PGCE - Current Students Thread
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Original post by myblueheaven339
Thank you!
I feel quite nervous but it'll be a good experience to have an interview even if I don't get the job!
Original post by Airfairy
Fingers crossed! I hope it works out...
Keep up updated.
Aww, why?
Keep up updated.
Aww, why?
Thanks and will do. I should be hearing about the extra hours tomorrow.
Original post by Samus2
AHHH! I received an invitation to an interview!
It's the first job I've applied for, I'm dead happy they've even given me an interview to be honest.
It's the first job I've applied for, I'm dead happy they've even given me an interview to be honest.
Congrats and good luck
Original post by ParadoxSocks
I know, I think I'm being much harder on myself than I should be. I had weird thoughts that I'd fall back into it but I've gone quite bumpy.
My mentor gave me really useful feedback but I didn't really get much constructive feedback on last placement so now I have to catch up on some basic things such as differentiation and EAL. I know that I'm where I should be, but I really wish that I could be better.
And I'll never figure out how to do do a chest based teacher's voice
My mentor gave me really useful feedback but I didn't really get much constructive feedback on last placement so now I have to catch up on some basic things such as differentiation and EAL. I know that I'm where I should be, but I really wish that I could be better.
And I'll never figure out how to do do a chest based teacher's voice
We've been told there can be a 'dip' when you start second placement, mainly due to things you've mentioned. They may be more critical or expect more. I'm similar to you, where I didn't get much constructive feedback last time, so I'm getting ready for a shock.
I know it feels overwhelming when you think about everything we have got to tick off, but we have until June. Just try to remember that! Lots of time to perfect ourselves.
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I'll be enrolling next Thursday on my PGCE. I'm excited but nervous! Got my timetable and big pack of info through the post today. I've got loads of tasks to complete already. It seems I'm only in uni about 6 weeks, the rest is placement. My first short placement is listed as Early Reading School Based Training. Anyone know what this actually means?
*does the yay-i-passed-my-first-essay-at-masters-dance*
We heard earlier that there's a possible back-up on the removal from IT from schools and now I'm worrying that departments will take the easy way out by teaching IT. I only came into teaching because of the promise that I wouldn't have to teach IT once it'd phased out
I think I have the eyebrow. I can stop a child from messing around from around 50 paces without having to speak. My throat is still incredibly sore though but I think it's the weather and the fact I'm still not drinking enough while at school. I really need to work on that!
I'm definitely hyper-critical about my teaching. I think I sometimes forget to just appreciate how much of a challenge learning to teach really it.
I wasn't warned about the dip I really really appreciate the feedback and it really will help but I'm frustrated about my progress because of the lack of feedback from first placement. I feel like I lost time messing around with stuff that wasn't even important because my feedback was so bad.
We heard earlier that there's a possible back-up on the removal from IT from schools and now I'm worrying that departments will take the easy way out by teaching IT. I only came into teaching because of the promise that I wouldn't have to teach IT once it'd phased out
Original post by Carnationlilyrose
Teaching messes with your head. It's very weird like that. We are also hyper-critical of ourselves, which I think is fuelled by the culture of observation which seems to have taken over the profession. You don't see lawyers and doctors and accountants being watched all the time, but everyone seems to think it's perfectly OK for us.
You'll get the voice in the end. Best, though, is to acquire the teacher's eyebrow, when all you need to do is raise it. It's a skill gained by practice.
You'll get the voice in the end. Best, though, is to acquire the teacher's eyebrow, when all you need to do is raise it. It's a skill gained by practice.
I think I have the eyebrow. I can stop a child from messing around from around 50 paces without having to speak. My throat is still incredibly sore though but I think it's the weather and the fact I'm still not drinking enough while at school. I really need to work on that!
I'm definitely hyper-critical about my teaching. I think I sometimes forget to just appreciate how much of a challenge learning to teach really it.
Original post by Airfairy
We've been told there can be a 'dip' when you start second placement, mainly due to things you've mentioned. They may be more critical or expect more. I'm similar to you, where I didn't get much constructive feedback last time, so I'm getting ready for a shock.
I know it feels overwhelming when you think about everything we have got to tick off, but we have until June. Just try to remember that! Lots of time to perfect ourselves.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I know it feels overwhelming when you think about everything we have got to tick off, but we have until June. Just try to remember that! Lots of time to perfect ourselves.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I wasn't warned about the dip
I really really appreciate the feedback and it really will help but I'm frustrated about my progress because of the lack of feedback from first placement. I feel like I lost time messing around with stuff that wasn't even important because my feedback was so bad.
