Advice for PGCE in PCE?

I've been offered a place on a PCET course and I only have a few cumulative days' experience on a reading program with years 7 - 9. I think with most of these courses they don't expect you to have as much experience as with Secondary PGCEs because it's much harder to organise it. They didn't even care that I had the experience I did have, I think it's more about subject knowledge and what you can bring to the role.

It won't count against you to have experience with a different age group, it'll help if anything.

[...] So, im currently doing Law and am going into my third year in Sep. Im hoping to become a A-Level teacher. The thing is i have no experience in schools/that kind of eviroment. Im guessing this will be a huge disadvatnage for me? It's not possible to get experience this summer as im pregnant and due to give birth in July. Hopfully i can get some for Christmas but am i right in thinking some of the interviews are before then?

Also, im looking into doing a teaching assistant course from home in the hope it would show my interest in the subject? It would only be a NCFC course (i think thats what its called) but do you think this will help me get onto the PGCE?

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

yellow96's advice is good.

Having just had a baby myself, I would advise against doing the NCFE course because it will not increase your chances of getting onto the course, you will probably not have the time nor energy to do it when your baby comes anyway, and your money would be better spent elsewhere.

If you want to do a course then look for the Award in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS); it is actually part of the PGCE PCE itself, and costs around £100-250 (you might be able to get subsidises for it since you have a child). Your local college should offer it and smaller learning centres might offer it too. Typically, it lasts 12 weeks and you attend one three-hour session per week. You can take these courses all year round. My local college back home is starting two next month, one on Monday evening (17:30-20:30) and one on Friday morning (09:30-12:30), and both cost £210.

The PGCE PCE is basically just an intensive course which combines three existing qualifications: the PTLLS, and then the certificate and diploma equivalents at a higher level. The problem for you is that you cannot take the certificate and diploma until you have the PTLLS and you need to have organised teaching time too. Typically, this route is for people who already work in the FE sector but have never had the opportunity to pick up a teaching qualification. Of course, it is backwards nonsense. You teach... to get a certificate to show that you are qualified to teach... But that is the education sector all over. Basically, the PGCE PCE simplifies everything and provides you with a placement, which is why it is becoming more popular. If you managed to get the PTLLS qualification before you applied you would definitely get an offer I can assure you.

In terms of getting onto a PGCE, I also applied to the same university as yellow96, and I have an interview at another university next month too. I do not really have any experience in further education (except mentoring), and my main experience is in secondary and higher education. It is almost impossible to organise experience in FE unless you know someone who works there already, because they are so apathetic and unorganised. Most secondary teachers know the hoops people have to jump through so they are usually happy to give people classroom experience.

Anyway, whoever is interviewing you will tell you that you unlikely to be teaching A-level law by itself, and that you need to think about what you can offer. I have a degree in English and I am doing a masters at the moment, and the person at Cardiff actually suggested I could do numeracy because I had a GCSE in mathematics. That is the kind of thinking you will encounter in this sector.

Thank you so much, thats been really helpful. Im going to look into doing that course now instead. Do the awarding body need to be city and guilds? Ive checked some out online but it says on this one its edexcel? Would this make a difference or do i need to undertake the city and guilds one?

Thanks again

I cannot imagine it would make any difference so long as it was the same qualification. Which university would you be applying to out of interest?

I'll be applying to a few but am hoping to get into Birmingham City as its the one closest to home. I go there currently so am hoping this will help in my favour. My partner has a really well paid job here in Birmingham so it wouldnt be practical to move with a child really. I suppose if i dont get in at BCU ill be applying to Sunderland as a back up.

Sunderland is where my interview is next month. I come from the north east so it is the most obvious choice for me in that sense, but I am down in Bristol at the moment so that is why I applied to Cardiff first.

Good luck with your interview.

Im really worried about my chances of getting onto the course with no experience. Im hoping to do this course from home so i can work at my own pace. Im not sure how much time im going to have on an evening when the new baby comes and dont want to overload myself. Ill be starting my dissertation over the summer holidays for my final year too so ill be super busy.

Do you think this is the right course?
http://www.ncchomelearning.co.uk/PreparingtoTeachintheLifelongLearningSectorPTLLS-Product-615.html