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On Teach First your friend would have been allocated mathematics even if he was an Arts graduate. At least his PGCE provider required a degree in a related subject (or a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course).

The Arts graduate would most likely be offered to teach English on Teach First.
They like to look at what you did in your degree as well as Alevels.

Reply 381

MJ1012

Original post by laurakate1988

Re Meryl and Nick...

Meryl has my full support because she wants to be there. Even though there's probably room for improvement, the very fact that she wants to be there is valuable when you consider how many people might try going into the profession with far less drive for it.

I think Nick has a lot to offer but I didn't like how his peers were talking about teaching as a poor man's option for a graduate. I find this very condescending because I know graduates who are on way less than a teachers salary (me included at the moment). You could do far worse than being a teacher and being a graduate is no longer a ticket to just stroll into a job that pays 30k as a starting point.

Good luck to everyone on that show to be honest.

I think with his academia and contacts, teaching very much was a poor man's option for him relative to what he could do if he wanted to.

Reply 382

Luxray

Original post by coeus91

Hi.

Juts gonna start a new topic here! Its frustrated me for a while and I'm sure I cant be the only one....the business teacher with glasses, cant remember for the life of me what his name is but does it annoy anyone else that he is still dressing like a student?

Get off the coloured jeans, put on a proper pair of trousers and iron your shirt! Why do some people find this so impossible to do? He's supposed to be setting and example. I know its such a tiny thing but week after week, its really starting to get to me.

How are the children supposed to take education about business (a very corporate/professional subject) from a man incapable of dressing in a professional manner? Now that has started getting to me, all the other little things about him are getting to me too, such as the way he doesn't open his mouth properly when he talks and has this permanent half asleep appearance. I just want him to wake up and realise he's not at university anymore.

Does this annoy anyone else or am I on my own here?

His name is Oliver.
I can see where you are coming from - his dress sense leans on 'smart casual' rather than 'smart' but first of all we don't know how he dresses everyday, we see what must be like 1% of his work life. And I don't think they were coloured jeans, they were chinos. Apart from his pants choice I think he did look quite smart.

I don't think he looks half asleep and I didn't really notice his mouth not moving much lol. Although he does have a voice which sounds quite monotone I think.

It's easy to criticise from behind a screen, teaching in such a challenging school must be a very difficult job. My only major critique of him was his response to his feedback he received in an earlier episode. I don't mind that he cried, but imo he should have tried to bottle it up and cried when he got home...not make a big scene. Oh and it really was a bit stupid of him to send the class onto the computers without providing some subject knowledge or feedback on previous work. He hasn't come across failure before or doesn't know how to deal with it well. But whatever, we all make silly mistakes. What was good, was that he did listen to his feedback and did improve lessons.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 383

daisychain_

i'm gonna miss this programme :frown:

Reply 384

tillytots

Oliver really is the only one out of all of them who strikes me as choosing teaching because he didn't know what else to do with his life

Reply 385

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by Luxray

The Arts graduate would most likely be offered to teach English on Teach First.
They like to look at what you did in your degree as well as Alevels.

Maths is always prioritised. English is not a shortage subject.

Reply 386

Luxray

Original post by Mr M

Maths is always prioritised. English is not a shortage subject.

Teach First is quite possibly the most competitive route into teaching...they aren't short of people who have adequate maths backgrounds.

Reply 387

Luxray

Anyway back on topic of the show - I will certainly miss it particularly Meryl. She is like a beacon of hope.

Reply 388

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by Luxray

Teach First is quite possibly the most competitive route into teaching...they aren't short of people who have adequate maths backgrounds.

I'll private message you.

Reply 389

Tombola

I'd be interested in reading the debate between the two of you.
Don't take it to the PMs!

