Is anyone doing PGCE Post-Compulsory: Literacy and ESOL?

Hey guys,

I had an interview at BCU for the PCET PGCE in English, Literacy and ESOL in November 2017. The day comprised of: Literacy test, Discussion of article, 15 mins to write a short piece, 5 min presentation and a 1-2-1 interview. I don't know if the interview is the same for all Universities that offer this course but this is what happened at BCU.

For the literacy test, if you go on the direct gov website there are some practice literacy tests on there and they will really help. So basically any material on the literacy skills test will help.

You also need to write a short piece in 15 mins, on a topic of your choice. It needs to be clear and concise. Practise this before the interview. You will also be given an article before the interview which you will be asked questions on when you attend.

You will also need to do a 5 minute presentation on the importance of your subject in today's society and why you think you'd be a good teacher. If you read up on any material from TES or any news articles, this will help.

I have to stress that having voluntary work in your subject area will really strengthen your chances of being offered a place. I applied when the applications opened, got an interview after a week and was offered a place on the same day as my interview.

Good luck guys and I hope to see you in September, if you've applied at BCU :-) For the other guys, good luck to you too!

Hi, I am just finishing this course at the IOE. For the interview, I don't remember them being very strict with the time. But I would plan presentation be 5 mins as instructed.

Nice. What was the interview question last year? Wonder if it’s the same as this year. Also heard you get a giant bursary for the English pathways. How does it work? Do they pay your tuition and then give you the the rest or must you pay the tuition first and pay you in small instalments every month or so?

Thanks! One question though.

The interview title this year is “What I think is important about Litercay and ESOL teaching in London.”

Are they asking us to explain a.) WHY litercay and ESOL teaching is important in London or b.) WHAT is important for us to do when teaching litercay and ESOL?
I hate how the question is worded!! Help!!

Hi,

It is the same question they gave us last year.

I went with - WHY literacy and ESOL teaching is important in London.

I focused on:

- London being a multicultural city.
- The difference between literacy and ESOL.
- Who literacy learners are.
- Who ESOL learners are.
- Where learning takes place.
- The overlap between ESOL and literacy.

Do some research there is plenty of information online.

I used a PowerPoint presentation.

I think the main focus here is your presentation skills and some basic knowledge of literacy and ESOL teaching.

All the best

The interveiw was yesterday and I did exactly that! Was really chuffed with my presentation after I saw a few odd ones. I got a “conditional” offer but don’t know the conditions yet.....😕 now doing some research on colleges don’t know which would suit me best and I’m so wondering if they’ll let me teach EFL or ESL classes too. Thanks anyways! And good luck with finding work!