PGCE - Current Students Thread

Gah, an ideal job has come up today. It is in a sixth form that I have been constantly checking hoping something would come up.

I'm definitely going to be applying, but I applied for another job last week which closed for applications today. If I end up getting an interview, and then say I got offered a place, that would all be before the other one shuts, and I'd be so gutted to miss out on an interview for my dream sixth form because I'd accepted a job elsewhere.

I know that sounds overly optimistic and I'm thinking ahead. There's just part of me that thinks it will be easier if I don't get an interview for the first job now, because the newly advertised job is everything I was waiting for .

I am in the process of filling out an application form for a job.

One section is 'Membership of organisations that are relevant to your application'.

I am really not sure what to put in here? Does this mean unions or something?

Well, fingers crossed it won't come to that!

I'm really distracted now because someone mentioned jobs An hour later I realise I've wasted lots of time looking at ofsted reports and school websites! Oops!

I'm starting to really freak out that I haven't applied for any jobs yet but everyone else has them just falling into place. I think I really need to do what you're doing!

Possibly! Nobody I know has got a job yet, so I think there aren't many in this area right now At the moment I'm too scared to apply to any but I might have to apply to one just to see if I can even get an interview!

Apply for the job. I was in a similar situation last year. I loved the school I was training at and knew the staff liked me. I'd applied for various roles when a job came up at my training school. I was desperate to get it. Spent ages on the application etc and in the meantime was offered an interview at another nice school in a v good area. I was really anxious about interviewing there first, but decided I would have to accept it if I was offered the position.

Then I also got invited to interview at another school via an NQT pool. I'd never heard of the school, area wasn't great, but I accepted anyway because although the lesson part of the interview was around the same time as the others, the main interview wasn't untill after both of the others. It was my safety net, really.

Anyway, ended up with 3 interviews over 4 days in one week. Didn't get the first one, but was pleased because I really wanted the one at my training school, but then I didn't get that either. I was devastated (no exaggeration - they had to send me home for the day when they told me).

But then I did get the third job and I swear it's because I taught the lesson before I had the interview at my favourite school. I was so relaxed because I wasn't invested in getting the job and taught what they said was an outstanding lesson, the likes of which they rarely saw from NQTs at interview.

i love the school now and am so glad I didn't get the one I wanted initially.

Keep your options open and apply for everything going - you never know what is around the corner.

Got my first big assignment back (a summative one that actually counts) and got 62. I'm pretty pleased with that, seeing as I just wanted the 50 to pass.

Quick question - do you lot put page numbers in your in text references (Harvard, I take it)?


Thanks for this info, very enlightening. I am definitely applying. It is just hard to juggle what comes up with what you really want, whilst at the same time being so unsure if you will get anything.

Glad you got sorted though! I can't imagine applying to my training school and not getting it. It seems like it would be awkward! You'd think from the school's point of view it would be beneficial to hire someone who was training there. At least it all worked out for you.

Thanks for this info, very enlightening. I am definitely applying. It is just hard to juggle what comes up with what you really want, whilst at the same time being so unsure if you will get anything.

Glad you got sorted though! I can't imagine applying to my training school and not getting it. It seems like it would be awkward! You'd think from the school's point of view it would be beneficial to hire someone who was training there. At least it all worked out for you.

Quick question - do you lot put page numbers in your in text references (Harvard, I take it)?

I used Harvard referencing for undergrad, only used page numbers for in-text citations when I was directly quoting someone.

Yeah I put page numbers, I use APA though.

i was pipped to the post by someone who'd already done part of her NQT year. Having now done half of mine I can totally see how her interview responses would have been superior to mine. The head and deputy basically had to defer to what the governor on the interview panel thought, because he didn't know me already. He did give them freedom to hire me straight away if another job had come up though.

Oh and a message to all - I started applying in February but didn't get a job or even any interviews until May, so don't panic if you're not applying for much yet. You've got plenty of time.

Thanks for letting me know. I'm a bit annoyed because my main uni tutor told us we didn't need to use page numbers (apart from direct quotations), so that's what I've been doing. On this latest essay, a different tutor marked it and said I'd have gotten higher marks if I would have referenced correctly and used page numbers. The only reason I didn't is because we were told we didn't have to! I think my uni has big problems with consistency sometimes.

Thanks for letting me know. I know nothing about APA, but I'll assume it is similar.


Ah okay, that explains it. At least it wasn't another trainee!


...and thanks for this. Very reassuring, because out of all my friends at uni there is only two of us (including me) who haven't got a job yet. My other three friends got their first interview. Very lucky. I've applied for a lot less than most though.

For Harvard you should use page numbers in text, unless you're referring to the whole text in general in which case you don't need them anywhere.

Cite them right is a book by palgrave which I've found invaluable when it comes to referencing. Many unis have it as a core text and use it for all their standards of marking referencing.

It is annoying that you were told wrong and it definitely shouldn't have happened. I'd consider challenging it if it were undergrad, but since you got 61 on a pgce I'd probably not bother!

Xxx

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All this talk of people working hard etc. sort of makes me feel guilty for my half term week spent doing nothing. I handed in a 5,000 word essay the week before and don't have another due until after christmas and don't start my second placement until Monday so I've been using the time to lie-in, catch up with friends and generally relaxed. I'm sure next week will come as a bit of a shock to the system!

I'm off to an inner-city all-girls comprehensive with behavioural problems, coming from an all-boys grammar where behaviour wasn't much of an issue, so I'm expecting it to be a challenge at first. Not looking forward to the all girls side of things as I'm a 22 year old guy who looks about 12, so I'm expecting to have to fight for respect quite a lot. I'm looking forward to it, but only because I know if I hate it I only have 3 months to get through...

All this talk of people working hard etc. sort of makes me feel guilty for my half term week spent doing nothing. I handed in a 5,000 word essay the week before and don't have another due until after christmas and don't start my second placement until Monday so I've been using the time to lie-in, catch up with friends and generally relaxed. I'm sure next week will come as a bit of a shock to the system!

I'm off to an inner-city all-girls comprehensive with behavioural problems, coming from an all-boys grammar where behaviour wasn't much of an issue, so I'm expecting it to be a challenge at first. Not looking forward to the all girls side of things as I'm a 22 year old guy who looks about 12, so I'm expecting to have to fight for respect quite a lot. I'm looking forward to it, but only because I know if I hate it I only have 3 months to get through...

I'm sort of the same. I spent two days on an essay and apart from that nothing. I think it's because I start my placement on Monday too. We haven't got marking and lessons to plan over half term!

Enjoy it - it is the calm before the storm.

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I've been exactly the same. Two days of essay writing but nothing else. I've been out on my boat today instead of writing lesson plans. Oops!

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