by legendstar
Hey, just wanted to whether you'd found anything yet? And what your planning on doing because i'm also in a similar situation..? I'm waiting on a reply for a SCITT choice and it looks like i wont be successful there either.


I had to apply for leicester SCITT through GTTR and so far havent got a reply and have a second choice for a PGCE Primary. I want to go into Primary, but if i dont get in now i am going to apply through clearing and even Extra if i qualify lol. Its my dream to be a teacher so im not going to give up yet. And if i dont get in this year im going to apply again for next year. Thing is i know ive been thinking about other career options and so been applying for graduate schemes to start this sept as well as full time jobs. Im hoping i get SOMETHING, preferably teaching lol.

Do you have some sort of plan?
Original post by pineapple86
I had to apply for leicester SCITT through GTTR and so far havent got a reply and have a second choice for a PGCE Primary. I want to go into Primary, but if i dont get in now i am going to apply through clearing and even Extra if i qualify lol. Its my dream to be a teacher so im not going to give up yet. And if i dont get in this year im going to apply again for next year. Thing is i know ive been thinking about other career options and so been applying for graduate schemes to start this sept as well as full time jobs. Im hoping i get SOMETHING, preferably teaching lol.

Do you have some sort of plan?


I've also applied at the Leicester SCITT and waiting for a reply from them, if they dont accept me then i've gotta think of something else because i dont know what else to do, i'll carry on applying at Uni's for the PGCE primary till whenever there's no spaces anywhere else. Otherwise, im gonna have to apply next year but then i'll be ready for it.
Original post by legendstar
I've also applied at the Leicester SCITT and waiting for a reply from them, if they dont accept me then i've gotta think of something else because i dont know what else to do, i'll carry on applying at Uni's for the PGCE primary till whenever there's no spaces anywhere else. Otherwise, im gonna have to apply next year but then i'll be ready for it.


Oh yeah i'm going to keep applying too, i just want to moan about this i mean why is it sooo hard for people who are passionate about this role but they prefer people with 1sts who dont actually care much about being a teacher :angry: lol
Just want to say good luck, Im sure your passion will shine through and you'll get a place! Try not to think about other people who have secured places, Im sure they have secured a place for more reasons than having a 1st!
Reply 826
Original post by pineapple86
Oh yeah i'm going to keep applying too, i just want to moan about this i mean why is it sooo hard for people who are passionate about this role but they prefer people with 1sts who dont actually care much about being a teacher :angry: lol


try and keep positive - not all unis look for a first, as I know. I am in third year now and on for a first and was turned down for primary pgce by one uni even though I've had years of classroom experience and am so passionate about teaching. They've accepted people for same course with 2:2s and hardly any experience! So there's no magic formula to it. I think it's luck of who interviews you half the time and whether they are intuitive enough to see the kind of teacher you'd make. Being an interviewer is as much a skill as any job and PGCE interviewers are often local head teachers, working from a tick sheet and not always best suited to the task! Keep going and I'm sure you'll get there! :smile:
Ive spoken to a few teachers and they gone into teaching because they didnt know what else to do, so from my experience thats what a lot of people are doing. But you just got to keep going :smile:
Original post by pineapple86
Ive spoken to a few teachers and they gone into teaching because they didnt know what else to do, so from my experience thats what a lot of people are doing. But you just got to keep going :smile:


I bet they were older teachers. All the people I've encountered at PGCE interviews have been very knowledgable and passionate about teaching. That whole "teaching is a graduate's last resort" thing died out a good ten years ago.
Reply 829
Wanting to be a teacher because theres not much else out there is still very relevant in todays society given the poor economy!! It certainly didn't die out 10 years ago.
Original post by Opalfire
Wanting to be a teacher because theres not much else out there is still very relevant in todays society given the poor economy!! It certainly didn't die out 10 years ago.



I pity the next generation of teenagers who have teachers with this mindset..
I think you get a lot of people who have a change of heart during the pgce or first few years of teaching. I know I have. :redface:

When I applied, I had two years experience as a classroom volunteer and had taken courses in things like teaching enterprise, autism etc. I didn't pretend to be anything I am not in my interview for Durham and was rather surprised when they offered me a place [less than 24 hours after my interview!]. However, at this stage in the course, I am not sure teaching is for me. There are aspects I like and I enjoy working with the children, but the stress, the pressure and the workload is incredible. Part of me really wants to do something else - anything else. In particular, something unrelated to education and something that would let me have a good work-life balance... Whether I am going to be a teacher who is, initally at least, doing it because she isn't sure what else to do, I shall have to wait and see.

I just don't think you can predict these things all the time. Feelings change. :redface:
Reply 832
has anyone had/going to have a primary pgce interview at Reading?
Reply 833
Original post by Vanilla*Pod
I pity the next generation of teenagers who have teachers with this mindset..


