PGCE 2014 Applications (NOT FOR SPECIFIC INTERVIEW TASK DISCUSSIONS)

You'd think so, but I've heard many schools and teachers have a dislike of teach first because it just throws trainees in the deep end and doesn't help them develop as teachers.

You'd think so, but I've heard many schools and teachers have a dislike of teach first because it just throws trainees in the deep end and doesn't help them develop as teachers.

Good point. It just seems like a tool to send high quality graduates to work with challenged schools.

Ah, I take it you must be primary then? Because their secondary requirements are really low (5 days), which is one reason I'm applying I noticed in the leaflet about exp that the primary section had a lot of requirements.

I think it depends on the school and what they're looking for. Plus, on the trainee and their style. For instance, I know that SCITT wouldn't have suited me - I needed the good grounding in theory and the support of the PGCE team. But for others that doesn't suit them. I think it's more important that the route the trainee takes is the one for them, rather than one specific route being desirable (as they all have pros and cons).

Although, IIRC, many Teach First trainees don't go in to teaching afterwards (and certainly there is no pressure/obligation to do so). Many use it as a career boosting/skill building experience. It also has that air of 'fast tracking to leadership' which I personally don't think is a good path to head down, as we could end up with lots of people 'managing' schools who've had very little experience of actually being teachers (Pretty much running schools like private businesses)!

xxx

Well, I think Michael Gove has very little if any experience of being a teacher. Yet he is the one in charge of the future of British schools.

Where do they say that?

i was just thinking about the personal statement.Do we discuss all the points in it and than in the interview can we elaborate them??or we should keep some stuff to b presented only in the interview?

I've found out I've got a week off uni in a couple of weeks - do you think it's too late to ask the primary school near me if I could do some observation/experience then?
Also I see everyone is talking references - I don't have a clue who to use for mine, my employers don't know me well enough and there's no staff member at uni who knows me well enough either - the only references I have on my existing CV are my sixth form teacher who last taught me 2 years ago, and a lady who worked at the library I volunteered at 3 years ago

I've found out I've got a week off uni in a couple of weeks - do you think it's too late to ask the primary school near me if I could do some observation/experience then?

Is it just me... or does the opening date for the applications on the GTTR website keep changing?

do the three unis know which order you are applying in?

The system has changed this year so that your application gets sent to all of your choices at the same time, unlike previous years when the applications were only passed to your second or third choices in the event of rejections. It means that you might get offered multiple interviews which you'll have to prepare for (and potentially multiple offers to choose between) but at least it's fairer in that there's no 'risking' or 'gambling' involved in picking your choices, so don't worry about whether I not you're likely to get into Reading, just apply to where you want to train and hope for the best.


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We can now book our skills test!

Just out of curiosity I thought I'd check and was greeted with this message!

"Applicants for courses that begin in academic year 2014/15 can now book to take the skills tests."

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/traininganddevelopment/professional/b00211200/registration

PS do we have to pay for the tests? I registered and can only see booking options that involve paying...