school experience

Hi,
I'm going into my second year of uni and have my heart set on a teaching career, I have experience tutoring within a school and am doing NCOP tutoring next year however I have no actual school experience (like shadowing a teacher)
how have others managed to secure this? have you contacted a school privately via email/phone?

Reply 1

madmirrors

19

Original post by annamarshall2727

Hi,
I'm going into my second year of uni and have my heart set on a teaching career, I have experience tutoring within a school and am doing NCOP tutoring next year however I have no actual school experience (like shadowing a teacher)
how have others managed to secure this? have you contacted a school privately via email/phone?

I don't think teaching experience is even necessary to apply to a PGCE. I got offered places to do a PGCE and I had no experience working in a school. I decided teaching wasn't for me and I'm now doing a masters degree in September instead.

Reply 2

username1230881

18

Original post by annamarshall2727

Hi,
I'm going into my second year of uni and have my heart set on a teaching career, I have experience tutoring within a school and am doing NCOP tutoring next year however I have no actual school experience (like shadowing a teacher)
how have others managed to secure this? have you contacted a school privately via email/phone?

Just contact schools individually - you'll probably face a lot of rejections or simply be ignored, but it's to be expected, as schools are busy places! Email as many as you can, and follow up with a phone call a few weeks later if you haven't secured anything by then. They might want you to have a DBS (Enhanced) certificate, or they might accept you but not allow you to be left alone with any students/children. If you persist you'll eventual find experience but it might take a while. If you know any teachers, via family or family friends, then that'd be a really good place to start. Broaden your geographical horizons a bit if necessary and be prepared to commute. I'm sure you'd be useful in a school, but from the school's perspective they won't know that and often don't want the 'hassle' of organising work experience.

Building on what madmirrors said, school experience technically isn't a requirement anymore for getting onto teacher training courses. However, I'd really recommend it, as it's arguably the only way to know if teaching is really for you. Some courses are also particularly competitive - particularly primary - so you'd struggle to compete against someone with experience for an interview or place, plus generally there's no harm in it!

If you're considering primary, definitely get experience across the key stages. There's two PGCE routes to choose from - 3-7 or 5-11 - so it's worth volunteering in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 if possible, but at least two of the three. Reception is very, very different to Year 6, and it's even quite a contrast to Year 1!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 3

airfixfighter

8

If you struggle to get local schools and you're in England, then DfE has a school experience programme if you register with them.

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/school-experience

Reply 4

happyy

14

Original post by annamarshall2727

Hi,
I'm going into my second year of uni and have my heart set on a teaching career, I have experience tutoring within a school and am doing NCOP tutoring next year however I have no actual school experience (like shadowing a teacher)
how have others managed to secure this? have you contacted a school privately via email/phone?

My biggest tip, is to ring up the school instead of emailing. This forces them to give you a real answer on the phone, instead of ignoring you. They tend to be more accommodating if your say are doing an afternoon a week, instead of 3 random days.

Reply 5

lnelsonxx

6

Original post by annamarshall2727

Hi,
I'm going into my second year of uni and have my heart set on a teaching career, I have experience tutoring within a school and am doing NCOP tutoring next year however I have no actual school experience (like shadowing a teacher)
how have others managed to secure this? have you contacted a school privately via email/phone?

I would email/call schools directly. Just Google schools in your area and get in contact!
Good luck x

school experience

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