Teaching Assistant Courses / Distance Learning

Dunroamin

These are the pat time PGCE courses listed with the GTTR.

http://search.gttr.ac.uk/cgi-bin/hsrun.hse/General/gttr_search/StateId/Qn2rvogdXGwLg1BCuXhSLKP0RlZiu-4a7_/HAHTpage/gttr_search.HsForm.mapFormToCmd?cboAge=P&cboSubject=0&cboInst=0&cboType=5&cboLevel=

euronorris

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

Degree based - you study for 3/4 years to get a BEd. This is a common route for primary teachers but for you would be unsuitable as you already hold a degree.

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but it has already answered some of my questions and I am hoping you lovely folks will help me further.

I would like to get into Primary school teaching, but no not currently have a degree. Initially, I thought that a Teaching Assistant role would be a good stepping stone, but this thread seems to dispel that theory.

So, it seems that the above route is most suited to me, but how does this work exactly? Do I need to study full time? Or have a work placement? If so, is that paid at all? Or will I need to supplement my income with another job? Would any grants/bursaries etc be available to me?

It is not terribly clear to me, how I can get into teaching, if I don't already possess a degree. Please help! Thank you

dizzyrascal

You cannot teach in the state system in the UK without a degree (soon to be a Masters level profession and it needs to be a good degree now too)
You can sometimes teach in the private sector without a degree but without extensive work experience I don't see how that would be possible either.
Part time courses for teacher training are very rare so you would need to commit to being a full-time student. Either a named degree followed by a PGCE or a BEd in primary education which will be the shortest route for you at the moment. You need to do a course with QTS Qualified Teacher Status in order to teach.
I would look into the admissions requirements of your local university (assuming that you are not flexible over location) and then start getting some voluntary work experience in local primary schools.
Go and talk to the admissions tutors at the University Open days and see what their entry qualifications would be for someone in your position.
You will need some months of work experience for them to consider you anyway and you can't apply for the next available courses (through UCAS) for a while yet.

euronorris

Thanks Dizzyrascal.

Unfortunately, I just don't think that being a full time student will be financially viable for us right now. We're about to be relocated to the UK, after working abroad for a number of years, and so every penny will count. Plus we are keen to start a family of our own in the near future. So, it looks like this will have to go on the back burner for a few years until the finances are better (ie, I've saved some money to cover the loss of income and the tuition fees), and the kids are in school.

I might look into becoming a nursery nurse in the meantime, though it may well be that the usual office work I do will bring in more money allowing me to save to do the degree at a later date.

Thank you so much for the information though.

Who?_me?

Please also note regarding teaching that there is a surpless of qualified teachers, and no jobs. All stories regarding teacher shortages are a complete myth. If you do decide to go for it (after getting a degree), prepare your self for being in debt and no job. No supply work either. If you do get a job when you go up against the 100s that apply for every job, its going to be long hard work to keep up with Mr Goves latest idiot ideas.
Sorry to paint it all doom and gloom, but people need to know the realities of the situation. Many people are applying for the same jobs in other areas, but there seems to be this idea that teaching is the one area where you can get a job. There is a reason teaching courses are so hard to get on to, its because they have cut back the number of places available. TBH, if they stopped training teachers all together, it would take a few years to mop up all the ones who have qualified since 2007 and still have not got a premenant job.

euronorris

Really? I was very much under the impression that they were crying out for teachers, as per their own advertising campaigns. Oh well, it was an idea.

I guess I will have to look at getting an admin job when I return to the UK. Though that is looking equally dire right now, especially in the location we will most likely be in (Newcastle, and I'm used to searching for jobs in London where there are always more opportunities).

Hopefully, OH should hear more about the UK job and relocation today and then I go full swing into looking for a job in the UK. I need to get working on updating the CV asap. LinkedIn is already setup. I think I have old accounts with Reed and Monster online, which I can update too.

Person_one

euronorris wrote: »

Really? I was very much under the impression that they were crying out for teachers, as per their own advertising campaigns. Oh well, it was an idea.

There are far more primary teachers than jobs unfortunately, and a new crop qualifying every year, plenty of them with 4 year degrees in primary education.

Quite a few of my friends are teachers and the primary ones all had to do supply and temporary contracts for a bit before finding permanent jobs. One even had to work as a TA for two years after qualifying.

There are some secondary subjects with shortages, maths and the sciences mainly.

Good luck with the job hunt!

euronorris

Thanks Person_One!

I do enjoy Maths, and was always quite good at it, but my level of knowledge and qualifications in that subject is nowhere near good enough to teach. But it is an idea to keep in mind for the future, as I'd have to study for a degree anyway!

BillTrac

My daughter is a qualified teacher. She has been doing supply teaching in primary/junior schools for the last 18 months(since qualification). She has applied for over 30 teaching vacancies, and been rejected every time. Even by schools who specifically ask the agency for her when they need a supply! Now she anticipates the rejection letters before she opens them

She also has a gymnastics coaching badge so the schools could get a sports teacher as well:T

A few times she was aware that it was who the applicants knew not what they knew.

There are plenty of teaching vacancies but also a hell of a lot of teachers looking

kingfisherblue

Euronorris, I have replied on your other thread, but you might also want to look on https://www.tes.co.uk - there are some relevant forums there.