How intense is a pgce year (training to be teacher)?)

[Wutipo]

Has anyone done a pgce to retrain as a teacher? I am just wondering if anyone ca. describe to me what it entails? Is it full days in university or some time at home studying? Also the placements, are these normally 5day a week placements? Would anyone mind sharing their experience with me? I am just reconsidering my career and wondering if doing a pgce is achieveable for me. I have children but youngest is now 10.

It's very full on. You'll be at uni most days except when you're at school - you normally have 2 or 3 school placements and they are blocks of a number of weeks and yes it is 5 days a week (but your teaching time builds up gradually). There is lots of work to do outside uni/work times, both during uni and placements. Uni are likely to give you dissertations to write over your holidays as well.

Thanks. So full day at uni likely to be 9-5 ?

School placements are more 8-5 than 9-5. At my school the dc enter the classroom at 8.45.

Extremely full on. Uni days were 9-5/6 for lectures and seminars and school placement days were full days too often with time after to discuss future lessons, the children, get feedback or stay for staff meetings.

Then at weekends and in the holidays you will be expected to plan for placements and write assignments.

It will undoubtedly be a very very hectic year.

I think we did approx 9-3 ish at uni for the first half term. Also uni over half term.
Second half term school placement so school hours wherever your placement school is.
Back to uni for a couple of weeks.
New school for 2 half terms.
Back to uni for a few weeks and finished in May.
Basically comparable to full time hours.
There is a fair bit of lesson prep but you don't have a full timetable at school so there is time and space to do it there.

We spent more time at school placement than at uni.

Uni hours I can't exactly remember but feel it was 8--4 or similar. Lots of homework to do afterwards. School placements you're likely to be doing 7.30am-6pm days with lesson planning, assignments etc in your own time too. These hours are what I always worked as a teacher as well - I did 6 years and then had to leave when I had my son as I just couldn't do both.

Do bear in mind that if you do the training and secure a post, you’ll be in school from 7.30 to 5 most of the time. More when there are meetings. Sometimes a bit less.

I did mine on a SCITT and we spent the first week of each term in PGCE lessons. The rest of the time we were in our placement schools 8-4:30/5 with weekly after hours lectures for subject knowledge. We built up to a 50% teaching timetable by the third term. There were 2-3 pieces of coursework each term as well as doing lesson prep and marking (which takes forever when you’re starting out). It’s hard but it’s not an easy job do it breaks you in gently 😁

Our uni days were 9-4, every term-time day. Assignments each term, including a Masters level assignment in the spring term, to write up over Easter and present/viva after the holiday. Two weeks full-time placement in the autumn term, 4 weeks full-time in the spring term and 6 weeks full-time in the summer. Last two placements were 7:30-5:30 in school, home, dinner then working on lesson plans or assignments 7-12.

It's the most full-on thing you do. My NQT (now ECT) year was similarly full-on. Over time, I've managed to reduce the amount of time I spend outside of school hours.

Be prepared not to see your kids much until the summer holidays!

Is it full days in university or some time at home studying?

There was no time at home! The only time I had at home to study was my evenings and weekends!

University days were 9-5.30 (though we had to get there by 8.30 to get parked), and school days were 7.30-6. We didn’t get half terms either which might be difficult for childcare.

Hmmm. Thanks it’s a shame there isn’t a part time study option. I would like to be a maths teacher 2 or 3 days a week. But it’s the full time study year that seems the biggest hurdle.

Very full on. I'm now in my ECT year. My DC were 10 and 13 during my training year. I did it through a SCITT. I was at school just before 8 and left between 4 & 5. It's doable. I had to be organised with DC's things and batch cooking helped a lot. I'm finding my ECT year more exhausting than my training year but being organised with everything (home & school) helps. I do as much as I can at school & when the DC are with my ex.

My PGCE was a while back now, but it was very much full time, either in uni all day or on placement. I found the uni parts quite fun, I was in a great group and it was a bit like being back at school but in a good way! Placement was hard work.

However, overall I would say the NQT (ECT) year was more difficult than the PGCE.

I mean to add that I found the NQT year (back when it was called that) harder than the PGCE as you are solely responsible for your class…and the first year post-qualification wasn’t much easier as you have reduced release time, don’t get lots of help because you aren’t ‘new’ any more and generally get given more in the way of subject responsibility.

Then it got easier for a bit!

Have you looked into SCITT training in your area. This is based in a school not a university but you still get QTS at the end. Might be able to do part time?

But yes, whatever route you take, teacher training is 7:30-5 plus a few hours in the evening plus a weekend half day. Part time might allow you to do fewer days but are probably unlikely to affect the start and end times of days.

I was more well rested when my DC was a newborn than when I was doing my PGCE

I did my PGCE in 2007 but it was the toughest year of my life! Full days followed by lesson planning and essays - it was intense. Teaching itself is tough and long hours - 60 hour weeks with lots of work in holidays too - but easier than my PGCE year! Ido think it depends a bit on subject though

When I did my teaching practices my flatmate and I went to bed at 7:30. I remember because she used to watch Eastenders and I could hear it through the wall. I couldn't have stayed awake until 8pm.

It's really full on. Also just be aware that part time jobs are like gold dust in secondary. I have one because I requested part time after having kids but I have now been stuck in the same school for 12 years because the only part time jobs that have come up in my subject have been temporary maternity covers for one year and I don't want to be job hopping all the time, it's hard to get established in a school.

Oh, I had a friend who recently went back to secondary school teaching after a 10 year break and managed to get part time hours. It was what prompted me to think about it. Perhaps it depends on area and subject though. She is teaching Spanish.

Depends on what training provider you go with.

Uni based which is what I did. Was 4 days in school and 1 uni day. This was until my last placement when I did the odd uni day but mainly it was 5 days in school. Sometimes only 4 if we had a uni day. At the beginning there was a few weeks of uni until you went on first placement. You have assignments to do throughout the year.

Tes is similar. 1 day study day and the rest in school. You are given an extra study day before assignments are due.

At least this is how it works in my school.

The ECT years are tough. You have weekly crap to do, but again this will depend on what training provider your school uses. You also have training days where you go off with other ECTs and do... Stuff...

At the university I went to there was the option of doing it part time.

Maths is a shortage subject at the moment!

Good luck 🙃

For me, we were in uni September - October half term. These were 9-5 days. Plus commuting. And then a couple of hours work each evening and at least half a day on the weekend, reading, assignments etc.
October half term - Feb half term ish were placement. These were 8-5 days, plus commuting, plus at least 2hrs work an evening plus at least half a day's work at the weekend.
From Feb half term we had a few weeks back in uni, hours same as above.
Then from just before Easter until end of June was placement 2, plus applying for jobs. These were 8-6 days, plus a couple of hours a night, plus at least a full day on the weekend.
It's very full on, especially placement 2 when you are teaching quite a lot.
The first couple of years teaching were similar hours as placement 2, so it's not like you finish the pgce and that's it done, you can work 9-3!

I think the structure of the course depends on the provider.

When I did mine, we had about 4 weeks at uni Monday - Thursday (10 - 4), then two weeks in our minor school.

That was followed by university for the rest of term (4 days a week). In the spring term, we had our main school placement for 3 days a week in school, two days at university until half-term.

Then it was full-time in school to the summer half-term. Then another couple of weeks at our minor school, then a week at university.

I didn't find it too intense having come out of full-time in industry.

In my course, we worked in pairs, so had some team teaching, and a lot of mutual support.

It's a piece of piss, OP, you'll be fine.

You get there at 9am, shout at a few kids, watch them colouring in for a bit and you're back home with a cup of tea and your feet up by 3.30pm... 😉