[chocolatethundah]

Hello,

I have chosen to do sociology at uni as i want to be a soc teacher. After the degree what do i do? pgce? do i apply for that right after i graduate or in my third year? any experience?

thankyou very much!

[El Scotto]

It depends on which uni you apply to.

You could do a pgce, however you could do a gtp and get paid.
Or better still if you get good enough grades apply for the 'teach first' programme.

[abbyheat]

(Original post by chocolatethundah)
Hello,

I have chosen to do sociology at uni as i want to be a soc teacher. After the degree what do i do? pgce? do i apply for that right after i graduate or in my third year? any experience?

thankyou very much!

No idea about Teach First but for the PGCE, you apply in your 3rd year. There's no set deadline for secondary PGCE courses but the sooner you get your application in, the better. Applications open some time in October. Take a look at the GTTR website - this will give you lots of information about which unis offer that particular PGCE course.

Definitely get as much experience as possible as this will help your application a lot


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[edjunkie]

Many PGCE courses require evidence of classroom experience as part of the application, a minimum of 2 weeks, the more the better. But the PGCE route is subject to government changes at the moment as Michael Gove is not keen on them. The GTP route is in favour as in Teach First. But you will need good A levels and at least a 2:1 in the coming years. I believe Teach First has a more narrow range of subjects, which I don't believe includeds Sociology, have a look at http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/index.html

Since Sociology is not one of the EBACC subjects, it may not be so popular in schools as a subject and teaching job opportunities may be limited. So consider developing a secondary or alternative subject in which you could teach, to widen your future employment prospects.

[Cephalus]

You have to learn to speak English. The thread title is appalling.

[Sun!]

The main route into teaching is still the PGCE (Or PGDE in Scotland).
Its a year long course, focussed on the practical aspects of teaching, but with quite a bit of academic content.
In sociology you would really need in today’s market, to get a 2.1 minimum in your degree. As well as this you would need 10 days classroom experience in a UK state school, focussed on a sociology class.

However edjunkie is right that this is changing with the current government; the Graduate Teacher Programme is becoming more favoured over the traditional PGCE. This is for numerous reasons, including the fact the GTP is far more accessible and favoured by mature students and those already with careers who want to move into teaching.

The basic summary is-
PGCE
- Is more academic. i.e you still submit essays etc.
- You go through teaching theory. i.e different techniques etc.
- Learn behaviour management techniques
- University based (other than the 2 placements)
- Do not get paid a salary, but generous grants for some

GTP
- You get paid a lot more for most subjects, but only a bit more in demand subjects (Maths, Chemistry, Physics etc.)
- You are basically a teacher. However, you teach a reduced timetable
- Training prior to going into the school in very limited
- You get a lot more classroom experience than a PGCE would give you.
NOTE- In some GTP programmes you will also receive a PGCE, so you would do all the academic stuff from the PGCE.

[KCLeblanc]

(Original post by edjunkie)
Since Sociology is not one of the EBACC subjects, it may not be so popular in schools as a subject and teaching job opportunities may be limited. So consider developing a secondary or alternative subject in which you could teach, to widen your future employment prospects.

This, I've worked in a couple of schools and I've only known Sociology be taught at A level. In one school sociology was taught by a very part time teacher and then other the teacher did other social sciences as well.

I doubt you will find a school who need a full time sociology teacher, so you will need a second subject.

I would also say that from my experience PGCE is the main way in. The requirement for having worked in schools only needs to a couple of weeks voluntary work. GTP on the other hand is generally aimed at people who've done other jobs in schools and are able to hit the ground running.

Also with GTP you have to arrange your own placement and since the school will be paying your training salary you need to convince them you'll be a useful member of staff.

[edjunkie]

(Original post by KCLeblanc)

I would also say that from my experience PGCE is the main way in. The requirement for having worked in schools only needs to a couple of weeks voluntary work. GTP on the other hand is generally aimed at people who've done other jobs in schools and are able to hit the ground running.

PGCE is currently the main way into teaching. If the OP is planning to start this year or next year, then that would be the primary route. However if the current government get their way, teacher training will change.

A few links for the OP:

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6048524
http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into...e-funding.aspx

Add to the fact academy and free schools do not have to hire teachers with Qualified Teacher Status. It may make gaining formal teaching experience more difficult. So try and keep up with the changes. Choose your teaching subject careful, otherwise you will end up having to fund a PGCE through loans and have difficulty securing a job. Schools are unfortunately like sheep, they will offer subjects that count towards league table results and Russell group preferences.