Pgce

kajstring24

Gleeful wrote: »

I did Secondary Music too! I did find it's not quite the 'shortage' subject that the TDA would have you believe. I'm one of the lucky 50% of my course who have secured a job.

I loved my interview teaching lesson. I treated the interviewer as I would a pupil, and I think it helped me get onto my course.

Our course was 25 strong and I think only 5 of us managed to get jobs, and even then I'm only on a one year contract. Which uni did you do your PGCE with?

Gleeful

kajstring24 wrote: »

Our course was 25 strong and I think only 5 of us managed to get jobs, and even then I'm only on a one year contract. Which uni did you do your PGCE with?

University of Cumbria. There were about 19 of us. What about you?

I've managed to land myself a permanent job and I'm starting on spine point 3. I can't quite believe it!

kajstring24

Gleeful wrote: »

University of Cumbria. There were about 19 of us. What about you?

I've managed to land myself a permanent job and I'm starting on spine point 3. I can't quite believe it!

Bloody hell, nice one! :beer:

I did mine at Edge Hill University, I was actually on placement with a lass from Cumbria uni who was on the history course. Small world.

Gleeful

kajstring24 wrote: »

Bloody hell, nice one! :beer:

I did mine at Edge Hill University, I was actually on placement with a lass from Cumbria uni who was on the history course. Small world.

I applied there first and they wouldn't let me on the course!

marmitequeen

ultimatedingbat wrote: »

Hey Marmite.
I also do Creative Writing as the other half of my degree which is purely english.
Im hoping the school experience will back up the weaknesses from my degree.

HI, sorry for delay in replying - been crunching A level results

There's nothing at all weak about your degree - journalism and creative writing is perfect for primary. As others have said you need 40%of your degree in a nat curric subject but it doesn't have to be the same label as a nat curric subject - therefore journalism will count for English. With the creative writing that's really desirable.

Just get into schools. I can't remember where you are at the moment. If you're in the SE and want to visit a sec sch PM me!

house_elf

Hi, can't resist joining in!

Did my PGCE in secondary science 3 years ago. (Worcester). This is my 3rd year as a real teacher at a special school where I teach maths!. (Can't believe it! It has gone so fast!).

Well done on getting lots of voluntary experience in schools. You can refer to this in your personal statement and your interview. (I had lots, as I was a careers adviser for 15 years and had helped out in my childrens schools. Got three!).

You have already identified your potential weaknesses. Career change and degree subject. Use your journalistic skills to put a positive spin on these! Were you keeping your options open by doing the creative writing as well? You must be able to demonstrate a passion for your subject from your degree choice.

Skills you may want to highlight would be organisational skills. ie personal organisation, organising others and time management. All things which I have found very difficult as a teacher. Your life will be so much easier if your are an organised, tidy person. IT skills would be essential. One school I was on placement at the music teacher did all his lessons from an iPod!

Use your interview as an opportunity to show you can come up with inspirational ideas. End on a WOW! I prepared a fun quiz on careers in Science for my teaching taster. The head of the course asked to keep the handout afterwards.(This was a good sign). Another girl got the group to make cells out of playdough. That was fun!!!

I could go on.......we have just had an OFSTED inspection at school. The inspectors were very keen on creativity and using real world examples. You could do that!!!!! Good luck. :A

angelofmel

is there anywhere online i can view the current national curriculum for gcse/a level please?

lucylollipop

All of the curriculum information is on curriculum.qcda.org.uk - you can search by subject, and then into the key stages. HTH

angelofmel

lucylollipop wrote: »

All of the curriculum information is on curriculum.qcda.org.uk - you can search by subject, and then into the key stages. HTH

perfect, thank you

trying to write my personal statement now before uni and the essays start. not going well haha

namakemono

I've been considering PGCEs (either secondary german or primary-maybe with german specialism) but as I was on my year abroad last year I haven't been able to get the UK experience I'd need (9 months in 2 German secondary schools as an English assistant probably won't count for anything haha). And I'd need a lot of it as a primary teacher as German isn't technically a curriculum subject.

So I'm considering spending a year as a TA after my degree to gain experience and check it's really for me. Hope it's the right decision, don't know if my parents will be on board: "you'll never go back now, you'll be stuck as a TA all your life" (seriously, I can hear that). But what I'm hoping is to find a nice school where I can do the GTP so I'd already be comfortable in the school.