AIBU to think getting into teaching should be easier?

[LavenderFields7]

My friend has a PhD in stem, is trying to get into teaching A-levels at local school but everywhere wants PGCE. AIBU to think it’s ridiculous to want someone so qualified to have to study another year, fork out £10,000 and work unpaid for a year? She has a Level 3 teaching qualification and has taught uni level students.

Dd is doing a PGCE at the moment. Biology, so not quite the same level of bursary as Chemistry/Physics, but still a good years trainee "wage" of £26K tax free. (£9k-ish tuition).

She has her first teaching job starting Sept. Starting £31K-ish.

private school or getting an unqualified teacher position?

That's excellent. Good luck to her!

Teaching requires a complex set of skills and aptitudes that not everyone has - many can be learnt but not if you have no idea what the job itself entails. As has been said, subject knowledge is only one small part of the role - knowing how to get that across in a meaningful way, understanding the differing learning needs of the students, knowing how to adopt the right blend of authority and encouragement, understanding the requirements of the actual curriculum (as opposed to a PHD level understanding of a subject) etc etc. Dare I say it, even some qualified teachers aren't good at all aspects.

Your friend is being very arrogant and if they really want to teach, then surely a year spent in learning how to do so is not a big deal (assuming they aren't a child where a year seems like a lifetime). Tell them also that even after that year, you do actually need to continue learning on the job - it's an introduction to the basics.

Your friend would probably get funding of about £20 000+ tax free.

I had years of experience and a DTTLS (qualification to teach in FE) I still found the PGCE hard.

Aside from everyone debate the PhD aspect, yes I do think it's too hard. I wanted to get into teaching bit couldn't afford to not earn for a year and find the money for the course.

It's the same with educational psychologists. We have such a huge shortage, but training to get in is a nightmare. You take a huge pay cut from being a teacher and when you qualify the salary isn't a great deal more to justify the loss of earnings and time and effort.

It is the same with nursing. They made training an expensive nightmare, the drop out rate is high due to the workload and the wages aren't competitive considering the COL.

I don't get why people are so baffled by staffing issues in these professions.

But surely the fact that he's reached this position shows that he must be very good at his job despite not having a qualification? It's not "poor" if he's the right person for the job.

No, I mean that the structure and progression in private schools must be lacking if someone can manage a whole school without even having a teaching qualification!
However. Like I said, a different world.

This!

One of my DC’s teachers is lovely but she can’t seem to teach for toffee. My DC has a target grade of A* but in her mocks she struggled because she’s not sure exactly what’s been asked of her. That’s shocking at this stage. DC won’t let me email the teacher to say DC is struggling (and technically shouldn’t be) so I bame her being a shit teacher. Lovely person when I met her but can’t give a straight answer or examples…. That’s not good

That is shocking, @GraySILK . Obviously it's a bit close to the actual A levels now, but I would still complain, perhaps to the subject lead, or the Head of KS5.

This is funny.
I have watched all of ER at least three times and I have a biology ALEVEL. Why won’t they let me be a dr???? Why??

I think teachers should have teaching qualifications. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. It should be much cheaper/free though or have a system where student loans are written off after X number of years though. The problem with big tax free/bursaries is it attracts people who just do it for the bursary and then they quit when it turns out their salary the first years will actually be lower than their bursary due to tax!

I’ve worked in private schools and the majority of teachers are qualified. At my last school the French teacher wasn’t, she was just a native French speaker. Tbh, her teaching wasn’t brilliant. I don’t think there are that many unqualified teachers working in private schools even though it’s technically possible, and even fewer head teachers.

I did a PGCE with someone who had a PhD and he couldn't cope at all. He ended up dropping out of the course.

😂😂

This is increasing not the case. If he's a head now he must have started a while back. On the rare occasion our school takes someone unqualified they are immediately put through a teaching qualification on the side. It's a frequently trotted out myth on the anti PS threads. It's v rare that any school would employ someone solely for 6th form unless it's a subject only taught at A level.

Just because someone is very knowledgeable in a subject does not mean they can teach it well.

Subject knowledge is one element of teaching - others include pedagogy, subject progression, curriculum, differentiation, behaviour management, knowledge and experience of special needs, ability to plan and assess, infinite patience and creativity - these are all things teachers need to learn!

Could they not do an assessment only course? A friend has just completed this and is now teaching. Only takes 12 weeks.

I want to be a radiographer but sadly I can't afford to retrain. It doesn't mean I think the requirement for the specialist qualification shouldn't exist.

As everyone else has said, there's a lot more to teaching than (high level) subject knowledge. If they just want to teach A Level, have they approached a local Sixth Form college? Many of them will train a good candidate 'on the job' so they will gain their QTS, but only for teaching that 'level'.
I'm sure your friend isn't one of these people, but a lot of people don't appreciate quite how much you might learn on a PGCE besides actually teaching (legislation, psychology, Safeguarding, sheer volume of workload etc). That's why people often find it quite a tough qualification, regardless of previous experience and ability.
Hope your friend finds somewhere to train them, we desperately need more committed, expert teachers.

Knowing the content of the curriculum is a small part of the job. Pretty much anyone with a degree can stay a couple of lessons ahead of the classes in terms of content knowledge. Ask any primary teacher who suddenly had to learn the history of ancient Benin when that appeared on the curriculum a few years ago!

A PGCE ensures that teachers understand teaching and learning, have a basis in SEND, behaviour management, understand the law regarding protecting children and have experience of working with other professionals and the actual students. All pretty essential to the job.

I have no actual knowledge of how teaching works and even i think this

Yes, it's true that he started teaching many years ago and has worked his way up. Maybe that's not possible now.

Why on earth would you think she should be handed a job she isn't qualified to do? Teaching is an actual profession with particular skills and qualifications needed. It's not a job for people who fancy an easy life 😡

What Teaching experience do they have? Can they control a classroom? What teaching pedagogies do they know?

Knowing your subject is one thing. Being able to teach and being good at teaching is a totally separate subject.

What a bizarre post.

Of course teachers need to know how to teach.