The Student Room Group

Anyone done/doing a PGCE because they didn't know whatelse to do or couldn't do anyth

anything else? I feel like I'm the only one, or at least in the minority. But it might be because it was too embarassing to ask? I mean, you can't say stuff like that on your PGCE where everyone else seems to be so enthusiastic or when you actually work in a school because well, it's a little bit rude?

As the years have passed by, I never entered into full time teaching, and increasingly less "ashamed" to admit my motivations. i still knock around doing supply because I couldn't do anything else before my PGCE and having done it doesn't make me capable of doing anything else.
I don't think you're alone and I applaud your honesty.

I've put off training as a teacher since graduating from my first degree six years ago. I figured I would rather try other jobs rather than commit to teaching just because it seemed an easy/convenient/obvious choice at the time.

Working in other jobs has taught me that I love education (I've continued to study in my free time outside of work) and that I value working in an environment that values people before profit.

I'm glad I made extra super sure that I wanted to teach though. I'm hoping to go for it next year.

With so many postgraduate jobs not paying enough to live off (read minimum wage) and with many degree subjects not pointing towards a particular career I can absolutely sympathise with someone who may train as a teacher because they need a career to give them what they need outside of work. Just because you don't mush over it like some colleagues do it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.
Reply 2
I don't know how I could have gotten through the PGCE if it wasn't something that I was incredibly passionate about. I applaud you for the honesty - I definitely couldn't stick it out if I wasn'tsure what I wanted to do.
Original post by Samus2
I don't know how I could have gotten through the PGCE if it wasn't something that I was incredibly passionate about. I applaud you for the honesty - I definitely couldn't stick it out if I wasn'tsure what I wanted to do.


I was desperate and I was being paid the max bursary and took max loan / grant. If I had left then, I would have been lumbered with a rental contract in a city away from where I grew up with no family home to go to and become unemployed immediately. I knew by the end of the first placement really that I wasn't going to do it as a career. My uni tutor could tell I was not enthusiastic about the course and tried every trick in the book to make me fail the course or quit. I complained but the course leader couldn't give a flying fig. The tutor was due to retire and the leader resigning to go back to actual classroom teaching.

I think part of the reason why the second placement school passed me was to spite my tutor because he overplayed his hand, tried to interfere too much and the department couldn't be bothered with it. I was more or less taken off timetable completely and spent my last days on the PGCE sitting around waiting to be either waved through or thrown out at the last minute. The other reason was that I technically ticked every box and gave no one easy ammunition to kick me off the course. The school must have known, I pointedly refused to talk about my future and did not apply to their upcoming vacancy. I was never a good teacher anyway, but I was told I would be passable, at least with time.

As the school overrode the university and passed me, there was a flicker of weary defeat in my tutor's eye as he drily congratulated me. I immediately said I was not going to get a permanent job and was going to go on supply, after that no one cared what I would do next. I was not anyone's problem anymore.

I never attended my end of course celebrations and shunned contact with everyone I met during that year. Sadly, I am just as useless as I was before the course started and have not found something better to do with my time.
(edited 8 years ago)
Would you describe this with exactly the same negativity on a good day?

What I'm trying to say is that it sounds like you've had a bad experience and it would be understandable as to why you might feel a bit jaded but I don't think you should beat yourself up over it.

Original post by thisistheend
I was desperate and I was being paid the max bursary and took max loan / grant. If I had left then, I would have been lumbered with a rental contract in a city away from where I grew up with no family home to go to and become unemployed immediately. I knew by the end of the first placement really that I wasn't going to do it as a career. My uni tutor could tell I was not enthusiastic about the course and tried every trick in the book to make me fail the course or quit. I complained but the course leader couldn't give a flying fig. The tutor was due to retire and the leader resigning to go back to actual classroom teaching.

I think part of the reason why the second placement school passed me was to spite my tutor because he overplayed his hand, tried to interfere too much and the department couldn't be bothered with it. I was more or less taken off timetable completely and spent my last days on the PGCE sitting around waiting to be either waved through or thrown out at the last minute. The other reason was that I technically ticked every box and gave no one easy ammunition to kick me off the course. The school must have known, I pointedly refused to talk about my future and did not apply to their upcoming vacancy. I was never a good teacher anyway, but I was told I would be passable, at least with time.

As the school overrode the university and passed me, there was a flicker of weary defeat in my tutor's eye as he drily congratulated me. I immediately said I was not going to get a permanent job and was going to go on supply, after that no one cared what I would do next. I was not anyone's problem anymore.

I never attended my end of course celebrations and shunned contact with everyone I met during that year. Sadly, I am just as useless as I was before the course started and have not found something better to do with my time.
Love this! Very refreshing :smile:

I would rather go into teaching with some nervousness and a sense of realism and then be pleasantly surprised rather than go in with unrealistic expectations that result in me being disappointed.

OP, I think it's ok to go into teaching without being OTT enthusiastic about it. If it's something you can do and something that you find stimulating on some level then I don't see the problem.

Original post by rachel.h
I did a PGCE because I didn't know what else to do ... and that's the truth. I was never one of those "this is my passion and life ambition" types at all.

But, I loved it from the beginning and despite this NQT year being the hardest thing I've ever done, I still love teaching. And I'm not too bad at it, if I say so myself :tongue:
Original post by rachel.h
I did a PGCE because I didn't know what else to do ... and that's the truth. I was never one of those "this is my passion and life ambition" types at all.

But, I loved it from the beginning and despite this NQT year being the hardest thing I've ever done, I still love teaching. And I'm not too bad at it, if I say so myself :tongue:


I did this. I'm just retiring after 32 years at it.
Original post by rachel.h
I did a PGCE because I didn't know what else to do ... and that's the truth. I was never one of those "this is my passion and life ambition" types at all.

But, I loved it from the beginning and despite this NQT year being the hardest thing I've ever done, I still love teaching. And I'm not too bad at it, if I say so myself :tongue:


Exactly the same here. As I reach the end of my NQT year I feel the same way and am glad I took the leap even though I wasn't 100% sure at the time that I was applying.
I'm really glad you started this thread op!

I think there's a lot of alienating information out there that says if you don't sleep/eat/breathe teaching then it's inappropriate that you take on a pgce.

Every single academic year I have wondered if I'm right for teaching or if it's right for me and I'm getting bored of wondering now (lol!) so am hoping to do an fe pgce Sept 16. I've wavered on which age group and or subject I want to do but I think I'm going to just go for fe because I need something that has more potential to be part time.
I can give you the converse which should help. I've always wanted to go in to teaching and finally decided to do a pgce last september, just finishing the course and have decided its definately not for me, so it can go both ways! Those who thing they want to do it can decide against and those that weren't sure can fall in love with it!
Crikey! Guess that goes to show that you won't know until you try.

Original post by Ratchit99
I can give you the converse which should help. I've always wanted to go in to teaching and finally decided to do a pgce last september, just finishing the course and have decided its definately not for me, so it can go both ways! Those who thing they want to do it can decide against and those that weren't sure can fall in love with it!
Reply 11
It wasn't the case with me (I only did my degree in the first place to do a PGCE after but that didn't go to plan) but this was the case with one of my friends she ended up enjoying it though. My brother also applied for a PGCE even though he wasn't interested in teaching as he was long term unemployed after graduating and didn't know what else to do. He didn't get on it but he did a PTLLS and a TEFL course and is now teaching english in China. He says he doesn't enjoy teaching but prefers it to being on the dole.

Quick Reply

Latest