Hi All,
Long backstory but I'll try to keep it short. Got a place on a science PGCE to start at the end of my first degree. Decided not to take up the place as I was lacking in confidence and decided to pursue the academic route. I started a 4 year phd (first year led to masters) but after around 8 months I felt like academia was so not for me. I tried to stick with it, completed my masters and a few months of the first PhD year. I left just before Christmas as it really wasn't working for me. The one part of the PhD I enjoyed was working with and helping the undergraduates both in my research lab and in their teaching labs. I thought maybe now was the right time to go for the pgce and secured a place before leaving my PhD to start next September. Now though I'm starting to question that decision. I don't know if I'm just having a lapse of confidence or if I was just using the PGCE as an escape from the PhD. Don't want to burn bridges by giving up my place again but not 100% sure it's the right choice to pursue it. My head is a bit all over the place with it at the moment so I can't express much more than that right now.
Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.
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Am I making the right choice re PGCE?
FaithLoveandHope · 27/12/2015 20:06
Don't do it.
I was a mature career changer, and loved the bit in the classroom, but there is so much dross and politics that I chose not to do an NQT year. I am a secondary supply teacher and enjoy it because I have the fun of being in the classroom, but go home at 3pm.
It pays reasonably well, but I took a massive pay cut to do it, and can only afford it as my DH earns enough for my earnings to be insignificant.
If you only do 19 days observation in school you will not see anything like what a FT teaching job is really like, and they won't let you observe the tough classes.
Would be better if you could persuade someone to let you shadow them 24/7 for a few weeks 
sawdust good point about the cohort being younger, I hadn't thought about that. One gentleman on my course is in his thirties but the rest who've been accepted on the course so far are younger than me.
Mrs that's lovely you've had the opportunity to take up supply. I think that'd be ideal but I'm not in a position to do that and even if DP and I were in that position I still wouldn't feel comfortable placing the sole responsibility onto his shoulders. My ex did that to me - though different scenario and he barely worked a day in his life - and I've just got issues from that even though I know it's completely different. That'd be great though wouldnt it if I could shadow 24/7
hollie that's a really interesting thread you shared, thank you.
Lucy they're not my only two options. Pgce is just something that keeps coming back, people keep making comments about me making a good teacher and I really enjoy working with young people and get a lot from it. My other options would be low level research scientist in industry, lab technician or something completely unrelated to my first degree.
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