Survived my first week with the tinies. I am exhausted!
Has anyone worked with a parent volunteer? It's super awkward. Mine seems worse than my uni tutor
Has anyone worked with a parent volunteer? It's super awkward. Mine seems worse than my uni tutor
Original post by Veggiechic6
I'll be enrolling next Thursday on my PGCE. I'm excited but nervous! Got my timetable and big pack of info through the post today. I've got loads of tasks to complete already. It seems I'm only in uni about 6 weeks, the rest is placement. My first short placement is listed as Early Reading School Based Training. Anyone know what this actually means?
I'd imagine that it will mean you'll be in school to learn about early reading by doing certain tasks, observations etc, rather than actually being asked to lead lessons etc.
Xxx
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Hi,
I'm in my 2nd year of teaching, and have volunteered to run a session for ITT students on a nearby (secondary) SCITT course. The session is about using iPads in the classroom.
I am confident with this in my own school and subject area, but was just wondering if any of you had any burning questions you would expect to be addressed by such a session, to help me plan better (and I will answer your question here as well, of course!).
So far I'm going to see what they think the main uses of iPads in school are, address any misconceptions, and then go through the main apps I use (not subejct specific), how to use them and the advantages they present.
I'm in my 2nd year of teaching, and have volunteered to run a session for ITT students on a nearby (secondary) SCITT course. The session is about using iPads in the classroom.
I am confident with this in my own school and subject area, but was just wondering if any of you had any burning questions you would expect to be addressed by such a session, to help me plan better (and I will answer your question here as well, of course!).
So far I'm going to see what they think the main uses of iPads in school are, address any misconceptions, and then go through the main apps I use (not subejct specific), how to use them and the advantages they present.
Original post by myrtille
Hi,
I'm in my 2nd year of teaching, and have volunteered to run a session for ITT students on a nearby (secondary) SCITT course. The session is about using iPads in the classroom.
I am confident with this in my own school and subject area, but was just wondering if any of you had any burning questions you would expect to be addressed by such a session, to help me plan better (and I will answer your question here as well, of course!).
So far I'm going to see what they think the main uses of iPads in school are, address any misconceptions, and then go through the main apps I use (not subejct specific), how to use them and the advantages they present.
I'm in my 2nd year of teaching, and have volunteered to run a session for ITT students on a nearby (secondary) SCITT course. The session is about using iPads in the classroom.
I am confident with this in my own school and subject area, but was just wondering if any of you had any burning questions you would expect to be addressed by such a session, to help me plan better (and I will answer your question here as well, of course!).
So far I'm going to see what they think the main uses of iPads in school are, address any misconceptions, and then go through the main apps I use (not subejct specific), how to use them and the advantages they present.
I don't really have a question or anything, but as a ITT student who has been to several sessions on the use of iPads in lessons, all I can say is make it convincing. Every single session I attended on the subject, put me off if anything. I think they are more trouble than they are worth and I've not seen anything that's convinced me of their use in education, especially in my subject. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
I think the problem I had with the sessions, is how they weren't subject specific. Most of what we were shown didn't really apply to my subject (R.E.), and were more geared towards science.
I think I just hate iPads because they were always a cause for distraction in my lessons. There would always be kids messing on apps, or I'd plan something which relied on their iPads and half the class wouldn't have them.
Really hope my next school don't have them.
Original post by Airfairy
I don't really have a question or anything, but as a ITT student who has been to several sessions on the use of iPads in lessons, all I can say is make it convincing. Every single session I attended on the subject, put me off if anything. I think they are more trouble than they are worth and I've not seen anything that's convinced me of their use in education, especially in my subject. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
I think the problem I had with the sessions, is how they weren't subject specific. Most of what we were shown didn't really apply to my subject (R.E.), and were more geared towards science.
I think I just hate iPads because they were always a cause for distraction in my lessons. There would always be kids messing on apps, or I'd plan something which relied on their iPads and half the class wouldn't have them.
Really hope my next school don't have them.
I think the problem I had with the sessions, is how they weren't subject specific. Most of what we were shown didn't really apply to my subject (R.E.), and were more geared towards science.
I think I just hate iPads because they were always a cause for distraction in my lessons. There would always be kids messing on apps, or I'd plan something which relied on their iPads and half the class wouldn't have them.
Really hope my next school don't have them.
Thanks for that.
I know where you're coming from - I felt like that until I'd been using them for several months at school (for the first couple of weeks of my job, my iPad stayed firmly in my desk drawer during lessons because I was a bit scared of it - I only recently got my first smartphone and I barely ever know where it is or if it's charged, so I'm not exactly a technophile!).
