The 'I'm applying for a PGCE' thread

All but one of the guys at my interview for primary wore suits. The one who didn't wore jeans, a shirt and blazer I think. So I think suits ar a safe bet

Good luck!!

I came out of my interview feeling like I'd royally messed up; today I received an offer: you never can tell. I'm sure you did great

I had mine then as well but still waiting to hear!! Have you guys heard anything yet?x

Hello all!

I think I may be a bit late to the party here but I thought I'd introduce myself anyway. I finished my undergrad in September and I'm now in the process of finishing my GTTR application from Primary with French. I didn't realize that the application deadline was so early (and my 'I want to be a teacher!' epiphany didn't happen until Christmas time) so I think might be looking at starting in 2013 now, which is a shame.

Don't panic.
I went to a TDA day with pgce providers in March 2010 and loads of people there had just applied or were thinking about applying, even for primary. Some providers definitely seemed to have spaces left, so hope is not lost.

That's reassuring! I think Primary with MFL tends to fill up last, or at least it did last year.

If anyone has any tips about approaching primary schools to observe lessons that would be much appreciated! I've sent out a fair few emails now but have had no reply. Should I call them to follow up or just wait and see?

We had to spend two weeks in a school before my course started [and complete a 70 page task booklet - nightmare lol]. As I was no longer living in Lancaster, I'd lost my connections with the schools I had previously volunteered in.
I tried email and writing to so many schools. I got no reply. Do you have any connections at all - eg, family friend who is a teacher or a school you attended as a pupil? I ended up calling on such connections, as did most of my friends. In the end, I went to a school where the deputy headteacher was my friend's stepmother. The teachers there said they get lots of people emailing/writing asking if they can come in, but even with a CRB, they are hesitant about letting people come in when they don't know them... Obviously not all schools will take that approach, but I definitely think - from experience - calling on any connections you have might be the best bet.

Also, I have found popping in to schools and discussing what you want to do on your potential placement with the office team is really helpful. Once, somebody even said that that they prefer to take on people they've seen face to face just to see their manner.

We had to spend two weeks in a school before my course started [and complete a 70 page task booklet - nightmare lol]. As I was no longer living in Lancaster, I'd lost my connections with the schools I had previously volunteered in.
I tried email and writing to so many schools. I got no reply. Do you have any connections at all - eg, family friend who is a teacher or a school you attended as a pupil? I ended up calling on such connections, as did most of my friends. In the end, I went to a school where the deputy headteacher was my friend's stepmother. The teachers there said they get lots of people emailing/writing asking if they can come in, but even with a CRB, they are hesitant about letting people come in when they don't know them... Obviously not all schools will take that approach, but I definitely think - from experience - calling on any connections you have might be the best bet.

Thanks doingmybest

How soon did u hear?

A few days short of two months! When did they tell you that you would hear something? X

Anyone had an interview at York St John for Primary PGCE? I have mine tomorrow!

I got on the Primary PGCE at Roehampton (MashAllah). Lots of slogging to look forward to!