distance learning a levels

rjh090384

hi

i want to get some a levels to go on to do primary school teaching

i have 4 as levels from 2001 grades cc and dd. i dont know if i can carry them on or if i have to start from scratch.

can anyone advise on the best distance learning type place to do these with and prices? there seem to be a lot online but how do i know what the best is?

i was going togo to tech but cant get it to fit in with my ful time job and baby. i do however have time at night to study when baby is in bed.

any advice appreciated.

thanks

student_advisor

Why don't you give up full-time work and do an Access course? This is equivalent to A-Levels, but is one year full-time or 2 years part-time and is designed for adults coming back to education.

Speak to a careers advisor at your local college or visit careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/ for help and advice about the best (and cheapest) route available to you.

If you didn't complete your A-Levels, don't have any other level 3 qualifications and are under 25, you won't have to pay fees for a full level 3 qualification. If you don't fall into this bracket, you might qualify for fee remission on the basis of your income/receipt of benefits.

elegant_elephant

I've just completed my history A level by flexi learning (Edexcel). It was run through my local further education college & I was able to access about 10 tutorial sessions. As it was flexi-study I did not have a time limit to complete the A level. I started the course in 2005 (and worked in the evening when my baby was asleep) and sat the AS exams in summer 2006. I began the A level course in Jan 2009 ( when baby number 2 was in bed!) and sat the exams in June.

I don't know if this would apply to your situation, you should probably contact the place where you sat your AS levels as you might have to make sure you follow the A level syllabus of the same examining board for your AS levels to count.

The cost for the one A level was approx £210 plus £130 for tutorials, exam fees were also extra - approx £90 I think. I believe you can get fees waived if you are in receipt of working tax credit but don't quote me on that!

Good Luck! Hope you achieve your goals!

rjh090384

thanks student advisor but i cant afford to give up full time work with a mortgage to pay and a baby to buy stuff for!! i am 25 so miss out on that bracket. also our combined income is £35000
thanks elegant - i dont get working tax cedit cos our income too high!

Oldernotwiser

You don't mention what experience you have but you won't get into primary teaching without a considerable amount of it. You need to also consider whether you plan to do a subject degree + PGCE or go straight onto a BEd - there are things to be said for both routes.

You could look at studying with the OU which would mean that you could start your degree this year and do the whole thing part time, only needing to leave work to do your PGCE. Alternatively, having checked first with your university, you could study with them for a year and use this as an alternative entry qualification to A levels or Access.

One thing to bear in mind is that you must have a GCSE (Grade C or over) in English, Maths and a Science for primary teaching.

rjh090384

hi
i want to do primary school teaching using the bED route. i havent any experience but this has been my dream since i was in p2!!! i will however get some work experience and take a week off work to do this.

i have good gcse 3a's 5b's and a c and love studying so no question to my academic abilities is just getting the damn qualifications. i was very ill during my a/s year so dont even know how i managed to pull that off!

Oldernotwiser

rjh090384 wrote: »

hi
i want to do primary school teaching using the bED route. i havent any experience but this has been my dream since i was in p2!!! i will however get some work experience and take a week off work to do this.

i have good gcse 3a's 5b's and a c and love studying so no question to my academic abilities is just getting the damn qualifications. i was very ill during my a/s year so dont even know how i managed to pull that off!

I don't mean to be negative but a week's work experience isn't going to be nearly enough. You'll be competing with people who've worked as LSAs and those who've done substantial amounts of voluntary work with this age group. Primary school teaching is exceptionally competitive these days.

I think that this is the area you need to prioritise as getting the entry qualifications will be much simpler.

rjh090384

no ur not being negative, i appreciate the feedback. by lsa's do u mean classroom assistants? we dont have many of these here in northern ireland and the ones that are in these posts are generally qualified so that isnt an option for me. cant think of anywhere i could do any other experience

[Deleted User]

Other ways to get the experience would be to volunteer - www.do-it.org is a good place to look, or you could contact local schools directly, I'm not sure about NI, but where I am you can volunteer after school to help struggling kids with reading and writing - I imagine you could do this sort of thing for an afternoon or 2 a week for the duration of your studies.

rjh090384

thanks had a look there. the only thing coming up in mine and surrounding areas is girl guides so i might give that a go.i would be certaintly willing to volunteer during my course as this would negate a move to england or scotland anyway

Oldernotwiser

rjh090384 wrote: »

thanks had a look there. the only thing coming up in mine and surrounding areas is girl guides so i might give that a go.i would be certaintly willing to volunteer during my course as this would negate a move to england or scotland anyway

If you want to look at primary teaching, choose Brownies and Cubs as these are the appropriate age group.