Teacher Training Applicants Thread 2019!

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Don’t want to sound rude, as I don’t know your personal circumstances. But bare in mind that often on a PGCE you are placed more than 9 miles away. So if you are sayin that 9 miles is too far for getting some experience, just be mindful you will potentially be further away when you do your PGCE. I was 30 miles and 15 miles away. For my two placements.

oh no I totally understand where you're coming from. For the work experience, I would prefer something closer to home just because I don't want to be spending so much on travel, theres loads of secondary schools near me so I'll be waiting till that comes on the system. I'll be getting paid for the PGCE, so I dont mind the distance and I travel to London daily for uni and work anyway :tongue:

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 41

thenextchemist

Original post by doctorwhofan98

I got an email:

“Dear X

As you are interested in applying for teacher training, you have been registered as a participant on the Department for Education's (DfE) Premier Plus programme.

As a Premier Plus Advisor, I am an experienced teacher and can provide personalised advice on applying for teacher training. In the first instance, please email me to suggest a suitable date and time for an initial phone call so that we can discuss what your next steps might be.

I look forward to hearing from you.”

I’ve got a call scheduled for this afternoon. Was given topics to think about beforehand - general stuff that motivations, school experience and potential barriers - and should be useful. And yeah, if you’re having difficulties then maybe starting from scratch with a new account might help, or phoning them up as live chat seemingly wasn’t too responsive in terms of PP!

thanks so much! I'll phone them up later today :smile:

Reply 42

username1230881

Original post by Bloom77

thanks so much! I'll phone them up later today :smile:

The guy who's my advisor is incredibly friendly and helpful - they're essentially going to be our support through the entire process, checking up on us each week or so once applications open and we can contact them whenever for advice. They can also check personal statements, and help you prepare for specific interviews once offered. Definitely recommend getting an adviser!

Reply 43

thenextchemist

Original post by doctorwhofan98

Thanks for mentioning it, I never would've known!
My advisor is super friendly too! She wasn't able to talk on the phone with me today but we scheduled something for next week and currently communicating by email.
Highly recommend everyone signing up - They'll guide you through your training options, comment on your personal statement, and assist with interview preparation.

Reply 44

chrolloswaifu

Hi everyone! I cannot find where the apply open date is to save my life, so here I am~

Applying for Primary at Newcastle, Birmingham and UCL!

Reply 45

SarcAndSpark

Original post by chrolloswaifu

Hi everyone! I cannot find where the apply open date is to save my life, so here I am~

Applying for Primary at Newcastle, Birmingham and UCL!

I think it doesn't open until about November- so unfortunately you've got a while yet to wait to apply!

Reply 46

chrolloswaifu

Original post by SarcAndSpark

I think it doesn't open until about November- so unfortunately you've got a while yet to wait to apply!

Thank GOD. I was living in fear that I'd missed it!

Reply 47

username1230881

Original post by chrolloswaifu

Hi everyone! I cannot find where the apply open date is to save my life, so here I am~

Applying for Primary at Newcastle, Birmingham and UCL!

UCAS opens on 9th October. I'm applying for Primary too!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 48

thenextchemist

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/teaching-events/online-events/preparing-for-your-2019-application-0

There's an online event today for 2019 applicants :blow:

Reply 49

username1230881

Original post by Bloom77

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/teaching-events/online-events/preparing-for-your-2019-application-0

There's an online event today for 2019 applicants :blow:

I joined the last one and honestly they didn't handle it too well. The interface is very messy for responding to questions, it was rather slow (took ages to respond to questions after a while), and then it abruptly ended - I had submitted a question quite a while before it ended but rather than simply closing it for new questions and addressing all the ones they had left, it simply stopped. If anyone's got a question then it might be worth joining but it isn't a great experience and a standard live chat or phone call would be quicker in most cases.

I'd hoped it would be sort of like an advice thing rather than a badly-handled Q&A of mostly basic questions.

Reply 50

thenextchemist

Original post by doctorwhofan98

I agree, the last session wasn't answered fast enough, one of my many questions were missed :colonhash:

. If you are joining the session, it's best to ask a question at the very start.
It is helpful to read the archive chat if you aren't familiar with teaching/can't make the event.

Reply 51

username1230881

Original post by Bloom77

I agree, the last session wasn't answered fast enough, one of my many questions were missed :colonhash:

. If you are joining the session, it's best to ask a question at the very start.
It is helpful to read the archive chat if you aren't familiar with teaching/can't make the event.

I've had a look at the list of the upcoming ones and they seem to have a more specific focus - primary teaching, skills test, help with UCAS etc. - so hopefully they'll be a little better.

Reply 52

rillette

Original post by Bloom77

thank youu! and good luck! :tongue:

what is your PGCE in?

I'll be doing MFL.

One other very important tip for everyone: do your skills tests as soon as possible. Don't start flapping and reading posts of people panicking about them. These people are the minority. The DfE release official statistics about the skills tests, and last year 80% of candidates passed first time. Do all the practice tests on the government website (you'll have a login for booking your test and for practice) and get it out of the way! You don't want to be flapping about it in August.

Reply 53

username1230881

Original post by rillette

Thanks for the advice! Planning to book them for mid/late November if I can. Mental maths isn't my friend so I'm leaving plenty of time for any potential resits... glad to hear that statistic though. The 'Numeracy QTS Skills Tests - 2018' thread here rather freaked me out.

Reply 54

rillette

Original post by doctorwhofan98

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're a walk in the park, but if you make sure you're prepared and stay calm, you should be absolutely fine. You can also request extra time for numerous reasons, including if English isn't your first language.

You can read the statistics here:
http://sta.education.gov.uk/professional-skills-tests/skills-tests-statistics

Reply 55

thenextchemist

Original post by rillette

I heard you cant take them until you submit your ucas application, is this correct?

Reply 56

rillette

Original post by Bloom77

I heard you cant take them until you submit your ucas application, is this correct?

Pretty sure that's right, as I think that's how you get a login. Otherwise anyone could go and take the tests!

I believe that you can however take the tests before you've received any offers. In fact, one of the training providers who gave me an offer stipulated I had to pass the skills tests within a month of my offer.

Reply 57

username1230881

Original post by Bloom77

I heard you cant take them until you submit your ucas application, is this correct?

You can book them once you’ve registered with UCAS but I think you have to have applied by the time you sit them. If you’ve booked them by the time you send UCAS off, you can enter info about the dates you’ve booked them for in your application.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 58

happyy

Original post by doctorwhofan98

I thinks its best to stay away from the threads on here about the skills tests. They make things sound a lot worse than they are. I just did a mock numeracy test and passed without revising. It's totally doable - you've got this. :smile:

Reply 59

thenextchemist