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PGDE/CE work experience

Does having lots of work experience in a school class room and befriending- increase your chances of being accepted on to the PGDE/CE course(s)?.

Reply 1

kpwxx

Original post by Ethic811W

Does having lots of work experience in a school class room and befriending- increase your chances of being accepted on to the PGDE/CE course(s)?.

Experience is very helpful, but what's most important is quality not quantity.

If you go in to a classroom for ages but can't say what you've actually learned from the experience/what it's made you think about then that's not any good.

On the other side you could have had the minimum amount of experience but reflected really well on what you've seen and how this could input into your practice and this would be of much more benefit.

Obviously the ideal situation is lots of experience that you learn really well from. But that's not always realistic. They aren't looking for fully formed teachers, they are looking for people with potential! So it's definitely still worth going for it if you don't have too much experience, but if you can get more then I'd say go for it as it's all so valuable and something you don't get much chance to do when you actually start teaching.

xxx

Reply 2

Steveluis10

Most if not all Universities will require you to have been in a classroom since leaving school either to observe or to help out in some way. My Uni required 10 days which is the amount I had when I had my interview and they asked me questions about my experience - what did I think was good about what I observed and what I thought I would have done differently had I been the teacher. They seemed to like my answers.

When I got offered my conditional they requested I gain 10 more days in a secondary school in addition to the one I had already been to (my old high school) so that I'd have more of an experience of different schools than just the one I'd grown up in. I completed that as soon as I could.

I'm not going to lie - I completed both purely so I'd fulfil the reauirements to get onto the course. However once I was there I actually really learned a lot and loved my time there. I was given the opportunity to teach a five minute starter for a year 9 class which was a scary but rewarding experience. I would have stayed longer if I could have done.

As part of my pre course requirements I also was asked to undertake a three day experience in a primary school observing year 5 and 6 primarily. Whilst I didn't find this overly helpful because it's a world away from secondary teaching, I was still allowed to stand in front of a class and take a spelling activity with them which I enjoyed and gave me a tiny bit more experience in front of a class before I begin my PGCE.

I'd say definitely get 2 weeks experience minimum when you come to apply.

Reply 3

polka_dott

I would say the more the better in helping you feel more confident in interacting with children and being in a school environment, it is not only useful for interview etc!

PGDE/CE work experience

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