Biochemistry degree then PGCE

Can you teach either biology or chemistry to a-level with a biochemistry degree?
I'm pretty sure I want to go into teaching, but I just want to make sure that I'd be employable as a biochemistry grad.
Thanks for any help :tongue:

Reply 1

oxymoronic

19

Original post by Thompson93

Can you teach either biology or chemistry to a-level with a biochemistry degree?
I'm pretty sure I want to go into teaching, but I just want to make sure that I'd be employable as a biochemistry grad.
Thanks for any help :tongue:

Yep.

You can also teach biology and chemistry to A level with an English degree and no science A levels if you can persuade a school that it would be a good idea.

To be a teacher, you need to do a PGCE/Teach First/GTP/SCITT training year in a given subject which gives you QTS (qualified teacher status) but once you have this, you can teach any subject and any age range as long as the school are okay with you doing so. This is what Teach First exploits - they place a lot of people on the basis of their A level subjects rather than their degree, which is why I know of a lot of law graduates teaching maths, languages and English, for example.

Reply 2

Thompson93

OP

2

Original post by oxymoronic

Yep.

You can also teach biology and chemistry to A level with an English degree and no science A levels if you can persuade a school that it would be a good idea.

To be a teacher, you need to do a PGCE/Teach First/GTP/SCITT training year in a given subject which gives you QTS (qualified teacher status) but once you have this, you can teach any subject and any age range as long as the school are okay with you doing so. This is what Teach First exploits - they place a lot of people on the basis of their A level subjects rather than their degree, which is why I know of a lot of law graduates teaching maths, languages and English, for example.

So i definitely could do it, but would it actually be likely? Would a biochemistry graduate get employed just as readily as, say, a chemistry graduate? Would it work out to be a big disadvantage?

Reply 3

oxymoronic

19

Original post by Thompson93

Would it work out to be a big disadvantage?

No, it wouldn't.

Schools are interested in you as a teacher and how good you are at teaching, from my experience and from reading job adverts for secondary jobs, they have little interest in your actual degree subject as long as you have good subject knowledge. The sciences generally are shortage subjects at secondary and you would usually be expected to be able to teach more than one science subject at all levels, not just A level, meaning you would be looked on as someone who could offer both chemistry and biology.

To get on to a PGCE you need to have roughly 50% of your degree in the subject you wish to train to teach, although as I said, a lot of the science PGCEs want you to offer more than one science subject and even if you did a PGCE which was specifically chemistry, a school would be looking for a teacher who could teach more than just chemistry, particularly given most schools just have "science" lessons upto GCSE.

Reply 4

*Sparkle*

17

I've got a Biochemistry degree and got accepted onto a chemistry pgce no problems. Obviously once I've qualified I can apply for any teaching job, but I'm sure I'll stick to Science.

Good luck.

Reply 5

crystal-09

6

Original post by *Sparkle*

I've got a Biochemistry degree and got accepted onto a chemistry pgce no problems. Obviously once I've qualified I can apply for any teaching job, but I'm sure I'll stick to Science.

Good luck.

Hi
I wanted find out if you can teach chemistry with a Biomedical Science degree as I'm
in the 1st year and I've taken the same modules as biochem and there isn't much
difference in the 2nd year in terms of more chem (only 2 modules- protein structure
& recombinant DNA practical)?

Thanks

Reply 6

linkdapink

15

I did Biomed, and I'm doing maths! I'm sure I would have been able to do Chemistry and Biology too as there was a lot of these aspects involved, but I chose Maths... just enjoyed that a lot more at school!

Reply 7

*Sparkle*

17

Original post by crystal-09

Hi
I wanted find out if you can teach chemistry with a Biomedical Science degree as I'm
in the 1st year and I've taken the same modules as biochem and there isn't much
difference in the 2nd year in terms of more chem (only 2 modules- protein structure
& recombinant DNA practical)?

Thanks

Well Biochem & Biomed at the uni I went too (Reading) are practically the same degree.

Reply 8

crystal-09

6

Original post by *Sparkle*

Well Biochem & Biomed at the uni I went too (Reading) are practically the same degree.

Oh I'm at Reading uni as well :tongue:

Reply 9

Milliemildenhall

Heyya I am at sixth form studying Biology, chemistry, maths and English literature I reckon by the end of them I will have Bs. I've been looking at teaching and doing a biochemistry degree. I just wondered weather I should do the PGCE training and not do a degree, or do a biochemistry degree then do the training or the other way round.
Thank you

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

laura.a.c265

5

Original post by Milliemildenhall

Heyya I am at sixth form studying Biology, chemistry, maths and English literature I reckon by the end of them I will have Bs. I've been looking at teaching and doing a biochemistry degree. I just wondered weather I should do the PGCE training and not do a degree, or do a biochemistry degree then do the training or the other way round.
Thank you

A PGCE is a postgraduate course which means you need to have a degree to start it. So you would do whatever degree you wanted first and would then look at teacher training routes.

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Reply 11

Milliemildenhall

Original post by laura.a.c265

A PGCE is a postgraduate course which means you need to have a degree to start it. So you would do whatever degree you wanted first and would then look at teacher training routes.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Okay thank you so much!

Reply 12

Ellyy!

2

Original post by linkdapink

I did Biomed, and I'm doing maths! I'm sure I would have been able to do Chemistry and Biology too as there was a lot of these aspects involved, but I chose Maths... just enjoyed that a lot more at school!

You’re teaching maths? I wondered this because I want to do a chem/ biochem degree but I reckon I’d enjoy teaching maths more than anything else. I thought with this degree I’d be stuck to teaching science when I get there!

Biochemistry degree then PGCE

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