Primary PGCE - What funding am i eligible for?

Mmox_2000

I am hoping to be able to return to Uni in september 2009 to study for a PGCE in Primary Education, however i'm slightly confused about the funding that will be available to me and if i will actually be able to afford to do this - I would be grateful for any advice you have for me.

To set the scene for you:

*I graduated in 2006 and had a full student loan for my undergraduate degree
*Since graduation i have worked full time and have been repaying my student loan through my employment for the majority of this time.
*I will be 24 once the course begins and am unmarried - however i have a mortgage on my house with my partner
*I have not lived with my parents for the past 12months

Basically what i need to know is

1) Will i be entitled to a student loan (the website seems to suggest if you've had a student loan for an undergraduate degree you can't have one for your PGCE?)

2) If i am able to get a student loan will it be based on me being mature student or as i'm under 25 would my parents salaries still be taken into account?

3) As i live with my boyfriend but am not married would his salary be taken into account when calculating what i am entitled to (He is self-employed - would this matter)?

Sorry for all the questions but if anyone has any advice, information or has been through the PGCE process themselve i would be very grateful for your insight!

Many thanks:T

Prudent

If you have financial commitments like a mortgage please be aware that it is very hard to get a teaching job in many areas. In Scotland there are often 300 applicants per jobs with some posts attracating up to 700 applicants. Unemployed teachers (many if whom have been in the position for 3- 4 years) are lobbying parliament about the continued misleading information about the job situation. I believe in many areas of England and Wales it is just as bad.

I am a teacher and love my job. I am lucky enough to have a permenent post. Many new teachers stuggle to even get a couple of days of supply a month. Read the TES forums.

Sneezy

So is it even worth training to be a primary school teacher (via OU)?

I was planning on completing a Maths degree and doing a primary PGCE....

poet123

I don't think the prospects are as bleak as the poster above implies,not in my experience anyway.

Oldernotwiser

Sneezy wrote: »

So is it even worth training to be a primary school teacher (via OU)?

I was planning on completing a Maths degree and doing a primary PGCE....

You can't do a primary PGCE with the OU, only secondary.

Sol00

Mmox_2000 wrote: »

I am hoping to be able to return to Uni in september 2009 to study for a PGCE in Primary Education, however i'm slightly confused about the funding that will be available to me and if i will actually be able to afford to do this - I would be grateful for any advice you have for me.

To set the scene for you:

*I graduated in 2006 and had a full student loan for my undergraduate degree
*Since graduation i have worked full time and have been repaying my student loan through my employment for the majority of this time.
*I will be 24 once the course begins and am unmarried - however i have a mortgage on my house with my partner
*I have not lived with my parents for the past 12months

Basically what i need to know is

1) Will i be entitled to a student loan (the website seems to suggest if you've had a student loan for an undergraduate degree you can't have one for your PGCE?)

2) If i am able to get a student loan will it be based on me being mature student or as i'm under 25 would my parents salaries still be taken into account?

3) As i live with my boyfriend but am not married would his salary be taken into account when calculating what i am entitled to (He is self-employed - would this matter)?

Sorry for all the questions but if anyone has any advice, information or has been through the PGCE process themselve i would be very grateful for your insight!

Many thanks:T

You can get funding for the PGCE course, and it's just the same as if you were an undergrad student.

If you want the full entitlement available to you, then you would need to include your partner's income in the assessment.

Sneezy

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You can't do a primary PGCE with the OU, only secondary.

Hi Older Not Wiser,

I know that, but hopefully by the time i have finished my degree (poss 2015) they will be offering it, although i will be willing to go FT at any uni for a PGCE, i just wanted to know if it was worth me hoping to get into Primary School teaching.

Thanks for your response

dmg24

Funding for teacher training changes on an almost yearly basis, so don't rely on the current situation as an indication of what may be in six years time.

If you want to do a maths degree, have you looked at secondary teaching? Your maths knowledge will be wasted at primary level. Also, you will need to have lots of experience working with children to get a place on a primary PGCE.

Good luck! x

Oldernotwiser

Sneezy wrote: »

Hi Older Not Wiser,

I know that, but hopefully by the time i have finished my degree (poss 2015) they will be offering it, although i will be willing to go FT at any uni for a PGCE, i just wanted to know if it was worth me hoping to get into Primary School teaching.

Thanks for your response

You can always hope but they've never done it before. PGCEs through the OU are all for shortage subjects; primary teaching is in quite the opposite situation, being very competitive, oversubscribed and unlikely to change in the current financial climate. I'd plan on doing a traditional PGCE and if, by any chance, the OU do start to offer it, that'll be a bonus.

yalisrib

Been there, done that, got the straight jacket!

When I did mine 3 years ago EVERYONE got £6000 over the year which worked out at about £400 a month which all were entilted to regardless of income or living arrangements, you should recieve a letter from the uni or funding department giving you all the details.

One thing I found helpful when sorting out student loans was the student loan and grant calculator for which you stick in all your details and it gives most of the answers:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/Doitonlinestudentfinance/DG_10035908


PS. Prudent is right about jobs. In the last 3 years since qualifying I have had just 1 full time job. The first 2 years consisted of supply and TA work as the market is saturated with teachers who assume it is a guaranteed job security, especially as the government are paying for people to do the PGCE, giving the impression they are desperate for teachers. Many schools don't like taking on NQTs either as they require more support and time off than other staff. My advice would be to get to know the heads of the 2 placements you are in really well and even if you think the place is pants, attend staff meetings and help with every club, school fair and trip going, so if a position beacomes avaliable you can apply for it and have a better chance of getting it.

Good Luck!