To consider doing PGCE with two young DC?

[Friedeggsandwich]

Would I be completely mad to do this? DC would be 6 and 3 at the time. Pretty good family support. No part time options near me unfortunately.

Has anyone done this and lived to tell the tale? I've worked in schools and know how hard it is even for young single people so I am struggling to imagine what it'd be like with young Dc to consider....

I'm also thinking of doing training on the job in school (scitt) but not sure if this would be any more family friendly?

Also, I'm not sure I would be able to compare 'older' anecdotes, teaching and teacher training is constantly changing. My mum did her teacher training with 3 dc's and it was easy. That was 39 years ago though. You sound as if you're not doing a taught course but a teaching course. I think that may be even harder though will at least allow you to see what the job is really like.

It is something I thought about for a long time, but I figured that with a DH that works away, no family locally and 3 DC's, one with severe SN its too much of a stretch for me.

Most of the answers on this thread make me feel I was right :(.

I did a part time BEd when dc were 1 and 5. I already had a teaching certificate and was teaching part time. It was hard but I had lots of support from dh and it worked out really well. The dc had some Daddy time at the end of two days a week. My course was evenings only over 3 years. Being a teacher is hard but it is one of the best jobs ever for a parent even now. My dd is teaching and just went full time last September when her dc2 started YR. she had been pt for 5 years before that.

Schools do shut, yes, but the work continues. I have a massive pile of books to mark and GCSE assessment pieces to moderate this weekend.

Someone upthread mentioned using your time wisely - I couldnt agree more. Mark and sort paperwork/data in every spare second. I mark books when I'm waiting for DC in clubs, when I'm in my car and once a week I put in a really late night at school (til 8) before I'm kicked out by our lovely caretaker. Too many distractions at home ("Muuuuuuuuuuum!!??)

Can you afford/have space for an au pair? he/she could do school drop off and pick ups, help in the evening with bedtime, etc.

DH started his PGCE when DS1 was 15 months old and I was pregnant. He is efficient, works fast, but still needed my full support, and some support from the grandparents. DS1 was in nursery three days a week as I was working part time. Every time DS1 was ill i had to pick him up from nursery as DH couldn't take time off (kept his allocated time off for when I'd give birth).We both worked very hard, he worked every evening and would often get up at 5am to finish his work. It was really hard work for both of us. If I'd had the space and money I would have hired someone to clean the house a few hours a week, or if the kids would have been older I would have def. hired an au pair.

Then you have to think about the future. Your first year as a qualified teacher is tough, you will have to work long hours and it's difficult to take time off if your children are ill. In his first year DH worked flat out from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm most days, and one day during weekends, and all of the half terms, and many days over Christmas. I was on maternity leave then so it was OK.

Mind you, 5 years later he is Deputy Head, and applying to be HT. He's really hard working and is an exceptional teacher. Now boasting for DH!

I did my PGCE before kids and it was bloody hard work. The 2 people on my course with young kids found it so hard. One of them had her kids posting notes under her study door saying they never saw her anymore.

The PGCE year is hard enough and then you actually have to start teaching. NQT year was worse as the class was your entire responsibility. Non -stop working.

Since having kids, I work 0.6. On my days off, I work to get everything done. I could never work full-time as I would never see my family.

Good luck with whatever you decide but I certainly would not want to do a PGCE with little children.

Seasons greetings ^^ again, yyy to all you've said.
My father retired 15 years ago (he's 78 now) and was a science teacher in a typical city comprehensive. He's totally aghast at the workload I have and keeps saying how much things have changed. Not necessarily for the better if the PISA results are anything to go by..... (am in Wales).

I think the pgce may be manageable if you have good childcare in place and are very organised. Its the nqt year that is the hardest, you have an almost full teaching timetable but everything takes you longer as you are still new to it. I trained when I was young, single and lived with parents during nqt year and i still found it hard going. School training on the job is not more family friendly in my opinion but you do get paid for it so might make reliable childcare more affordable.

Would you be able to delay it by a couple of years? I started the application process for a primary pgce in Sept, but after speaking to teacher friends decided to put off applying until this year- so if I get a place my DC will be 7 and 5 when I start. I have no family support nearby and DH works long hours so will be totally reliant on breakfast club/after school club.

I'm a TA at the moment, and it's a bit worrying that lots of teachers seem to be quitting teaching to become TAs when I want to do it the other way round! But it's something I've wanted to do for so long....

I think the main benefit of School Direct (I think that's rhe new name for SCITT) is you are based at one school, so if you can get into one close by it's a lot easier. It's travelling all over the place for placements that worries me, as the after schoo club funishes at 6.

Not unreasonable, but one thing I would urge you to do very gently is to see what the jobs are like in your area before committing yourself.

Some areas and schools do struggle for recruitment, but others are just fine, thank you very much, and the other issue is that teaching can be rather "ageist." In my experience, many schools tend to prefer to fill teaching posts with new graduates.

Given the time and energy, not to mention money, retraining involves, I would tend to suggest looking carefully into the jobs situation first.

I did it two years ago - secondary science.

I had school wraparound care - which opened too late and closed too early. DH works away Sun PM - Fri PM and was away lots of weekends that year.

