Advice needed: Considering switching from Secondary to Primary after PGDE
Hello all,
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
Reply 1
Original post by Jessica2121
Hello all,
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
While a teaching qualification does qualify you for both primary and secondary, I do think you would have a harder time than you expect getting a primary job after training in secondary. Primary has a very hefty requirement in terms of subject knowledge, and I feel like primary schools would be dubious about hiring a teacher who's never been trained to teach phonics and other important primary topics. It's also important to note that there isn't really a shortage of primary teachers - in most areas, schools will have a good amount of applications for any role advertised, so they won't need to 'settle' for a non-specialist.
You are still relatively early in your PGDE course - have you spoken to your training provider about the difficulties you're having? I personally don't think it's worth pushing through with the course when you know you don't want to pursue secondary teaching, as you'll be making your life much harder down the line.
Original post by Jessica2121
Hello all,
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
I'm 3 months in to my Secondary PGDE and I've been finding the placement really tough. It's not just the workload that's been getting to me, it's the whole Secondary school environment.
When I was in school I absolutely loved Primary school; it was a safe haven and happy place for me. I never adjusted to Secondary school and always missed Primary school. I honestly thought I'd never become a Secondary school teacher, however 10 years after graduating I decided that I would in fact like to be a teacher, and that it would feel completely different coming back to that environment so much older and wiser.
I was getting on reasonably well during the first 2-3 weeks, but I'm at the end of week 6 now and I'm feeling burnt out. It was during week 4 that I first started having thoughts that this was maybe not the right career for me. This past week I've dreaded going in every day. I mostly enjoy teaching the first years, but I have 2nd and 3rd year classes that I'm struggling with. I love teaching 4-12 year olds (I have experience teaching one-on-one with all age groups from 4 to adults), however I find teenagers a lot more difficult to get through to. I'm finding the environment hectic, and some of the kids difficult to handle. Some of them are lovely though and really make it (almost) worth it.
Just to clarify; the reason I decided to go with Secondary teaching is because I wanted to teach a specific subject. I knew going in that this was not the age group I would be most comfortable with.
I've been really down this week to the point I've almost not been able to motivate myself to go in to school. This week I had a Primary School visit; it's essentially a day where you observe a P7 class at a local Primary school and take notes on how it's different to Secondary school.
I was sort of hoping I wouldn't enjoy it, and I'd get to the end of the day feeling like Secondary was more suited to me. Unfortunately I really enjoyed it...! The environment was so different. The kids were just that little bit younger, they weren't playing on their phones or talking back to the teacher, the bell wasn't going every 45 minutes causing a new wave of disruption. I just got this feeling at the end of the day that I'd enjoy this environment so much more, despite not getting the chance to go in-depth with my subject like I would in Secondary school.
Anyway my current plan after today is to just stick out the Secondary PGDE and possibly try to get in to Primary after that. Has anyone had this same experience, and does anyone out there have any advice on how to transfer over from Secondary to Primary? Or has anyone had this same experience at this point in their placement but come to enjoy Secondary more over time?
It's a confusing time so any help or thoughts much appreciated- thanks!
Hi, I'm interested to know what you ended up doing? Have you began to enjoy secondary?
Reply 3
Original post by Claire199
Hi, I'm interested to know what you ended up doing? Have you began to enjoy secondary?
I'm really glad you've replied right at this moment, I haven't re-read my original post since I posted it but this has been on my mind a lot lately. Everything I've written is still true right now. I've somehow managed to make it all the way through my second placement and Probation year; it's been really tough and although there have been some great moments I've pretty much decided not to continue with Secondary.
I'm actually going for some interviews this week for support roles at Primary schools, with the hope of transitioning to Primary teaching the following year if I'm sure it's for me.
I do thank bluebeetle for their advice; maybe I've made life a lot harder for myself, but by not quitting the Secondary PGDE at least I'm fully qualified to teach now rather than just coming to the end of another unpaid student year. Teaching is tough, and I think you have to REALLY want to do in order to make it worth it. One thing I would do differently is go and spend a few days or weeks (or even get a support job) in both a Primary and Secondary school before deciding which PGDE to do. My course had an almost 50% drop-out rate. Although I'm a bit worried about the future, I think if I really want to do it, then it will happen. If I'm wishy-washy in the middle then maybe it won't happen, and in that case another job might suit me better anyway. Are you having similar thoughts, or just curious? Happy to answer any questions if you're unsure about whether Primary or Secondary is for you.
I have got a place to study secondary starting this August, like you I'm passionate about the subject but I'm worried as it's not the age group I'm most comfortable with either.
I do really want to teach my subject though. I think as the times getting closer to starting I'm getting more worried about having made the wrong decision.
I do really want to teach my subject though. I think as the times getting closer to starting I'm getting more worried about having made the wrong decision.
Original post by Claire199
I have got a place to study secondary starting this August, like you I'm passionate about the subject but I'm worried as it's not the age group I'm most comfortable with either.
I do really want to teach my subject though. I think as the times getting closer to starting I'm getting more worried about having made the wrong decision.
I do really want to teach my subject though. I think as the times getting closer to starting I'm getting more worried about having made the wrong decision.
What exactly concerns you? I love teaching Maths and, although I am a Governor in a Primary school I would find teaching some subjects less enjoyable. You also don't see the same students every day!
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