Quit PGCE?

I am now contemplating this option as my situation resonated with many on the thread (challenging behaviour, lack of support from the school/ uni, being criticised for things not entirely my fault alongside with the usual lack of time for family etc.). I did well last term when working with small groups and individuals in a challenging class, but found teaching the whole class v hard, considering the level my observers expected me to be (i.e. all children engaged in learning while not even the qualified experienced class teacher can manage that most of the time).

My coursemates, my friends and my family all said that I'll make a great teacher, and I did manage to get some positive outcomes from my interventions in the placement prior to my withdrawal due to stress. However, I am really not sure now. Yet if I stop the course now, it just seems that I have thrown away a good working environment (12 years industry experience) for nothing but stress, unemployment and a massive student debt.

Was it difficult to gain employment as a TA/LSA after dropping out from PGCE? I am still committed to education but am worried that schools would look down upon my experience.

Hi, it's a shame isn't it that we had a bad experience. Had I been in a different school and had a supportive mentor I think I would have done better. I left because I felt was the best thing for me to do at the time. First of all do not worry at all, I found it really easy to get a TA job. The first school which I applied to accepted me. Also they don't need to know the reason you left just say you're taking a break because you wanted to gain more experience working in smaller groups. I only mentioned the positive aspects of my pgce I didn't tell them about my grade and what I found difficult. I think this is a good choice for me as I know I want to stay in education and like working in small groups of children I can always carry on with it long term if I decide not to go back to teaching but the experience will help me for teaching if I do want to go back to it. I've deferred placement two for next January so I may go back then to finish the rest of the pgce. Good luck in whatever you decide

Thank you that's encouraging! I've just been told that it'd be September that I may retake my placement. Meanwhile, I have some assignment and a non-teaching placement in an alternative key stage to keep me busy until just after Easter. I love working with small groups and the experience on that matter had so far been positive, so I would seek some TA jobs in the summer to keep me going!

I feel a bit scared reading this thread! I'm sorry for your experiences, the amount of politics in teaching seems so disheartening.

I'm considering teaching as a career change - long story short, started a master's, constantly felt like I was running to catch up in the field I wanted, had a really bad experience at uni that led to constant panic attacks so I left. Am I setting myself up for basically the same thing if I start a PGCE?

Ooooh so are you planning to retake just one placement or to do the whole pgce again from the start?

I feel a bit scared reading this thread! I'm sorry for your experiences, the amount of politics in teaching seems so disheartening.

I'm considering teaching as a career change - long story short, started a master's, constantly felt like I was running to catch up in the field I wanted, had a really bad experience at uni that led to constant panic attacks so I left. Am I setting myself up for basically the same thing if I start a PGCE?

I had a full-time career involving evening and weekend on calls plus working into the evenings on some days to meet tight payroll deadlines. I then worked part-time alongside studying for a Master's, volunteering in schools and leading the Sunday School, while having two primary-aged children to look after. I am no stranger to hard work and stress, yet I still got myself into a difficult situation.

If you have experienced a panic attack and running to catch up already, PGCE is much worse than doing a Masters'. Do not take the course unless you are 120% sure. I now wished I had worked as a TA/LSA to build up confidence and teaching skills before going into teacher training.

That said, the support you get from school and ITT would make a massive difference to your outcome. Some of my initially weaker coursemates have flourished in their supportive classes.

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Thanks for your replies. I've had panic attacks for years, but going back to uni again made everything worse. On the PGCE, is it a case of intense workload? Constantly moving goalposts?

.Now I've moved back home with my parents, who haven't been as supportive as I hoped, while trying to pick up the pieces of my life. I'm 25 and I don't know where to start again? I am looking to going back to teaching TEFL (completely different from teaching mainstream) or starting a career somewhere else. How do you go about explaining on ones CV that you have spent the last 5-6 months on PGCE course before dropping out as well as being dyslexic?

I would much appreciate any advice and support. It good to know that others have been where I have been and have felt what I have felt.
Apologise for any spelling or grammatical mistakes.

I know this is for last years PGCE...but I have just left this years...I have a job lined up. But I have not felt at all supported and not had the opportunities my peers have, neither have I felt so unwelcome or uncomfortable in any place of work in my life. I felt we were no more than a source of cheap labour. And I had to share my placement. Not work a loss of years pay and running up 17k of debt for.I hated going into the school and it was starting to make me feel ill. I feel better already, it wasn't an easy decision. But hey, onwards and upwards. I still have a degree, that opens doors. I will not regret this decision.

I'm relieved to have found this thread and people who have actually made the decision to leave, rather than force themselves to finish the course.
Can I ask what you're all doing now?

I started my PGCE in September and enjoyed the initial weeks but have had a nagging feeling that this isn't what I really want to do. At the start of this week I had a very bad formal observation that really knocked my confidence. The next day I taught another class which I thought was mediocre but not awful. Afterwards my mentor completely ripped it to shreds, saying it was an 'embarrassment', I'm not warm enough and my subject knowledge is poor. She also said that I was allowed one more lesson with them and if I don't do well, I won't be able to teach them anymore. I was completely humiliated, cried and dreaded seeing her again. Today I had some much better lessons but she made some more comments that I felt went beyond the objective into the personal. I have no problem with criticism, especially if it's constructive, but the way this was delivered just seemed mean.

This experience made me think more closely about the doubts I was already having and I now feel that teaching may not be for me. I love working with young people but the workload, data, targets and 'teaching to the test' just make me feel depressed. I also have almost no time to see my family or boyfriend and I am concerned about my mental health which has been reasonably good for the past year or so after a lot of careful work.

The thought of even doing a pretty boring job but having actual days off seems great right now but I am concerned about leaving mainly because of how it will look on a CV. I personally believe it's a good thing to quit something that you hate and you know you won't go anything further with, but I know employers might not feel the same. So I'm wondering what your experiences have been like?