Want to see what PGCE is like but scared

I recently finished a Masters and I want to do a PGCE but I’m afraid that I won’t like it and would drop out.I’ve also heard of all the horror stories of not having a social life. I was apart of many societies and played sports and I wanted to know whether I’d have time to do that as well as the course. I love English and I’d want to see what it’s like to teach it but I just don’t know I’d really appreciate HONEST AND INTELLIGENT answers that are devoid of rudeness Thanks

Reply 1

Yasuda

tbh it's only a year so it's not much of a sacrifice if you want to give it a go, even if you end up hating it.

Reply 2

SKrrrrr

That’s very true l- I just don’t want to regret it you know what I mean

Reply 3

S27

Online, you will only ever hear the bad stuff. People are more likely to be motivated to complain than praise. I had an excellent time on my course and honestly had way more free time than the final year of my degree.

Reply 4

Sceptical_John

Spend some time in a school before you decide to do the pgce?

Reply 5

SKrrrrr

Original post by S27

It’s really good to finally hear positives of the course

Reply 6

SKrrrrr

Original post by Sceptical_John

Spend some time in a school before you decide to do the pgce?

I tried to gain experience in a school but to no avail

Reply 7

Sceptical_John

Original post by SKrrrrr

I tried to gain experience in a school but to no avail

well try harder. I imagine most places won't take you on unless you have some experience.

Reply 8

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

@04MR17 might be able to offer some advice about the PGCE and the process of qualifying as a teacher generally

Reply 9

Yasuda

Original post by SKrrrrr

I tried to gain experience in a school but to no avail

Try contacting the primary school you went to and ask to volunteer there. That's how I got my experience :smile:

Reply 10

SKrrrrr

Original post by YasudaSayo

Try contacting the primary school you went to and ask to volunteer there. That's how I got my experience :smile:

That’s a good idea however, most are on holiday now :/. I think I’ll just apply and see how it goes tbh

Reply 11

SarcAndSpark

Original post by SKrrrrr

I did a Secondary PGCE last year, and I did manage to have a bit of a social life. I know people who kept up with sports/hobbies too. I do think it would be hard to be active in lots of societies, but if you picked one or two hobbies to keep up, it's definitely possible to have a bit of a life outside the PGCE- and you do have the holidays!

It is hard work, but some people are more organised than others, and to be honest the people who kept up something outside of teaching seemed to cope better with the stress than those who didn't.

The key thing that will be a drain on your time is placements- most people I know ended up with a bit of a commute to placement too. I was usually out of the house from about 6.30-5.30 at my placement, with a commute of about an hour each way, and then doing more work at home too. My second placement was much closer, and I was out of the house more like 7-5(ish) and getting more of my work done in school. I did a few hours of work each weekend too (sometimes more if a deadline was coming up or it was nearing the end of placement and I had uni admin to do).

Some unis do pile on the admin more and there will be times when you are really stressed/busy/tired- especially when you're applying for jobs and trekking to interviews on top of everything else!

If you're interested in teaching but not sure about the workload, then I would say go for it! If you're thinking about the PGCE because you love English and you're not sure what else to do, I would definitely suggest looking at other careers/options as well.

Reply 12

Muttley79

Original post by SKrrrrr

I tried to gain experience in a school but to no avail

You really need to do this and would be unlikely to get accepted without it. How many schools did you approach and who did you approach?

Reply 13

SKrrrrr

Original post by SarcAndSpark

Thank you so much for this- I really appreciate it and it has taken away a lot of my fears about the PGCE, and I would want to teach so I could be the teacher I never had a teacher that cares about students as well as their success as well as making English fun 😀

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 14

SKrrrrr

Original post by Muttley79

You really need to do this and would be unlikely to get accepted without it. How many schools did you approach and who did you approach?

I approached some local schools in my area as well as my former secondary and primary school but to no avail

Reply 15

Muttley79

Original post by SKrrrrr

I approached some local schools in my area as well as my former secondary and primary school but to no avail

What time of year? I'm a teacher and love the job :smile:

You do need to persist to get a response ... maybe PM me what you said and how many school you asked.

Reply 16

SarcAndSpark

Original post by SKrrrrr

Do be aware that in placement schools especially, you may be limited in how much freedom you have to teach how you would like. I know some people felt very constrained by the limits their schools put on them.

When looking for work experience, having contacts really helps. Do you know anyone who works in a school at all? Even if it's the wrong age group, they may be able to help with contacts.