Renovations and Repayments.

edinburgher

Also great advice given on NG & Ed's threads. What is the world coming to

He told me to buy more whisky :rotfl:

MrBloater

Alex, if a major stumbling block to you entering teacher training is concern about how your "previous" would look, then let me reassure you 100% it does not come into play. As long as none of your malaises have led to anything criminal on your record, then neither a inconsistent grasp of gainful employment nor a shaky grip on mental health will be a barrier. I embarked upon teacher training (PGCE at a Russell Group Uni) at the age of 30 with a very chequered backstory - being a long time reader of your missives I can safely surmise that your application form would have less awkward holes in it than mine did - plus you have the golden goose - real work experience in real schools operating under real conditions. You would get snapped up by any teacher training course, or look into whatever school-based initial teacher training (used to be called SCITT, may well be called SDS or something along those lines now) are in your area. You may well find a local school will fund your training and pay you for your time as well. Teaching allowed me to reset the ticking timebomb that was the way I had conducted my life throughout my twenties, and 12 years on I don't regret making that move.

AlexLK

First of all, thank you for all the teaching advice. I've only just started looking into this and any help is much appreciated.

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

Havn't been around here for a while, but it's wonderful to see such positive thinking. You could certainly be in a much worse position, I live in a new build semi in Swindon, the horror!! It is however, warm, safe, and mine. I might still dream about the cottage with the aga and the roses round the door, but this'll do until the ship comes in

Got the cottage, minus the roses. However, it's not particularly warm, likely not very safe by modern standards and very little of it is "mine".

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

Just wanted to mention that I *think* Music is considered a shortage subject, and therefore students on the PGCE are entitled to a £9000 bursary during the course. It's not much, but is better than nothing. When I did mine I also still worked at the weekends, which was hard, but possible. Obviously this may change, but it may help make a decision. I also wouldn't worry about your medical history, what's important is your ability to do the job now.

Here's to more happy days :beer:

Thanks for this information, if I were able to get the bursary, it would pay the tuition fees instead of the £9,000 personally coming out of my pocket, which I'll have to admit does please me.

Do you know if the bursary is means tested?

Again thanks regarding my worries about my medical history, you have confirmed recent research that I should be OK to pass the 'fitness to teach' test.

maman wrote: »

Alex, I checked and lgp is right that music qualifies for a bursary provided your degree is a 2.2 or higher

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438352/itt-training-bursary-guide-2015-to-2016-2.pdf

I have three teachers in my close family (daughter and two nieces) and they all went into teaching by different routes. Of the three, it was my observation that the PGCE was the easiest route as it involved either being on school experience or being at the university doing lectures/assignments compared. You might even be able to approach the schools you know to do school experience there.

All I would say is that once qualified (and that means teaching successfully for a year as a newly qualified teacher after completing the PGCE) teaching is an extremely stressful job particularly the behaviour management in certain schools. But you aren't going into this with your eyes closed as you've some experience in schools already. This, your instrumental teaching and any involvement you can get in LittleK's school will look good on any application form.

I have bookmarked this to read later but from a quick skim, the bursary would pay the tuition fee. Luckily, university was probably the only thing I've ever been 'good' at; I (just) got a First for my BA and a Distinction for my first MA.

With regard to teaching successfully for a year, would this need to be in a full time post? My plan was to get a 2-3 days per week job as I really don't want to work 5+ days per week as well as my involvement in other business interests. Ideally 2 full days would suit me.

Funny you should mention my son's new school, he's been there today for a second day as they understood he was apprehensive. Very pleased to say he didn't want to leave and is now really excited for September, an absolute credit to the staff at the school. To be honest, I think the right decision has been made, even grandmother and 'father were impressed when we went to see them with some work he had done there.

MrBloater wrote: »

Alex, if a major stumbling block to you entering teacher training is concern about how your "previous" would look, then let me reassure you 100% it does not come into play. As long as none of your malaises have led to anything criminal on your record, then neither a inconsistent grasp of gainful employment nor a shaky grip on mental health will be a barrier. I embarked upon teacher training (PGCE at a Russell Group Uni) at the age of 30 with a very chequered backstory - being a long time reader of your missives I can safely surmise that your application form would have less awkward holes in it than mine did - plus you have the golden goose - real work experience in real schools operating under real conditions. You would get snapped up by any teacher training course, or look into whatever school-based initial teacher training (used to be called SCITT, may well be called SDS or something along those lines now) are in your area. You may well find a local school will fund your training and pay you for your time as well. Teaching allowed me to reset the ticking timebomb that was the way I had conducted my life throughout my twenties, and 12 years on I don't regret making that move.

