...to quit my PGCE?

[fridascruffs]

I am doing a 'part time' PGCE through the OU. When I signed up, it was 3 years and a certain amount of the school placements could be done full time., so I had to have only 5 weeks then 8 weeks off work for full time school placement.

Once I started the course, it came out that they'd reduced it to 2 years and NONE of the placements could be done part time except the first 2 weeks, leaving me to negotiate 4 weeks, 8 weeks, then 10 weeks off work in a 2 year period. I've done the 4 weeks placement.

My tutor keeps telling me she's never had anyone successfully complete the PGCE while holding down a job, especially while having young DCs (I am alone with them, have them all the time). Someone else told me on the phone I shouldn't expect to be able to work during the PGCE- in spite of the fact that their marketing booklet on the course uses a woman who had to continue her job during the PGCE as a case study. I can't quit work.

Now that I am on the course, I am finding it very poorly run. I keep finding ut about stuff that I'm supposed to do after I have failed to do it- there is no central list of what you're expected to do when, so you have to trawl their website for clues as to what's expected.

The last straw happened a week ago- they told me I had to teach a sex education unit as the centrepiece of my 8 week school placement. I am doing a physics PGCE and have no intention of teaching biology. I don't want to be judged on how well I teach sex education, for which I have zero enthusiasm. I would probably not use the PGCE for straightforward teach-in-a-school jobs as there are no longer many part-time jobs; I'd do tutoring and home schooled kids instead, so i don't necessarily need it.

I don't like to quit, but that's just about my only motivation to continue at this point.
WWYD?

A truth- i work for a medical charity, 24 hours a week. I'd reduce my hours to 8 hours a week during the placements. I was scheduled to teach the Year 8s anyway, it would just be a matter of teaching the Y7s for 4 weeks and the Y8s for 5 instead of the other way around, so I could do the big planning project for the Y8s.

Working 8 hours a week and doing PGCE? Yeah, I'm back to saluting you! Good luck with whatever you decide.

It's worth it.

You are about to enter a really child-friendly career and it will enable you to spend far more time with your kids ultimately than any other job you can think of.

I've taught abroad and a PGCE meant I was on a higher salary than people who didn't have them (worth pursuing for that alone, IMO).

Yes, everybody hates their PGCE. It is so, so difficult and tiring.

And you might hate your Sex Ed module (whatever it is), but it will look amazing on your CV. If I was reading an application with that in it, I would see:

• ability to work across the PHSCE curriculum
• ability to work out of subject area
• a specialist in an area that the thought of teaching makes grown adults weep
• you've been through tough and excruciating situations on your PGCE and survived
• you've dealt with all the silly behavrioual situations that come up as a result of this and survived.

It may help you get a job!

towndon- i did call them, they said they'd call back but they haven't yet. It was on friday though so they might call me back this week, but I am thinking there's not a lot of point- as many have said here, i have to just get on with it, if I'm going to; it'll only make it worse for me if i try to change things. i have to se if I can pick my motivation up off the floor.

Anyway. I have to go to bed. Many thanks all, good night and good luck.

Tortu, I wish you were my tutor, that is great, thank you!

On the other hand though albert, PGCE students are there to learn, improve, and be advised and assessed. It would be a lazy tutor who just threw them in at the deep end with no thought given to techniques, current practice, differentiation, policies on behaviour etc.

Many PGCE students have previously done little or no teaching, and there's a huge amount of knowledge to be gained. If it was just a case of "get on with it" there would be no point to the PGCE course. Someone who is slightly sensitive or hesitant to just "jump in" could end up being a better teacher, given the right advice, than someone who confidently makes sure they're seen to be "getting on with it" but actually doesn't realise their own weaknesses.

"the reality of the workplace, even for someone who can offer a shortage subject is, get in, roll your sleeves up & get on with whatever is thrown your way"

Jump through the hoops and just get the qualification.Then get a private job or grammar school job where you could indeed teach a big chunk of A level- if you are good at it.They usually put the weaker teachers on the lower key stages at our school and the good teachers were quickly on the A level as it is such a priority.
Just get it and bury your irritation.
Unless you are HOD you will not work 60 hours a week- maybe the first year but I reckon the average teacher apart from English, puts in 45 hours a week- 50 on a tough week and once exams are over in May it is a delight- out by 4.15 and in your garden having a pimms.You pay for that the rest of the year when you will indeed put the hours in but I think it balances out to a normalish 40 hour week- as long as you avoid management.
The holidays are flippin fabulous but you will also need them.
No job has been as demanding and tiring as teaching in my experience and having a break from it now- i really appreciate being able to enjoy weekends and evenings.