I had some family support - my mum picked the DSs up from after school club on the weekly training day (I didn't get home until just after childcare closing time). My mum often cooked an evening meal for us and my PIL had the kids on very busy weekends.

I worked all the time. I got up at 6am on weekends to work.

It was hard, but this year, working in the right school, I love my job :)

I did a PGCE as a LP when dcs were 4 and 18 months old. It's hard but doable as long as you have support. I found that being a bit older and having children meant I worked more efficiently than my younger, child free peers. Also, being a LP meant that I could just spend my evenings working without having to worry about neglecting a partner. Good luck!

Ah should have said, now work 0.8 FTE - best of both worlds :)

'I found that being a bit older and having children meant I worked more efficiently than my younger, child free peers.'

Completely agree with this.

My DSs were in Y1 & Y3 when I started. I had no support from friends as I'd moved to the area to start the course.

Hi there is no doubting that it is a LOT of hard work but this is my experience
I did a 3 year degree at night school while working 3 days a week, started when sons were 1 and 3. Then did full time PGCE when boys were 5 and 8 and am now in my 2nd year of full time teaching in a very full on school. Previous to this I was a TA for 18 years.
It is hard and sometimes the children in my class do get more of me than my own children but I do love it and don't regret making the decision at all.

I know that some of you are saying that the NQT year is hard, but the NQTs I've mentored have found the following year very hard too.
In your NQT year, you have a mentor, extra time to plan, mark and observe and visit and no curriculum responsibilities.
In your second year, all that is dropped, you have your NCT and that's it.
Second year can be a shock.

I did my nurse training when dc were 6 and 2. It was 3 years and hard going especially during placements. But I had good family support and 15 years on have no regrets. I'd say go for it.

Interesting thread I'm thinking of applying end of this year and if successfully to start 2015, my DCs will be 11, 10, 7 and 5 by then.

No family support at all, DH works long hours but works at home one day a week.

Sometimes I think I'm being too adventurous

pgce as single parent with good family support and a totally co-operative ten year old was the hardest, hardest year of my life.

taught for twenty years and am giving in this year. enough is enough.
in the last year i have frequently worked 6.30am to 9pm in school, and occasionally to 10pm. do you really want that?

I did my secondary PGCE part-time. Started when DC were 3 and 1, finished when they were 5 and 3. Got to say it was pretty hellish. DP also works long hours, away a lot, we have no family nearby, and during the school placements (which were NOT part-time) I had a pretty miserable life as i would be up at 5, at school all day, doing tea and bedtime and then working again till midnight. Weekends evaporated into rows over who would have kids so that I could get work done. We got there, and I am employed, and it means I have holidays with the children now, which is great, but it cost us a lot financially and emotionally. And it's still horrible when I can't go to my own DC's school play because of my job, or have to beg DP to take them out for the day at the weekend when my work has mounted up instead of spending time all together.

I would second the advice that you check out the job situation locally. SIL has nearly finished a primary PGCE and I am very worried that after all this effort she may not be able to find a job locally. Secondary possibly better form that perspective. I don't mean to sound negative, there are great things about teaching, but it's not for the faint-hearted!

Wow, thanks so much for all the replies. Have the aforementioned DC around now so can't reply as fully as I'd like but on balance, after reading the replies, I'm thinking it might be best to leave it until they're a bit older, particularly my youngest.

I have previously worked v v full time with one dc and really regretted it so I am more cautious now. Ive been a sahm for a while but I now need to go back to work financially. So I would be doing another job (if I could get one! ), probably in another field for a few years until I felt ready to do pgce.
Another possibility I have been considering is applying for jobs in independent schools where qts isn't always necessary, as I have some teaching experience and postgraduate quals in my field. Controversial I know! Anyone have any thoughts on how that might compare, particularly if it was a PT post?

I did a FT PGCE in science with a 2yo and passed with distinction for my academic work and grade 1 for teaching. And my DH spent 2 of the 3 terms overseas with his work. It can be done, but you need to be super organised as others have said, and be smart about what you do.

Even more so in your NQT year when your teaching load is higher and you have reports, parents, trips etc. and learning and maybe even writing new schemes, getting to grips with teaching A level and so on

I would reconsider your career choice. Sadly, teaching is not the family-friendly job it was years ago.

It is a hard-nosed, soul-less job. The hours are endless and it is a largely thankless profession ref the powers-that-be. You are only as good as your last observation.

And oh the observations. Be prepared for constant and endless picking over of your teaching so you can prove your worth - even though you will be fully qualified and experienced further down the line. These factors matter not one jot. This will be a great source of stress to you but we all have to learn to live with the endless and regular criticism. Your observers, after all, have to prove that they know what they are doing and they are also having to prove their own worth. Ofsted will be raking over their critiques.

The latest crazes teaching methods which you will be fully expected to use and embrace today will be frowned upon in a couple of years. You will learn how to play a game and provide what they want. But this may not be in the best interest of the children - your pupils.

And onto the pupils. You will want to spend most of your planning time creating wonderful learning opportunities for your pupils. Instead you will find yourself using most of your evenings and weekends completing a never-ending and pointless stream of paperwork. Each pupil will become a target. Many of these targets will be unreachable and you will be hauled over the coals for failing to 'meet their needs'.

Are you sure you want to do this?