Thank you for this post, Mr Bloater, it's given me quite a bit more confidence about potentially pursuing teaching. :beer:

Nothing criminal on my record and the only person I have ever harmed has been myself.

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

He told me to buy more whisky :rotfl:

:rotfl: I didn't tell you to buy more, the little voices in your head told you to do that, I simply pointed out a potential source ...

Never has this :beer: been more apt.

newgirly

Fantastic news your ds is settling at his new school :T

AlexLK

newgirly wrote: »

Fantastic news your ds is settling at his new school :T

Thank you, both my wife and I are very proud of him.

The Headmaster told me he played the school piano after announcing to the whole school (circa 30 children, so not *that* many) upon seeing it that he could play it at the start of their assembly. Apparently, his favourite things to do at school were singing and running, :rotfl:, the boy will go far.

littlegreenparrot

I believe that the NQT year would equate to that number of days teaching. So it wouldn't have to be a full time position, the NQT would just take that much longer of you were only working 2 days a week.

I noticed further up the thread that you were surprised there was a market for teaching resources, and thought that was a reason people went into teaching. When you are teaching you'll find that the amount of time you have to give to those resources is much reduced. It may be different if your part time, but if I had already marked a set of 30 books in an evening, I didn't feel much like starting to design resources, so TES etc is a godsend.

maman

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

I believe that the NQT year would equate to that number of days teaching. So it wouldn't have to be a full time position, the NQT would just take that much longer of you were only working 2 days a week.

I noticed further up the thread that you were surprised there was a market for teaching resources, and thought that was a reason people went into teaching. When you are teaching you'll find that the amount of time you have to give to those resources is much reduced. It may be different if your part time, but if I had already marked a set of 30 books in an evening, I didn't feel much like starting to design resources, so TES etc is a godsend.

In my experience that's correct in that a NQT year can be done pro rata so working two and a half days would take two years etc. What matters is that you find a school prepared to take you on under those circumstances. I don't think that would be a problem as many would only need a part time music teacher or someone to do a job share with an existing staff member.


I don't believe that bursaries are means tested.


I certainly agree that there is a massive call for teaching resources otherwise you'd have individual teachers all over the country rediscovering the wheel!!


Delighted that LittleK had a good day. It should be really easy for them to give children individual attention and work from their different starting points given that they have so few pupils.

AlexLK

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

I believe that the NQT year would equate to that number of days teaching. So it wouldn't have to be a full time position, the NQT would just take that much longer of you were only working 2 days a week.

I noticed further up the thread that you were surprised there was a market for teaching resources, and thought that was a reason people went into teaching. When you are teaching you'll find that the amount of time you have to give to those resources is much reduced. It may be different if your part time, but if I had already marked a set of 30 books in an evening, I didn't feel much like starting to design resources, so TES etc is a godsend.

maman wrote: »

In my experience that's correct in that a NQT year can be done pro rata so working two and a half days would take two years etc. What matters is that you find a school prepared to take you on under those circumstances. I don't think that would be a problem as many would only need a part time music teacher or someone to do a job share with an existing staff member.


I don't believe that bursaries are means tested.


I certainly agree that there is a massive call for teaching resources otherwise you'd have individual teachers all over the country rediscovering the wheel!!


Delighted that LittleK had a good day. It should be really easy for them to give children individual attention and work from their different starting points given that they have so few pupils.

Thank you, both.

I think I'll have to rethink this as I don't really want to be having to work over two years before qualifying. However, I think a 5 days per week job would be a little much considering I have music pupils and the property business to run.

LGP: I like the problem solving aspect to teaching the most which is why I like to make my own curriculum. Currently I teach a couple of pupils struggling with the GCSE syllabus at the school I volunteer at. With those pupils I have made my own curriculum covering the parts of the GCSE course they find difficult and it seems to be working. Usually I mark the work together with the pupil and we go through what went well, what could do with improvement and why. Not really sure how this would work with a group, though?

maman: I think I ought to look into making these teaching resources into things I can put online. You never know someone may just want to buy something.

After my son going to the school twice, I'm really rather impressed by the place and just how focused they are on the individual. Frankly, my son needed that as he can be quite disruptive in a group (so nursery say).

maman

AlexLK wrote: »

Thank you, both.

I think I'll have to rethink this as I don't really want to be having to work over two years before qualifying. However, I think a 5 days per week job would be a little much considering I have music pupils and the property business to run.

Just in case you misunderstood. You would still be paid at qualified teacher rates during your NQT year. It's just that QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) isn't official until you have completed the first year successfully.


NQT is quite rigorous. It's by no means a formality and if you don't meet the standards then you don't get a second try.


Not trying to put you off just making sure you're making an informed decision.:)