And i pity the teachers who have to teach dumbed down material to a level students who can barely spell their own name from a top college where admission is needed!! Lets all spoon feed them. Times have changed since i was an a level student. Cut the syllabus material, bring in a* grades. And yes there really are no other options, a 9k tuition fee loan is something i would like to avoid to complete my PGCE. And it doesn't matter what sort of "mindset" i have, if i can teach the material and get them the grades they need thats enough for nobody to question my reasons about wanting to be a teacher. I'm there to get them the grades they need, business is business despite the reasons.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Opalfire
Wanting to be a teacher because theres not much else out there is still very relevant in todays society given the poor economy!! It certainly didn't die out 10 years ago.


I'm sure there are still people who do indeed try to become teachers because they have no clue what else to do. But I really doubt that there are any who actually succeed. The fact is, to get onto a PGCE, you have to have such an in-depth knowledge of the NC, such a good understanding and working experience of schools, that you couldn't possibly get through an interview not wanting to be a teacher.

Granted, in the five PGCE interviews I've had now I have indeed encountered one or two candidates who clearly were in that position: they were hopeless, badly prepared and clearly couldn't give a toss about teaching. I suspect they were there simply because their parents forced them to go.

But they are the big exceptions. If the sole reason you want to be a teacher is you literally can't get anything else, you're quite simply not going to get onto a PGCE: anyone who applies because they've got nothing better to do are going to get quite a shock.

Frankly, getting onto a PGCE is one of the more competitive options to take in this day and age. It's a lot easier to get a job as: an editor at a leading international book publishers; an account manager in fashion PR; or Reviews Editor of a music magazine. I say that with some experience. I'd love to see that smug idiot Michael Gove try to get onto a PGCE.
Reply 835
Original post by mattmilton
I'm sure there are still people who do indeed try to become teachers because they have no clue what else to do. But I really doubt that there are any who actually succeed. The fact is, to get onto a PGCE, you have to have such an in-depth knowledge of the NC, such a good understanding and working experience of schools, that you couldn't possibly get through an interview not wanting to be a teacher.

Granted, in the five PGCE interviews I've had now I have indeed encountered one or two candidates who clearly were in that position: they were hopeless, badly prepared and clearly couldn't give a toss about teaching. I suspect they were there simply because their parents forced them to go.

But they are the big exceptions. If the sole reason you want to be a teacher is you literally can't get anything else, you're quite simply not going to get onto a PGCE: anyone who applies because they've got nothing better to do are going to get quite a shock.

Frankly, getting onto a PGCE is one of the more competitive options to take in this day and age. It's a lot easier to get a job as: an editor at a leading international book publishers; an account manager in fashion PR; or Reviews Editor of a music magazine. I say that with some experience. I'd love to see that smug idiot Michael Gove try to get onto a PGCE.


Its funny you should say this because one of the teachers i currently work with and who has been a teacher for over 15 years told me there wasnt much she thought she could do with her degree, knew she'd get a grant and thats the only reason she became one. I respected her honesty. I observe her lessons and she CAN teach. Don't believe that the other 99% want to spend hours writing lesson plans for the fun of it, or that they love spending their dinner hours marking essay after essay. Everybody has a different reason and as long as the job gets done we should respect those reasons. As for getting onto a pgce, i've seen people get on with one weeks worth of observation in a secondary school. Also my subject isn't on the NC, so i would never get asked any questions at interview about the NC even though i have an understanding of it. Again every subject is unique.
Original post by Opalfire
Its funny you should say this because one of the teachers i currently work with and who has been a teacher for over 15 years told me there wasnt much she thought she could do with her degree, knew she'd get a grant and thats the only reason she became one. I respected her honesty. I observe her lessons and she CAN teach. Don't believe that the other 99% want to spend hours writing lesson plans for the fun of it, or that they love spending their dinner hours marking essay after essay. Everybody has a different reason and as long as the job gets done we should respect those reasons. As for getting onto a pgce, i've seen people get on with one weeks worth of observation in a secondary school. Also my subject isn't on the NC, so i would never get asked any questions at interview about the NC even though i have an understanding of it. Again every subject is unique.


I'm glad to hear that the person you cite found herself enjoying teaching, and being good at it, despite not really having much interest in it when she applied.

I will note, however, that the person you cite went into teaching 15 years ago. I wonder how she would manage if she had to start from scratch today, not being very interested in it, but having to compete with 500 other applicants for one of 20 places. I wouldn't fancy her chances. Or, on the other hand, she might find that, by the time she'd done the kind of interview prep, research etc, she'd find herself developing ... surprise, surprise ... an interest in teaching.

Of course I'm not suggesting that teachers take a genuine delight in every single part of their jobs. Even popstars have to do soundchecks - no jobs are devoid of moments of tedium and repetitive tasks.

and I know only too well that experience is no guarantor of a pgce place - such is the competition these days. But the only real reason I'm continuing with this conversation is that that very competition is a HUGE difference between the teaching profession 10 years ago, and the teaching profession today.

