To PGCE or not PGCE?

[DrEvie74]

I'm in need of advice. I started a PGCE in 2016 and 2019 I was due to submit around Autumn. However, funding dried up around May and so I found myself job searching. I had always wanted to be a teacher, that was the original plan, even before undergrad, but BSc became MSc, which nearly became PhD. So I decided to try teaching and joined a schools' based programme. One term in and I was already on job sites looking for alternatives, two terms in and I'm 100% certain I don't want to teach in a secondary school. Teaching itself is great, the kids are fantastic, but the work-life balance is non-existent. My PhD has ground to a complete halt as I spend every evening and weekend marking/planning/doing PGCE assignments. I also really miss research and would love to finish my PhD and return to academia. I've found a couple of research post I could apply for but it would mean withdrawing from the PGCE. 1/2

This is my dilemma. The most ideal research post has come up and I would love to go for it, and it would be an ideal stepping stone back into academia. However, it would mean leaving the PGCE with nothing to show for the months of teaching and assignments submitted. Should I grin and bear the PGCE and let the most perfect research job go or leave the PGCE for the new opportunity? 2/2

Read up about the concept of "sunk cost" and reflect whether this applies to your situation - it doesn't sound like you want to do the work that PGCE is needed for, so you'll have to balance the cost of investing into the PGCE vs the opportunity cost of not going for the research post.

I'd go for the opportunity, see if you get it. I've got a pgce and lots of (non uni) teaching experience. Now teaching at a uni. The qualification is useful but the experience is more useful and will likely be considered if you go for a teaching fellow post