PGCE Advice

Keep your options and go into your placement with an open mind. It is a stressful and difficult job, but if you love teaching children, it's possible to see past the nonsense and pain that comes with it. I think it ultimately depends the extent of your drive and passion for the job - your placement should help you determine if it is enough to get you through the PGCE and beyond. If you are passionate about teaching, but not necessarily teaching secondary school children then the lecturer route may be the better option, although I imagine it can be quite difficult to get jobs at universities.

I'm coming to the end of my primary PGCE and have found that much of what people say about the PGCE and teaching is true, including the bad parts. Nonetheless, I have loved it thus far because I am passionate about teaching children. Obviously I have not done the job full time with my own class yet so the most difficult aspects may have yet to come, but I am hoping that I can continue to deal with the BS involved in order to keep doing a job that I otherwise really enjoy.

Thank you for your reply. I will try and go into my placement with an open mind, but the more i think about it, the more i feel i have done nothing but lie to myself about it all. for example, 2 of my friends at uni are going into secondary teaching, they both feel excited by it and love doing their work experience. one works as a cover teacher. Me however, no. I honestly feel like i simply do not care whether the children learn or not.
having reflected on everything, i even feel during my interviews for the pgce, with the mini lessons i had to give, i am simply not passionate enough for secondary school. my style was very much the death by powerpoint lecturer approach and then i had them sat round a table with me to discuss the questions id set them, like a seminar.

Hi all,

I currently have an offer to start a PGCE secondary english course come september. However, as of late i've been having serious second thoughts about the whole thing. I am now stuck as to whether I should do my masters qualification instead.

To put it bluntly, i feel sick of the pgce before i have even started. I'm now feel i would be better suited lecturing, as i have come to enjoy the university environment more than the secondary one. I work doing open days at my university and have met plenty of parents of prospective students who are secondary school teachers. All of which have not had one single positive thing to say about secondary teaching. Even my lecturers have spoken negatively, one even went from secondary teaching to lecturing.

At first I was like, it's only one teacher, i'm sure it's not the same. Now after the countless one's i have met and the pages upon pages of negative posts here I feel like my gut is telling me i am making the wrong choice and should do my masters instead.

I have done nothing but sob at the thought of making the wrong decision and i haven't even began what many consider to be the most stressful year of their lives.

Furthermore, having received my final degree results, I now feel i perhaps have more in me to take my degree qualification further, having seen the vast majority of my grades across the year range from 64 - 70%. In comparison to just scrapping 60's last year, bar one module.

I do however, have a placement in a secondary school for the next two weeks. It was part of my conditional offer for my pgce, so I will use that time to help me decide. But in the meantime I will begin my application for the masters.

Does anyone here have some advice?

Thank you