Teaching with a 2:2 Degree

[peacock00]

Hello there

I have got a conditional offer for a PGCE starting this September, I have a 2:2 at undergraduate level. I am just wondering when it comes to applying for teaching jobs will my 2:2 make it harder for me to secure a job if I will be competing with people who have a 2:1 and a 1st?

God there are some arseholes on this thread!

We look at degree subject and classification when recruiting at secondary (even in a comp ) but that’s primarily from a subject knowledge point of view. We’d have questions if your degree was in a different subject to the one you teach but it wouldn’t stop us shortlisting you and we’d discuss at interview. One of the best teachers of English I ever worked with was a psychology graduate.

Rightly or wrongly, however, a 2:2 from certain universities (including Cambridge) is regarded slightly differently to a 2:2 from some other institutions. DH has a Cambridge 2:2 and this was certainly been his experience. A rather disingenuous dripfeed.

*has

I love this insinuation that a 2:2 means not academically gifted 🤣

I have 3 degrees and a PGCE but my first degree (Maths) was a 2:2 and it’s never stopped me a) working in excellent academic schools in both private and state sector, b) going on to be promoted to senior level and c) going on to do further post graduate degrees which have achieved a distinction and a merit.

Bloody snobbery - my 2:2 was in part a sign that I had a bit too much fun as a undergraduate!

@CanICelebrateIt's not snobbery at all. Of course anyone can underachieve and get a lower grade than they're capable of. I know someone with no GCSEs who is incredibly intelligent. However a 2.2 certainly doesn't show evidence of being academically gifted and suggests you haven't really grasped the course content fully (either due to ability, personal circumstances or just going out too much). When you apply for jobs it's generally considered necessary to prove your skills and a degree is the normal way of doing so.

AT least at first anyway. Once you're established in your career people are much ore interested in how you actually do your job.

I have been involved in selection and interview for a lot of primary school posts and my experience is that the classification of your degree is less important for getting an interview than the other skills you offer and general quality of your application. If you show that you've understood the specific criteria the school is looking for and can demonstrate relevant experience from your placements etc you're more likely to be selected than someone with a 2:1 who has just put in a half hearted generic application. Once you get an interview, my experience is that how you perform there will be the deciding factor.

As an aside, the school I was involved with was a catholic school and we rarely got very many applications so almost every candidate was interviewed. I think a lot of people assumed they would not be selected unless they were catholic but in reality that was not the case.

Guy I went to university with scraped a 3rd and is now HoD

I don't think it will matter at primary at all, it will be much more important how you do in your PGCE I'd imagine.

I wouldn't say that it matters, although I have no experience of today's qualification requirements.
I taught for over thirty years, on a teaching certificate given after three years' training. As did all my colleagues. In those days a degree wasn't needed.
I agree that your skill as a teacher has little to do with your professional qualifications. Evidently you need a certain level of education, but teaching skills are complex, and can't be taught. Empathy, together with a balance of strictness and fairness is what is needed.

Nope.

It's such a practical job

A huge amount gets seen when you're on placements and often schools hire Students they've had and and liked.

Some students, especially at the moment, work as TAs or teachers on supply which is often another way into a school, if you both fit.

@ThanksItHasPockets

We look at degree subject and classification when recruiting at secondary (even in a comp ) but that’s primarily from a subject knowledge point of view. We’d have questions if your degree was in a different subject to the one you teach but it wouldn’t stop us shortlisting you and we’d discuss at interview. One of the best teachers of English I ever worked with was a psychology graduate.

Rightly or wrongly, however, a 2:2 from certain universities (including Cambridge) is regarded slightly differently to a 2:2 from some other institutions. DH has a Cambridge 2:2 and this was certainly been his experience. A rather disingenuous dripfeed.

Nothing disingenuous about it at all. Everyone on here who says that a 2:2 is not good enough has not made any discrimination about where that 2:2 is from - just a sweeping assertion that it would not be well regarded.

Rather a disingenuous dripfeed on the part of the 2:2 naysayers that suddenly all degrees are equal but some are more equal than others!

Desmond!

@IMNOTSHOUTING

Maybe it depends on the subject and university (mine was Maths at a very good uni) but no one has ever questioned my understanding of Mathematics due to my 2:2. It’s certainly not been a barrier to teaching jobs or further study where I achieved much higher.

And I think some of the comments on here are snarky even if they are not snobby!

Depends on the school, some top public or independent schools will not even look at you. But they're the kind of snobby places that think you can't be a good teacher without a 1st from Cambridge. Which clearly isn't true.

not naturally academically gifted In the nicest way possible, please don’t assume that those of us with a 2:2 fit into this category. I had straight As at school (back when that really wasn’t very common!) and went to a ‘top’ university. My finals were tricky for various reasons and I missed out on a 2:1 by a couple of marks. I’ve always considered myself very academic and apart from my finals have excelled at everything academic I’ve ever done. Luckily in real life I’ve never been judged for it and employers look at my work history and performance at interview instead.

My experience is that f you have a post-grad degree no-one bothers what the under-grad ones grade was.

I think it depends on your subject area. My SIL is a maths teacher. She got shocking A Levels (F, E, D!), went to a lower ranked uni and got 2:1 and now, despite being unable to teach A level (as she didn’t pass her own maths A level highly enough) has worked her way up to be Head of KS4 for GCSE maths in a secondary school! She has never struggled to get jobs or promotions along the way, which I can’t help thinking is because of her subject area and maths teachers being in such short supply.

Ah well, for my pgce maths essay I found an Ofsted report on primary maths teachers being more effective if they'd found maths challenging themselves... as they knew what it felt like to struggle. I certainly I found some maths tough (not algebra oddly) and only got a C at gcse.

I then found when teaching it, because I had to work out the best ways to explain and could see how and why some weren't getting it, I grew to love it. Haven't taught it for a few years but I felt it was one of my strongest areas.

Not a problem it's more about how you are as a teacher and can convey knowledge and be a good teacher.

Good luck!

I doubt it very much.
If you pass your PGCE will good write ups then this is the only thing most primary schools are interested in.
If your maths and literacy are decent.
You’re personable and can speak well then you should be ok.
Your references, how you interview and how you’ve got on in teaching practice will be the things that matter.

Depends on the subject and/or level in my experience. Primary school no problem. Grammar school Ks4 maths/science etc more likely a problem without a proven track record.