I think the problems/distractions that can come from iPads in the classroom are largely down to their novelty. My pupils have now had their iPads for over a year (except the Y7s, but they're young enough to just do as they're told anyway!) and the disruption has reduced drastically. I don't have problems with them at all in Y8 and 9, and in Y10 and 11 it's a small number of pupils, particularly bottom set, and a few of the lazy boys in my top set. It's a constant battle with those pupils, but they are pupils with whom some kind of battle is inevitable - if it wasn't iPads, it would be phones, or paper aeroplanes, or constant talking, I think the iPads are actually less disruptive to the rest of the class than some of the other ways they could misbehave!
I am an old-fashioned teacher too. I teach MFL and I expect pupils to take detailed notes in lessons. I teach grammar. I make pupils write paragraphs and essays. Many of my Y9 pupils are now on their 2nd exercise book of the year, because I work them pretty hard. Yet I also use iPads in at least 50% of lessons.
The main thing I use is Showbie, where I upload worksheets, powerpoint slides, writing frames, etc. Usually, pupils still complete work in their books, but they have access to all of the resources from the year on their iPads. It makes such a difference to the quality of their work (particularly homework) that they can go back to the powerpoint from a previous lesson if they can't remember something.
It's great for giving a choice of task/differentiation, because I don't have to mess about with different worksheets and having things wasted. I taught a lesson recently on freedom of speech and the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and gave pupils a selection of cartoons to look at on their iPads, and choose one or two sources to analyse. Pupils could work at their own pace and some did 1 source, some did 3 or 4, because they had access to all of the sources.
I put helpsheets for C-grade and A-grade on there, so pupils can choose to play it safe or push themselves (or a bit of both, depending on the task).
I put vocabulary lists of key learning for whole modules on there, then set 10 words per week as homework. Because I am an old-fashioned teacher, and make my pupils do regular spelling tests, with retests in their own time if they have failed to revise properly.
Pupils can practise the vocabulary on an app called Memrise, which they love, but which basically just involves them doing multiple choice questions to practise their vocab recognition and then builds up to practising the spelling of the words. Sometimes I do the tests the old-fashioned way, on pieces of paper which they swap and mark. Other times, I do them on an app called Socrative - the tests mark themselves and I get sent a spreadsheet of their results so I can see which questions each pupil got wrong as well as their overall score.
I think they are hassle at the start, but once you get into a good routine and pupils are used to the expectations for using them appropriately it gets better.
I don't think they're necessary or that every school needs them, but if you're in a school which does use them, you need to be able to use them effectively (particularly as you probably will have basically no photocopying budget in such a school so have to get used to avoiding worksheets!).
I didn't hear back from my mentor about those extra hours. Oh well at least another two weeks til half term to get it sorted.
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Original post by gemmam
I didn't hear back from my mentor about those extra hours. Oh well at least another two weeks til half term to get it sorted.
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Hope it works out
Original post by clara_oswald
Hope it works out
Thanks
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I'm having a bit of a problem right now and my mentor is ill so I feel bad emailing her about it :/ we were doing division/grouping this week in my Y2 class. I was teaching division on a number line which most of the children have understood pretty well. However, we have children who were absent or didn't fully understand (about 6-7 in total, maybe more) last week. I'd like to help them some more but we were meant to move onto word problems before now. Would you move some of your children on but not others? Would you spend more time on the first topic? There are children who are flying through these questions and I'm worried about boring them. Plus we have to move onto time soon...
Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
Original post by grommit_lad
Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
Sounds like a tough choice! It will depend on your time commitments, previous experience etc. Personally, I wouldn't like to have started off at 50%. I'm teaching maybe 60% now and finding it very difficult. Then again, I'm only 21 and this is (obviously) my first career. You probably have the benefit of having worked very hard at something before.
Original post by alabelle
I'm having a bit of a problem right now and my mentor is ill so I feel bad emailing her about it :/ we were doing division/grouping this week in my Y2 class. I was teaching division on a number line which most of the children have understood pretty well. However, we have children who were absent or didn't fully understand (about 6-7 in total, maybe more) last week. I'd like to help them some more but we were meant to move onto word problems before now. Would you move some of your children on but not others? Would you spend more time on the first topic? There are children who are flying through these questions and I'm worried about boring them. Plus we have to move onto time soon...
I would say, if you don't catch the others up its going to continue to be a problem. Better to try and get in line while you can. Having said that, you're likely to have more off this week and maybe some that were here will now be ill.
