Should I give up my job to retrain as a High School Teacher?

lauzellen

Good luck! I qualified as a secondary science teacher July 2008 - no job as of yet as I am on maternity (fell pregnant during the course, but managed to finish it 6 weeks before lo was born), but there are plenty of jobs for me to apply for starting Sept 2009. It is a hard, time consuming, demanding yet throughly rewarding course. When you get to interview you are likely to be expected to deliver either a "presentation" on how you would go about teaching a lesson on a topic of your choice or to teach a short lesson to a small group of children (this is what i had to do) - I would advise you plan into this lesson (or lesson plan) alot of interaction with the children, using many different "learning styles" such as role play, hands on activities like card sorting, videos (if poss), ict, questions - try to make it fun! Also at the end of the lesson/lesson plan have something called a plenary in which you use an activity, or questions (via a fun quiz maybe) to try to gauge whether the pupils have learnt the "learning objectives" of the lesson. I would also stress the experience you have of working with children via the coaching + if poss get a week in a primary school before the interview stage.

If you want any help/tips PM me.

starsinmycrown wrote: »

i'm not sure about how it is in scotland, but in england you must complete an nqt year in a job, by a certain time limit ( i think an academic year, if not you must apply for an extension) in order to be actually qualified.quote]

You have 5 years from gaining your PGCE to complete the induction year and all 3 terms do not have to be completed in the same school!

Again good luck with your application

ecgirl07

Am currently coming to the end of my probation year as a primary teacher and I would strongly advise against doing the course because to put it simply there are no primary teaching jobs in Scotland. Glasgow city council is closing 21 schools and by june 09 will have 60 surplus primary teachers on its books. All supply work was stopped bar extreme long term leave so there is no supply work in glasgow til april. I believe the story is similar all over the central belt.

For my year coming to the end of its probation year the future lies teaching abroad or working in asda on the nightfill hoping for the odd day of supply trying to get a foot in the door.

Think very carefully because you will have a year as a student then a years wage of £21K then nothing - and thats a challenge (not to mention kick in the proverbials) for those of us who love teaching.

ps excuse spelling etc its a long weekend and im off the clock (as much as teacher ever is );)

HockeyDuo8083

Got the GTTR welcome pack yesterday AND a confirmation letter from Dundee Uni. At least things are moving so now i just need to wait and see if I get an interview.

lauzellen - thanks for you comments, this is very helpful. I welcome any advice when it comes to interview stage. Interviews are scary!!:eek:

I have also made the decision to get some classroom work if I get accepted to the course. A few places I have researched do summer schools which require Classroom Assistants. I am thinking anything school based will help in gaining experience.

I am still operating on the basis that I won't get accepted as to not get hopes up! There is a lot of competition out there but there are lots of options if I don't get accepted through to any of my first choice institutes.

Thanks for all your thoughts and experiences, good to hear what other peeps are going through.KEEP THEM COMING!:D

lauzellen

You're welcome! I know how scary an interview can be, especially when its not just straightforward Q&A! Another little tip - if you do have to teach a lesson take sticky labels and pens with you for the children to write their names on so you can actually direct questions at particular pupils - it really does help you (so much less nerve wrecking than asking for an answer in general and no-one putting their hand up or trying to direct a question "you boy" lol. Directing the questions also will help with keeping their attention.

Think about what the op said about primary teachers in scotland tho - you may decide secondary will be the way to go to ensure employment.

Keep us updated x

HockeyDuo8083

Got the letter from Dundee offering me an interview. According to the letter it will take approx 20mins with 2 panel members.
Questiosn likely to be asked are:

1. Why do you want to be a Secondary Teacher?
2. Your awareness of the Scottish educational system
3. Any current education initiatives in Scotland you have read about
4. How your subject contributes to the general education of Scottish pupils
5. Discuss any experiences you have of working with young people and how these experiences may help you in the classroom.

Interview is next Wednesday and I am very scared!!!!:eek:

SO...

Any tips are greatly received!!

Edit: The interview is for PGCE(Secondary) Home Economics

WidgetP

Hello! Just been reading your thread! I think it is fantastic you are going for it.

I don't think you should let the current economic situation hold you back from going for your dream. I just think it should make you be a bit more aware of job situations. You have enough savings for this to be a sensible decision.

Well done for getting the interview! Just be yourself and show your drive and passion. Do all the research and you will shine!

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

-Becky

HockeyDuo8083

Interview tomorrow, SO NERVOUS!! Wish me luck xx

seven-day-weekend

Good luck and I wish you well.

lauzellen

Sorry i didn't see your post about your interview before now...

You may also be asked how you could contribute to general school life i.e. what you could/would be willing to do outside of the classroom. Any hobbies or interests that you could bring into school? Extra-curricular activities you could either offer yourself or get involved in?

They may also ask...
1. Are there any gaps in your knowledge? What are you doing or plan to do to address those gaps?

2. How does your degree relate to national curriculum requirements?

3. How could you make the curriculum accessible to children? Also how could you make it interesting to children?

4. What aspect of your chosen subject area do you feel most/least confident in? --- demonstrate you know your strengths and weaknesses and what you will do to address weaknesses and possibly build on strengths. Relates to gaps in knowledge too.

5. What aspects of the course interested you? i.e. why this uni, why this course.

6. What will you bring to the course?

7. What factors have lead you to choose teaching as a career?

8. They may ask you if you have observed any lessons in a school. If you have they will ask what you thought was good about the lesson and why. Possibly also how you think the lesson could be improved.

9. Why have you chosen to teach secondary school level?

If asked about hobbies in general try to link it back to teaching and what you could offer and how it would help you in your day to day teaching. Most importantly convey your passion for both your chosen subject and teaching.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!!

HockeyDuo8083

Thanks peeps. I have been trying to prep as much as possible. I have read up on the Curriculum of Excellence, Assessment is for Learning and National Prorities. I have also looked into, with interest, at Health Promotion in schools. I think this relates well to Home Economics as it is mainly about food! Lol.
I also have looked into the Scottish Curriculum and some Offsted reports on Home Economics.
With regards to HE contributing to the general education of pupils see extract from Personal Statement:
With the recent economic downturn it has been noted in the press and by suppliers that people are turning to more traditional methods of living. Cooking from scratch, crafting and mending and learning to balance a house hold budget. These are just the tip of the iceberg but they are all attributes I had learned from Standard Grade Home Economics which have placed me in strong position in recent months. It is now more important than ever to arm young people with the correct attitude and skill set so they can go on in life and manage no matter what situation they find themselves in.


Sadly I do not have any classroom experience but I intend top draw on my experience working with children via coaching at hockey. I also plan to mention I have applied for half a dozen Classroom Assistant jobs at local secondary schools.
Just going to be myself and hope I can win them over, 20mins to shine isn't very long but will probably feel like 20hours when I'm there!