Advice Please!!

ALI1973

Hello everyone , I truely hope someone can help as seem to be getting nowhere with the "experts".

I am currently SAHM with 3 kids (6,5 and nearly 2) DH works fulltime. I have been trying for the last year or so to decide where to go with my career - back to work or new venture. Soooo, I have decided to go down the new venture route which will ultimately lead to a teaching role :j .

The problem I now have is that:

1. I have no proof of my existing qualifications (other than I could get a letter from my employer stating what they hold on record for me)

2. My Vocational "A levels" arent counted in assessing whether I could get on a degree course.

3. I got a [EMAIL="!!!!"]!!!![/EMAIL] grade in my GCSE science subject.

Ive been advised now to either do an access course (if I do this FT its free but would have to pay for FT childcare) or go thru OU route, but I dont know what to do. Basically, I was relying on doing the degree so that I could afford the tuition fees and childcare (Student Loan and Maintence Loan). I know we dont qualify for any Grants as we are above the earnings threshold for help (even so we couldnt afford fees and £600 pm childcare). I have considered part time evening access course but would have to pay the fees up front and it would take another year (Im 35 now :eek: !!!)

Do any of you lovely people have any experience of being in this situation?? would an OU degree get me where I wish to be?? I would really be grateful for any suggestions.

Thank you XX

Luv Ali

Gemmzie

What do you want to do your degree in Ali?

ALI1973

Hi Gemmzie, sorry that probably would have been a helpful addition!!

I would like to do English and then follow with PGCE, mainly as Im not sure whether Id like to teach Primary or Secondary (I know I dont want to work with KS1).

Im just really struggling with how to afford to do it if I have to complete an Access Course which only seem available thru colleges, I can't afford the FT childcare.
I've contacted OU this morning and they have said that I wouldn't be able to apply for a student loan whlist studying with them so again couldnt afford to complete the degree. OU dont do an access course, which might have been an alternative as its distance learning therefore no childcare costs!!!

Feel like it just can't be done, perhaps I was never destined to hold a degree, couldn't afford to stay on at school so went straight to employment, and now can afford the childcare. (moan over!)

Thanks Ali xx

bestpud

You will need GCSE English and Maths to do your PGCE. You may also need one in Science although that is for people born after a certain time (I can't remember what the year was, sorry).

You could do these while taking an access course but either way, you will need to have them at some point. Well that was the case in 2005 anyway.

You could do them in the evening and ask if you can pay termly - they are often quite agreeable to paying by installments if you say you cannot afford it otherwise. Then do an access course , or just apply direct to a uni when your youngest starts school (some unis are more flexible with mature students).

Your other option is to do the access course part time, over two years, which would give you more time to do the GCSEs. A full time access course is pretty intensive without the extras! You would obviously need to pay less for child care that way but it depends if the course fees would me as much or more than the saved childcare?

£600 a month is a lot for a two year old though. Access courses are usually within school hours so maybe you could use a playgroup instead of a nursery? The full time course is 16 hours contact although you would need to work at home too, obviously.

Oldernotwiser

Since last year you need a GCSE in Science for primary teaching, whatever year you were born. You don't need it for secondary, although you do need English and Maths.
If you do a 60 credit course with the OU ( I would suggest Introduction to the Humanities) you may well find that your local university will accept this as an entry qualification, unless they are particularly selective. Obviously you should check this out before taking this route. Many people nowadays do part of an OU degree and then offer it as an entry qualification to a "bricks and mortar" university so you're not suggesting anything odd. I always suggest this option to any of my clients who have difficulty in attending an Access course and they usually find it to be acceptable to the universities.Alternately, you might find that the OU study route really suits you and then you would be 1/6 through your degree.

Should you go the OU route then you'll have no difficulty in having their degree accepted for a PGCE; the OU is very highly thought of.

PS What do you mean by "vocational A levels " and who has told you that they're not acceptable for degree entry?

ALI1973

Thank you for your replys.

Bestpud: Childcare is £30 per day at the college nursery and I would have to atend every day between 10 and 3.

Oldernotwiser: Thankyou sooo much the OU route you suggested (and the exact course no less!) is one I was looking at today but couldn't seem to get a diffinative answer. I really think after much soul searching that this maybe my best option at the present time. I would really need to attend a "bricks and mortar" Uni to be able to fund my degree studies via a student loan.

My vocational studies were my ACIB (Chartered Institute of Bankers) exams taken in 1990, I complete three subjects which I was told at the time were A level equivalents, I passed two with Merit and one with Distinction , unfortuantely, I've been told that even if I could get copies of my certificates they don't count :mad: .

Thank you again, any other routes or ideas are really welcome.

Luv Ali xx

Gingernutmeg

I know someoe who took a GCSE in Science while she was doing her degree (in Education). It seemed to be something that was organised through the uni, so obviously it fitted in well with the degree etc. I'd imagine that a uni with a strong reputation for teaching might offer something similar.

ALI1973, I'm not sure where you're based but if you're within travelling distance of SW London then have a look at Roehampton. It's very well known for teaching and has a lot of mature students, and I know a lot of people there who've done degrees and gone on to do PGCEs etc with very untypical qualifications - even if you're not near there, send off for the prospectus anyway as it's fairly informative. They also do the CATS thingy (credit acumulation transfer scheme I think) and I know of a couple of people who had previous qualifications counted - one person was able to complete her Education degree in two years instead of three, although she did have a LOT of previous study/experience (but it did seem to be a fairly wide selection of qualifications that were counted, I'm sure vocational A Levels do). I'd also suggest ringing up a few universities and asking to speak to their admissions staff, particularly in the departments you're interested in. Policies vary so much that it's so much better to get the info 'straight from the horse's mouth' so to speak.

Voyager2002

Please check out the position with Tax Credits. If you pay for childcare, a lot of that expenditure can be claimed back in the form of increased tax credits. You might find that this means that your child care costs could be affordable after all.

barnesy_2

For your Maths and English, try your local Learndirect centre where you can access the Adult Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy at level 2, these are free I think. These will be the equivalent of GCSE. You only need science of you plan to teach primary. I can recommend OU as I have studied with them in the past and you may be eligible for some of your course fees paid by them and you can also pay by instalments. Good luck in your venture and keep us informed.

bestpud

barnesy wrote: »

For your Maths and English, try your local Learndirect centre where you can access the Adult Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy at level 2, these are free I think. These will be the equivalent of GCSE. You only need science of you plan to teach primary. I can recommend OU as I have studied with them in the past and you may be eligible for some of your course fees paid by them and you can also pay by instalments. Good luck in your venture and keep us informed.

I don't want to contradict as I'm not 100% sure on this - but that wasn't the case a few years ago. It had to be a GCSE.

Re tax credits - again, I am not 100% sure but I think you would have to be working 16 hours or more to claim childcare payments. Studying (even full time) didn't count a few years ago.

Do check this out though - it may have changed, as things do!

ALI1973

Thanks for the advice, sadly TC wont apply as Im not employed and hubby earns more than £26k, but it was worth checking it out as that never even entered my head as an option.

Im currently waiting for a reply from admissions at the uni I would like to attend re: OU acceptance so fingers crossed, think I might do a 10 pointer anyway just to get me back into it, and plan on starting my "proper" studies (whatever that maybe) in Sept.

Thanks again, if anyone has anymore ideas Im still open to suggestion

Thanks again Ali xx