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PGCE - no placement don't know what to do

Due to issues in my placement school several months ago resulting in anxiety (never had it before), I had to defer my course and placement. Since then I picked myself up again, completed the coursework and spent some extra weeks in a school as requested by the uni. I registered again with the uni and was told that they will confirm the placement in due course. Now I am told that they don't have a placement for me yet and can't give me any indication of when (or if) it will be sorted out. As time goes on I am getting more and more frustrated, and some of my fellow trainees are also in the same situation.

The longer I am out of mainstream schools, the more scared I am to go back. It has been quite difficult to arrange placements myself, either schools do not respond or they want the uni to make the arrangements. People found it strange that the uni doesn't seem to do anything. The support was bad last academic year, this year it is non-existent.

Meanwhile, I feel deskilled and wasted apart from some casual tutoring. I can't commit to a proper paid or voluntary role since I don't know when the placement may materialise. The way it goes I don't trust that they will give me any support so a bit pointless to continue. Don't know whether I should just cut my losses (they are still charging me fees this year) and try another provider a few years down the line, or stay and hope a placement will come up somewhere?

Reply 1

Pierson

Sorry to hear about the lack of support you have been receiving from your university. If you feel the university isn't working hard enough to find you a placement, I would suggest lodging a complaint using the university's complaints procedure. Your Student Union (or teachers' union if you are part of one) may be able to help you with this.

Reply 2

PGCEworkinghard

Original post by Pierson

Thanks, I thought about complaining but had been reluctant to do so in case the uni finds ways to fail me or refuses to give me a good reference later on.