PCET PGCE but truth is no one has been remotely interested

I got the chance to study a PCET PGCE specialising in ESOL in 2002 which I know is years ago but I got stuck in a bit of a groundhog day because it was a good course and I felt justified in my aspirations and in fact I did go on to teach for two years at a good fe college in London but then I resigned for family reasons and didn't look for work for about two years but what I found amazingly was that I didn't get a look in anywhere the application forms were daunting even for a few part time hours, I would spend hours sometimes filling them in and mostly not even get a reply, as time went on my references became stale and no one was interested in me at all. There I was with a PCET PGCE, Occupational health screening and enhanced CRB yet all I could find work wise was a few hours here and there in a sector that traditionally accepted anyone with the faintest idea let alone a postgraduate teaching qualification. It has been vey unfair yet all the time the recruitment has been belt and braces and quite simply I haven't been wanted or needed anywhere but what has upset me the most is that I've remained fully qualified the whole time and would have loved to have gained a position that was commensurate with my education and offered the possibility of a house and a car which I don't think was ever a lot to ask as a genuine postgraduate even if not in the education sector in something where they have the sense to recognise the skills and abilities of a British trained teacher of further education with a PGCE.

Welcome to the nonsense of the British education system. Sounds like you have had a lucky escape. It is not worth joining. I quit this so called profession 1 yr ago. You would be better off taking a hard look at you skills set , do some research and retrain in an area where you can get a job that might be at least mostly rewarding. Don't worry about teaching in Britain.; it is in a crisis. Avoid.

I've read quite a lot about the numeracy and literacy ability of the general population and it's pretty bad. I personally think my skill set is as good as anyone's doing anything and I would have loved another type of work if anyone had had the insight to see the skills and abilities it took to get a PGCE. But also to add that I read that in the 1960s teachers in state schools didn't even need A levels let alone a degree they did a one year course after their O levels or GCSEs as they are now, we are far superior to anything like that the problem is elsewhere. but we also may not realise what monsters we've become

This is far too simplistic for me. You suggest that teachers now who have PGCEs are 'far superior' to previous teachers who might only have 'one year's experience after their O levels'. Firstly, teachers such as you describe were very few and far between, even in the 60s. More to the point, your correlation between PGCE and teacher effectiveness is vastly overstated. Many of those 1960s teachers who you are quick to dismiss were actually far more effective than the majority of teachers nowadays because they'd learnt the craft of teaching through experience and exposure. Some of the most experienced, nuanced, creative and inspirational teachers I have know had neither PGCE nor formalised teaching qualifications. But what they had in spades was an instinctive touch and understanding of how to engage kids and inspire them to learn about their subject. You don't learn that on a one-year Masters.

Writing PGCE essays about pedagogy doesn't make you a 'good' teacher, and it certainly doesn't make you any better than the 'non-qualified' teacher who's gained 30 years of experience with real kids in real classrooms. Give me the latter any day, over some bumptious NQT who thinks he knows it all because he's read Carol Dweck a few times.

These days, I don't think that FE colleges do accept "anyone with the faintest idea"- and there's a lot of competition.

It sounds like your CV may be quite patchy. I fully understand that circumstances can't be helped, but the people you're applying to may be concerned about your staying power- a lot of people drop out of teaching quite early on, and they may not want to hire you because they're worried that you'll leave them in the lurch.


I'm not sure how comparisons with the 1960s are helpful- the situation has changed a lot in the past decade- let alone the 50 years before!

Anyone with the faintest idea was basically to do with what it is to get a degree then a postgraduate qualification compared to say a level 3 qualification in the subject you wish to teach. I think it's all very unfair. Not that it's necessarily anyone's fault it can be frustrating constantly being overlooked knowing that this has often been the case.

My CV is very patchy it's like I've been living on a desert island for years but it's a shame and it's partly my own fault. I have found that it's all very well toughing it out in a position but you should really be able to afford a house and a car but like a frog on a hotplate I don't think people realise how far above their heads the waterline is. The truth is in London that even with assistance teachers are little more than the working poor but with excellent education and very high expectations of their time and ability they deserve to be able to join the traffic jam and get a reasonable house even from early in their careers it's simply wrong yet you don't hear a word from anyone in a country where apparently quarter of the adult population have difficulty working out their pay slips it is an injustice and has been for about twenty years and affected me very badly as a husband and father who could never afford anything yet apparently was qualified in the top 5% of the population.

My comparison with the 1960s was because it was an eye opener to me, remember the film carry on teacher with their gowns and mortar boards it didn't occur to me that all they needed was O levels I thought they were graduates like the teachers of today there's a big difference between having O levels and having a degree. But do you really need a degree in maths to help kids work out change from five bob as they said in the 60s or change from £5 these days, with the right character maybe an O level in maths would be all anyone would need but education traditionally soaks up hundreds of thousands of graduates all costing about 50 grand each in a world where being a graduate is very questionable if you simply go out there and look for work on your own it just seems to me that no one is remotely interested in you?

Without wishing to be rude, it does sound a bit like you think the world owes you a living because you are qualified. The problem is, you'll be competing against those who graduated after the 2008 crash who know this isn't the case and will have done far more to strengthen their CVs.

I've read quite a lot about the numeracy and literacy ability of the general population and it's pretty bad. I personally think my skill set is as good as anyone's doing anything and I would have loved another type of work if anyone had had the insight to see the skills and abilities it took to get a PGCE. But also to add that I read that in the 1960s teachers in state schools didn't even need A levels let alone a degree they did a one year course after their O levels or GCSEs as they are now, we are far superior to anything like that the problem is elsewhere. but we also may not realise what monsters we've become

Do I think the world owes me a living? Truth is yes I do because higher education is a commodity and it costs a lot of money and time to acquire it's a choice that should lead to valuable skills and traits. As for people making sure their CV is up to date, I understand but I honestly don't think it's the point. When you pass something like a degree or a PGCE it's a for life type thing not until someone finds a gap in your resume and then in the bin with you, it's a failing in society and there are many reasons to have gaps in your resume, the main one that no one ever talks about is the thirty other people who applied for the same job you applied for it simply doesn't work fairly.

Sure, the qualification is for life, but it's generally agreed that it takes several years experience after qualifying to become a really good teacher. It's also about being up to date with the latest thinking/methods, environments, syllabuses, etc. etc. And it shows you have staying power/commitment in a profession a lot of people are leaving.

I agree that there can be reasons for gaps- but be totally honest with yourself. If you were comparing your application with someone who had 3/5/10 years of recent consecutive experience (and the achievement and results to go with that), would you really think you should both have an equal shot at the job.

Beyond discrimination laws, recruiting isn't meant to be 100% fair. It's about finding the best person.

Do I think the world owes me a living? Truth is yes I do because higher education is a commodity and it costs a lot of money and time to acquire it's a choice that should lead to valuable skills and traits. As for people making sure their CV is up to date, I understand but I honestly don't think it's the point. When you pass something like a degree or a PGCE it's a for life type thing not until someone finds a gap in your resume and then in the bin with you, it's a failing in society and there are many reasons to have gaps in your resume, the main one that no one ever talks about is the thirty other people who applied for the same job you applied for it simply doesn't work fairly.