At the end of the day, I'm sceptical that anyone genuinely uninterested in teaching could manage to fake enough interest in it to either get on a course, or last very long in a classroom. It'd be a pretty damn perverse move: especially when it's a lot easier to just train to be an accountant.
Original post by mattmilton
I'm sure there are still people who do indeed try to become teachers because they have no clue what else to do. But I really doubt that there are any who actually succeed. The fact is, to get onto a PGCE, you have to have such an in-depth knowledge of the NC, such a good understanding and working experience of schools, that you couldn't possibly get through an interview not wanting to be a teacher.

Granted, in the five PGCE interviews I've had now I have indeed encountered one or two candidates who clearly were in that position: they were hopeless, badly prepared and clearly couldn't give a toss about teaching. I suspect they were there simply because their parents forced them to go.

But they are the big exceptions. If the sole reason you want to be a teacher is you literally can't get anything else, you're quite simply not going to get onto a PGCE: anyone who applies because they've got nothing better to do are going to get quite a shock.

Frankly, getting onto a PGCE is one of the more competitive options to take in this day and age. It's a lot easier to get a job as: an editor at a leading international book publishers; an account manager in fashion PR; or Reviews Editor of a music magazine. I say that with some experience. I'd love to see that smug idiot Michael Gove try to get onto a PGCE.


I decided in August 2010 that I would apply for a PGCE. Took some days off my full time job to get some classroom experience, applied for the PGCE the moment GTTR opened for 2011/12 applicants and got a place at my first choice. I hadn't considered teaching until two months before my interview (although I did do a lot of reading the week before my interview!!), and yet managed to easily gain a place.

Some people on my course has been TAs for years, others graduated in the summer. Unfortunately I really do not think that there is a 'special' formula for getting on a PGCE. The only thing that everyone on my course has in common is that they are confident and friendly - I can't see any other link.
Reply 838
Original post by mattmilton
I'm glad to hear that the person you cite found herself enjoying teaching, and being good at it, despite not really having much interest in it when she applied.

I will note, however, that the person you cite went into teaching 15 years ago. I wonder how she would manage if she had to start from scratch today, not being very interested in it, but having to compete with 500 other applicants for one of 20 places. I wouldn't fancy her chances. Or, on the other hand, she might find that, by the time she'd done the kind of interview prep, research etc, she'd find herself developing ... surprise, surprise ... an interest in teaching.

Of course I'm not suggesting that teachers take a genuine delight in every single part of their jobs. Even popstars have to do soundchecks - no jobs are devoid of moments of tedium and repetitive tasks.

and I know only too well that experience is no guarantor of a pgce place - such is the competition these days. But the only real reason I'm continuing with this conversation is that that very competition is a HUGE difference between the teaching profession 10 years ago, and the teaching profession today. Of course times have changed, 10 years ago there were alot more access ways into teaching, some of them have qualifications ive never even heard of.
At the end of the day, I'm sceptical that anyone genuinely uninterested in teaching could manage to fake enough interest in it to either get on a course, or last very long in a classroom. It'd be a pretty damn perverse move: especially when it's a lot easier to just train to be an accountant.


More people dislike their jobs moreso than like their jobs, thats a fact. The only thing thats changed now is numbers have been cut so she may find it harder these days but theres no correlation between her reasoning for wanting to become a teacher and actually getting onto the course. You talk about genuinely uninterested - again these are subjective words which make no sense. uninterested in what? was teaching my lifelong passion? no therefore i'm not exactly thrilled at the idea. am i interested in my subject? yes? do i know my subject inside out and can i teach it, yes. Am i interested in taking out a 9k loan to cover my costs, no not really. Im sure someone with pure genuine interest is stoked at the idea of another loan. If you can teach and you can teach well, smack the A grades out and pay your bills. Those reasonings are enough. I doubt its anyones life long dream to teach material to the brains of students who currently possess about as much memory as a gold fish.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Opalfire
was teaching my lifelong passion? no therefore i'm not exactly thrilled at the idea.


I don't understand why you've tried twice to get into teaching then.

Life's too short. Spending 5 days out of 7 for some 50+ years of work doing something you're not that interested in is a waste of a life. Sure, lots of people don't have the education to have the luxury of pursuing a career that isn't tedious/pointless. But most people on this site do. I'm trying to get into teaching precisely because I'm bored with a job that was very interesting to start with, but which I now find routine.

I doubt its anyones life long dream to teach material to the brains of students who currently possess about as much memory as a gold fish.


If you read more than 3 or 4 posts in this thread, you'll see that it's plenty of people's life long dream to teach. Though not, obviously, in the way you put it.

Again, I really can't understand why you're punishing yourself trying to pursue something you clearly don't really want to do. If your experience of teaching has been that negative, why on earth do you want to do it? There are plenty of less competitive things than teaching to train to do besides. All I can say is that my experience of teaching has been very different from yours, and if I found myself at a school where that was the norm, I'd do my utmost to alter it.

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