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Original poster

To think about Doing a pgce 7 years after degree

33 replies

Moomoomango · 14/06/2018 19:41

Hi all,

Am I nuts? I’m looking at career options and looking to do a pgce as a business studies teacher but finished my degree 7 years ago and have solidly raised kids since then. Would I be totally out of my depth or would it all come back to me ?!

Has anyone else done a part time pgce? Is it manageable with children?

OP posts:
Liverbird77 · 14/06/2018 19:58

I am sure you wouldn't be out of your depth. It's hard work but manageable. I did mine five years after my degree, as a career changer. I would, however, really urge you to think about whether you are certain you want to teach. I've now done 13 years. For the first four or five I loved it. Now, every day is a torture. I am leaving at Xmas to have a baby and hope I never have to go back.

islaand · 14/06/2018 20:02

I finish my PGCE tomorrow (secondary Englaish), it's been 13 years since I graduated and I have kids.
It's been busy but fine, in fact i think having kids and needing to be super organised made me a better student that most of the recent grads.
Just investigate what the job market is like for business studies teachers as I'm not sure how in demand the subject is. Good luck!

MeanTangerine · 14/06/2018 20:02

They're crying out for recruits so I don't doubt you'd get in.

PGCE not usually possible part time, afaik.

There are a lot of similar threads in The Staffroom, have a look.

Good luck.

islaand · 14/06/2018 20:02

*English

Clairetree1 · 14/06/2018 20:05

Its not worth considering if you have children

Mine are adult now. I struggled through until they were teens, then gave up teaching because I never had time to as much as eat a meal with them.

I returned to teaching more or less by accident when they had left home, but I'm on site normally 13 hours a day, and add that to travel time......

Purplevicki · 14/06/2018 20:06

I did my PGCE part-time over 2 years, more than 10 years after I completed my degree.

I taught for 5 years and then jacked it in. Working with the students was great, the education system and internal politics at the college tipped me over the edge!

crazycatgal · 14/06/2018 20:06

PGCEs are full time.

Waggingmyginger · 14/06/2018 20:07

Absolutely. When I did my pgce as a mature student I was the youngest mature student, most were women with children of ks2/3 age.

ICantCopeAnymore · 14/06/2018 20:27

Yes you're nuts. Not to do the PGCE but to consider the teaching profession at the moment.

OddestSock · 14/06/2018 20:28

I did a PGCE straight after my undergraduate degree. I was too young & had not enough life experience & I was thinking just this morning how I’d have been far better off living a few years first & toughening up, because, in hindsight, I was too young & too sensitive. The mature students on my course (who made u about 75% of the students) handled it much, much better than the ones straight out of uni. I never taught again afterwards!

KindergartenKop · 14/06/2018 20:31

Are you worried about remembering the subject info from your degree? Don't panic about that, teaching is so much more than imparting information. Have you done any observation in a secondary school? That would be a good place to start.

daisypond · 14/06/2018 20:32

There are lots of part-time PGCE courses!

Blostma · 14/06/2018 20:33

I’m not sure how common they are, but you definitely do part time pgce in some places.

GinPink · 14/06/2018 20:36

Mistakes people make going into teaching:

Doing it for he holidays. Yes they are a huge plus and you will be off in the summer with your kids. BUT if you don't actually WANT to teach (you know for the actual teaching bit) I wouldn't touch the profession with a barge pole

Assuming it's an easy one as you only work 9-3:30 (you don't.) I have said this till I'm blue in the face and no one ever believes me

Assuming it's really easy to fit round your family. I'm part time but that was only possible really after teaching for 5 years before getting pregnant and getting my head around lesson plans etc.

If you want to teach and are happy to be very full on for a few years than YANBU. If you want to ease your way back into work (you've mentioned part time) than YABU.

MikeAlphaMikeAlpha · 14/06/2018 20:45

Really interesting to see the different opinions on teaching, I'm planning to after doing my degree, this will be at least 6 years before I'm able to start a pgce, so I'll be about 40.
What advice would you give to keep it real? What are the worst parts? And of course the best? If you could do it all again, would you?

Caribou58 · 14/06/2018 20:49

I know someone who did her teacher training when she was 60, having originally graduated aged 22! I thought she was insane, but she was well keen.

MeanTangerine · 14/06/2018 21:00

MAMA you asked about the worst bits :

I can't link on my phone, but if you go in The Staffroom there is a thread called 'Please Help'. I've screen-shotted the first post. This sort of thing is why so many talented, dedicated teachers have left the profession.

To think about Doing a pgce 7 years after degree
egginacup · 14/06/2018 21:06

I did my PGCE as a single parent to 2 primary ages DC last year, 13 years after I finished my first degree! It was hard work and NQT year has also been tough, but worth it. They put me in schools close by for my placements, which really helped, then i got a job at one of them.

My best advice would be very robust childcare arrangements. Couldn’t have done it without my amazing and very flexible childminder.

daisypond · 14/06/2018 21:06

Caribou - did your 60-year-old go on to work as a teacher?

Caribou58 · 14/06/2018 21:17

Caribou - did your 60-year-old go on to work as a teacher?

I think so - I can probably find out!

daisypond · 14/06/2018 21:20

I've always wondered if there's ageism in schools, even if you're going in as a NQT.

MamaMiapartytime · 14/06/2018 21:23

Have you checked that there is a local need for business studies ? What will you second be? Its not really a core subject and so with current accountability measures not that in demand.

StruggsToFunc · 14/06/2018 21:37

Ebacc is quietly killing off business studies. It isn’t a subject I’d encourage anyone to train in right now unless you could offer a second subject - economics? Computing?

If you have maths A Level and your business degree had a significant mathematical component then you might consider maths.

BingTheButterflySlayer · 14/06/2018 21:42

PGCE is a brutally rough course. I'm not sure I could do it now I've got the kids - and that's despite me being the nutjob trying desperately to get back IN to teaching after a career break to have a family.

Go into it with your eyes open, go into it with full awareness of what the employment situation is likely to be like within your local area and any areas you're possibly able to move to, and don't rely on supply as a possible fallback option of any degree of consistency (it's dead as a full-time way of making a living these days). That would be my advice (but I was primary and will damned well be again somehow ).

Eatalot · 14/06/2018 21:42

If you are worried about the content you would need to teach. Visit thw pearson/edexcel website and searxh for l2 and l3 btec business studies specification. Also look at gcse and a level specs on one of the exam boards such as wjec if you are in wales.

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