Can you make it in to a "teach the others" activity?
Or maybe have a selection of activities around the room that they can choose between. Some can be harder for those who want a challenge, others simpler for those who are just learning. Start the lesson with a summary of what you've been learning, then send everyone off apart from those who were absent or anyone else who says they don't quite get it. Talk through it with them and once they figure it out they can go off and do activities too.
Or just teach the next lesson as normal but keep input very short at the start to allow you time to spend intensively explaining to that small group while the others work.
Xxx
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Original post by kpwxx
I would say, if you don't catch the others up its going to continue to be a problem. Better to try and get in line while you can. Having said that, you're likely to have more off this week and maybe some that were here will now be ill.
Can you make it in to a "teach the others" activity?
Or maybe have a selection of activities around the room that they can choose between. Some can be harder for those who want a challenge, others simpler for those who are just learning. Start the lesson with a summary of what you've been learning, then send everyone off apart from those who were absent or anyone else who says they don't quite get it. Talk through it with them and once they figure it out they can go off and do activities too.
Or just teach the next lesson as normal but keep input very short at the start to allow you time to spend intensively explaining to that small group while the others work.
Xxx
Posted from TSR Mobile
Can you make it in to a "teach the others" activity?
Or maybe have a selection of activities around the room that they can choose between. Some can be harder for those who want a challenge, others simpler for those who are just learning. Start the lesson with a summary of what you've been learning, then send everyone off apart from those who were absent or anyone else who says they don't quite get it. Talk through it with them and once they figure it out they can go off and do activities too.
Or just teach the next lesson as normal but keep input very short at the start to allow you time to spend intensively explaining to that small group while the others work.
Xxx
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I had a similar idea in the end, my current plan is this:
Rearrange groups so that absent/less confident children are sat on bottom table
Higher ability groups have word problems to solve (moved on)
Middle ability group also have word problems to solve (slightly easier ones)
I will sit on bottom table talking them through it and hopefully move them onto word problems
I have a further day where the highers are creating their own problems so if the lowers aren't caught up by then I have an extra lesson to get them doing word problems. Does that sound ok? I like the idea of having a selection of activities, I might do that!
Original post by grommit_lad
Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I can't speak from personal experience but on my first placement there were two salaried SD students, so I often spoke to them. They seemed more stressed than me, given that more is expected of you, but if I were in your shoes it still wouldn't put me off going for a salaried route. It's all relative to be honest. If I had been thrown in with a 50% timetable I'd have adjusted faster than I am doing at the mo. Besides, there's no guarantee a non salaried place will be a walk in the park. I have a friend on the course who was teaching 12 hours a week in week 2 of first placement, which shouldn't really happen on non salaried first placement.
It would be a no brainer for me, even more so if I had a family. It's too good an offer to turn down.
Best of luck whatever you decide
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Original post by grommit_lad
Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I'm a newbie here with 4 youngish children and a career of 30 years in technology (giving clues away to my possible age now!) and going to be a mature ITT student, embarking on a career change in Sept 2015.
I have a bit of a dilemma at this point that I'd like comment and advice on if possible. I have been offered a secondary schools direct salaried place at one school (an exceptional school) and another non-salaried place at another very good school (both for science). My dilemma relates to the PGCE side of things as on the salaried route I will effectively thrown in to the deep end with a 50% teaching timetable, whereas on the non-salaried route I would build up to a teaching timetable (as I understand it). Having read many interesting posts on this forum, I'm trying to get a handle on the level of and type of workload associated with PGCE, particularly when you have a timetable to contend with. I have been used to working long hours but not those that require lots of essay writing etc (although I have written a fair few reports in my time).
Anyone out there who has a similar background and has had, or is in, a salaried place undertaking the PGCE as well ...... I'd love to hear about your experiences or those of PGCE in general. I have to make my choice in the next few days. It is a tough decision, both would be great schools to work in but I have a slight tendency towards the salaried place but I am concerned that it may be too much with the PGCE on top. Is it doable realistically (with family considerations etc)? Where can I find more out about PGCE course expectations etc?
Thanks ... and looking forward to the conversations to follow in the coming months!
I know that I could not have taken the salaried route. It would have killed me. It's not so much that the days are long, but they are hard, especially with behaviour management and lesson observations. It takes so much out of you.
If you are in secondary, I'd be worried about the focus on exam results (especially in a 'good' school) and extensive marking.
Sometimes PGCE can be really boring, but I have needed the time out of class to recover (!) and to reflect on my placement and my teaching style. The essays aren't too daunting either.
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