How Stressful is the PGCE Really?

The kids deserve better than an "ok teacher".

From your posts I really don't think you are right for secondary teaching. It is much harder work than ESL - both in terms of workload and emotional load. From your description you struggled with the comparatively easy ESL teaching.

FWIW I am a qualified ESL teacher, who then did PGCE and taught GCSE English, before mentoring a range of PGCE students. The one who struggled the most was an experienced ESL teacher.

This isn't a job you can do because it seems like a good option. This isn't a job where being "ok" is good enough - young people and their futures are in the hands of their teachers. "Ok" just won't do.

I can't understand how you can have a phd and not have any other options. You must be so clever, hard working and determined to have achieved that.

The problem with switching from EFL , I assume for adults, to mainstream , is motivation. Your EFL students have huge motivation to learn and progress. Some of your school students will share that motivation, orhers won’t.

I don’t believe your only choices are teaching or poverty, no.

You could consider retraining as a Speech and Langage Therapist, eg see here:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/study/masters/msc-speech-and-language-sciences

I really think you need to consider other options. You seem to be very black and white. There's a middle ground you know? Have you considered setting up your own business? With remote working, there are so many more opportunities these days. If you need income, why don't you become an online exec assistant for a while? It may help you make connections and it's something you can do from home in Ireland. Lots of info online but you can even get free training courses such as this one:

https://alison.com/course/executive-assistant-skills

Why not look at the Civil service or other public body instead? You could use your TEFL experience and work for the recruitment/on boarding/training section. I recently started at a public body and have met many ex teachersin all sorts of positions. The starting salary grade point is similar to teaching and there is lots of movement internally, and once you have completed your days hours you are done.
Yes, I lost the school holidays but if I didn't have DC I wouldn't even notice it was holiday time as I'm not exhausted, plus I've not picked up any illnesses either.
I work hybrid flexi which is amazing, do my hours anytime between 7am-7pm with 15 flexi days a year on top of normal holidays. I'm on my lunch break, took an hour (I can take up to 2 hours) and walked to the beach instead of overseeing detentions etc.

Getting the PGCE is my last attempt at insurance against poverty, I've been rejected from all other career path attempts except teaching.

This seems very dramatic! It’s not teaching or poverty, you know!

@DudeDudeson I'm going to try and say this in the gentlest way but you don't sound cut out for teaching. You say that you found ESL too much, well teaching is going to be far harder and much more stressful and demanding. You sound like a lovely person but you really are setting yourself up for failure if you go down this route.

It sounds like you only want to do PGCE because you can't see any other career path. But why put yourself through the expense and time and stress when teaching isn't a passion and it seems you are ill-equipped for it.

There must be other things you can do that are more suited to you? Is the reason you're not going ahead with Instructional Design purely because of your lack of corporate experience? If it is, then get some! Volunteer or get experience as an intern. Have you contacted people in that field via Linked In to get advice?

I did my PGCE at 38 and had no problem with job offers and that was a time when there were 40plus applicants for a job. You’re bottom of the payscale at that point.

I don’t think the PGCE is hard - you get tons of support, a very limited timetable, easier classes and, as long as you show you’re learning and improving, they’re keen to pass you.

However, the first year of teaching is savage. You’re on your own in the classroom, prepping everything from scratch and your inexperience shows. Second year is tough too.

I had small children and was a secondary teacher so didn’t want to stay at school or work much in the evenings, so I only did 4 days and did all my marking and prep on my day off. Much more possible at secondary when you could get kids to do assessments/homework on paper and give it back a week later. I think teaching is only manageable on 4 days per week. But 20% less salary of course.

So I’m saying there are ways around the markload but you may find the drop in pay unacceptable. And there are lots of ‘just ok’ teachers about so I wouldn’t worry about that. I didn’t have a vocation but my career trajectory and pupil feedback suggests I was a popular and successful one. Some teachers are full of empathy, others are great at explaining topics, some are ‘fun’, some are just solid. You don’t have to be everything -develop your strengths.

You sound like you want a reasonable work life balance. You will not find that in state school teaching these days. You might find better in an independent school.

To be honest you sound so unenthusiastic about the whole thing, I don’t think you’ll enjoy it. I would think of something else.

Honestly. It's bloody awful. You are under constant assessment and evaluation you always geek like it's not good enough you face daily criticism. BUT if it's something you want to do go for it.

Teaching in the UK is honestly awful (I've taught abroad too si much nicer!)

Conversely if I managed to survive the PGCE, I would be confident about landing a job

Well, yes-there is a huge retention and recruitment crisis in teaching at the moment!

I’d be doing a lot more research into why people aren’t staying.

For reference I did teach full time in ESL, teaching 6 hours of classes a day but couldn't keep up with the pace. I'd get overtired and make mistakes.

This, and your post at 21:52 were enough for me to say Teaching isn't for you, let alone the PGCE and then Probationary period.
That's before you got on to the bit about not getting on well with 13 - 15 year olds.
What makes you think becoming a secondary teacher would be a good next step in your life ?

The PGCE year is incredibly challenging for someone who passionately wants to become a teacher. I really wouldn't apply if you aren't even starting from that point.

Hi Op, I'm an EFL teacher and nearly went for a PGCE so can relate to your situation. I never meant to stay in TEFL forever and I worked in ELT publishing for a while but it wasn't a good fit for me so I focussed on getting a good TEFL job at a university. To do this I did a Masters at 28 and a PG Cert a bit later. A few years years I got the job I have now, and I am happy.

I am 47 now and work for a university on grade 7 which is about £42,00ft - I work 80% as do many other teachers; anything 20%-100%. It is a really nice job - I teach maximum 3 x 90 min classes a day but usually 1 or 2, with up to 15 students in a class, between the hours of 9.30 and 3.30. They are adults of various nationalities and motivated to learn. we have freedom with what to teach and little marking or report writing. It's rewarding and the students are lovely. When I'm not teaching, I have a desk in an office which is comfortable and I manage my own hours; most of us have flexitime. I can wfh when not teaching. You can progress if you want to be a manager but I am happy where I am as there is variety within the role. Sometimes I do materials writing projects where I wfh and don't teach much for a while.

We also have very good sick pay and support for those who have disabilities or illness so teachers feel supported.

The conditions are much more comfortable than teaching in a school. I have colleagues who left school teaching as it was so stressful. Some were heads of schools. I do know friends who have left TEFL for the stability of school teaching and they find it very very hard work.

You could reconsider staying in TEFL if there are jobs to aim for near you or somewhere you'd move to. I moved for this job and never regretted it. 6 hours teaching a day is way above what you would do at a university usually. It is undoubtedly harder to get a decent job now than when I started here so it's worth researching what is needed these days.

I'm sorry you feel down about your abilities. I felt I was an average teacher for years and better at the planning than delivering, but I have worked on it and am good now. It helps that I work somewhere with great support and resources. Maybe you haven't had that in your teaching roles?