One thing that is true though is that you're able to teach mathematics without a degree in that subject matter providing you actually did well in it. B+ in A-Levels I believe. But it's not automatic that they'll assign you to the maths department purely because you have A-Levels in that. They will most likely take your degree into consideration as well. An arts graduate with mathematics A-Levels will probably end up teaching humanties/arts more so than someone who finished a biology/psychology degree with mathematics A-Levels. This just makes more sense considering that you'd want someone with at least some level of interest in the subject they're teaching.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 390

Table dust

Original post by laurakate1988

I think Nick has a lot to offer but I didn't like how his peers were talking about teaching as a poor man's option for a graduate. I find this very condescending because I know graduates who are on way less than a teachers salary (me included at the moment). You could do far worse than being a teacher and being a graduate is no longer a ticket to just stroll into a job that pays 30k as a starting point.

he studied civil engineering at imperial!

if anyone is going to get the 30k grad job - it's him

Reply 391

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by Tombola

http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/recruitment/vacancies.html

Reply 392

beautifulbigmacs

I have A grades at gcse and a level in the subject I want to teach and every uni offering a pgce for that subject has told me that I need to study that subject at degree level in order to teach it as my main subject (I hold a ba and ma but both in different subjects).

Reply 393

beautifulbigmacs

What Oliver said really resonated with me in that my school years had some painful and difficult parts that affected me into my adult life. It is on this basis that I am seeking to enter teaching a bit later in life after it feeling too raw in my early twenties.

I wish Oliver every luck in the world because it takes so much strength of character when you want to teach others whilst having some of your own painful memories from school.

Reply 394

Guy Secretan

Original post by MJ1012

I don't know why people call Caleb smart, they must have no standards, he came across as ignorant to me.

They do this on most of these programmes they do the same on Educating Yorkshire or Jamie's Dream school referring to them as 'bright' etc when most are average/below average. It's just a self esteem booster and probably forms part of their training.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 395

Guy Secretan

Does anyone think that when Claudina was with her pupil that they would make a really good couple?

Reply 396

Luxray

Original post by Mr M

http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/recruitment/vacancies.html

Just because there are vacancies doesn't mean they will go for anybody with an A in alevel maths...if that is what you are suggesting.

Reply 397

Steveluis10

Have heard many debates about what is the 'best' route into teaching due to this programme. I'm currently on a PGCE and as I've said in a previous post I am 100% certain this was the best option for me. How can you know if you're doing the right things if you're left alone all the time in a classroom? At the end of the day these Teach First students are unqualified and have little to no experience yet are thrown into classrooms and the only time experienced teachers come in to the classroom is when they have to be observed or if they get put on cause for concern. If they had the correct guidance and were with an experienced teacher in every class like you are on a PGCE they would know where they were failing way before any cause for concern procedures took effect.

The manner in which the English graduate in this programme was treated was to me disgraceful. It looked like she was thrown to the lions, given no support until she was deemed a cause for concern and the people then observing her seemed unsupportive and created a fear factor in which she must dramatically improve in a short space of time or be thrown off the course and have her teaching ambitions thrown out the window. And yet people wonder why teachers leave the profession within 5 years. If I was in her situation I probably would have left.

On the PGCE I have had awful lessons and awful moments but I always have the knowledge of what went wrong, why and what I could do next time to improve because an experienced teacher is always in the room with me.

There seems to be a bit of belittling of the PGCE because trainees aren't in the classroom teaching as much as Teach First trainees and have to spend time at University but what's the point being in the classroom if the majority of lessons are not helping pupils or helping trainees develop? David Cameron played his part well in that clip, he won't want to fund University routes and knows Schools will lap up the chance to hire cheap teachers to be thrown into classes no experienced teacher would touch without promise of higher wages.

Reply 398

bellylaugh

I, for one, am sad it's over. It's been compulsive viewing.

Bless Oliver when he said 'I hardly ever eat my lunch in the toilets now.' :redface:

Reply 399

LamantChenille

I can't believe it's all over!
Final opinions are:

Meryl-Still not overly keen on her but I respect her for going on and improving her skills after such a tough first term. I still can't quite believe she made her boyfriend bless her car though..

Nick-He was a good teacher but love won out. Good news for all of us romantics <3

Oliver-I feel as though he has overcome some of his personal barriers by going into teaching but his attitude does annoy me sometimes.

Claudenia-I think that she will make a really strong teacher. In general she has a great repeal with the kids and seems to produce good grades as well.

Chloe-I think she's my favourite; so lovely but can keep the glass under control at the same time.

Charles-He's sweet but I just don't think teaching really suits him. Whilst his lessons aren't bad, they aren't amazing either. In fact, they all look fairly boring to me..

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