PhD after PGCE?

So I'm looking for some advice. I have applied for and been accepted for a PGCE program that starts in September 2024 and ends in July 2025. I did want to pursue a PhD after the completion of my MA, but I struggled to find supervisors to do so. I've since done some looking around and found someone at a university who is interested in my PhD research, however, applications for funding has now closed and so I would most likely have to apply without funding (in which case, I'd probably use government loans). Now, I could apply for the 2025 academic year for the PhD funding, the bonus being I would not have to repay and the stipend is much more than the government offers, and if I chose to do my PGCE this year, then I will have completed my PGCE before starting my PhD. I'm just wondering what people recommend? I would not be doing my ECT years right away, which I know many people look down on. Another option would be to take another year out (I'm currently already on a gap year due to missing application deadlines to start September 2024), not do my PGCE and only the PhD that I will apply for funding for in 2025. I figured it might be worth doing the PGCE anyway because while my goal is academia and university level teaching, having the PGCE with QTS means if I struggled to find a job in the academic field after the PhD I could fall back onto that? Any advice would be great, thanks.

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