AIBU to ask you all for advice on pgce application very mature student

[Jintx]

Posting for traffic.
I'm 47 and looking to train to be a teacher. I left a corporate job 6 years ago to look after my high needs child but now they are in sen school I'm looking to do a primary pgce. Looking at the application I can put my last employer down but my line manager and team were all made redundant 2 years after I left (I missed out on that payout). The company will just say I was there.
Professional experience my child didn't go to school ft and I was either teaching him at home or if he was at school more than 2 hours I was sitting with him in class, going on school trips etc all the sen mum demands.
What do people like me realistically do for referees?
Also am I crazy making this career change? For the last 6 months I've been recovering from the long fight and tribunal and now want to work as a sen teacher.

Go for it. We need more teachers. A simple reference will suffice.
Whats your degree in. Get a bursary for secondary and then go into send. Make it financially more comfortable?

Do you have any experience within the classroom? I would do some voluntary work first. It would look better on your application, give you a reference and also an insight into whether it is the right path for you.

I’ve been teaching over 20 years and whilst I still enjoy it I am not sure it would be something I would recommend to others. However, there is a lot of demand for SEN teachers/support staff so if it is something you want to do you would probably find a job pretty easily (in my area at least)

You'll need to provide references that show you didn't lie about your last employment so a reference confirming your employment start and end dates from a company is fine. Many companies only provide those now.

Can you get back in touch with your former manager (LinkedIn) and ask for a personal reference? I've done that for people I've managed several times and several years after working with them.

At 47 you'll bring a huge amount of life experience that younger applicants often don't have, and schools really value maturity, resilience and real-world experience. Your years advocating for and supporting your child are highly relevant, especially if you're aiming to become a SEN teacher. For references, universities are usually happy to advise if you don't have a recent line manager. They may accept a character or academic reference, or someone who has worked closely with you in a professional capacity, such as a headteacher, SENCO or another professional who knows your contribution. I'd contact the PGCE admissions team before applying they deal with situations like yours all the time. Good luck 😊

I agree with doing secondary for the bursary. Who is the reference for?

Can you use someone at your child’s school? They must know a bit about what you have done.

Don't most companies have a policy of just saying Jintx worked here between x and y?

So you probably aren't missing out on much references wise.

Volunteering in a school would also be vital to having a good application and it needs to not be supporting your child.

If you have a good relationship with the school, ask if you can volunteer for two weeks in another class or even better, do it in a completely different school so you have a better experience of different settings.

And it would get you a reference

When you say you want to become a special educational needs teacher - but wish to do a primary PGCE - where do you see yourself working after you qualify? Do you envisage being in a special school?

PP have suggested the secondary PGCE route as you might well get a bursary and I would echo that.

I would like to do a primary pgce but I did my degree in English Literature and worked in a finance company in research and communications.
My ex manager got a big pay out and has gone off the grid 😂
I suppose I could ask people I've known in a professional capacity.
Many years ago, after uni, I worked at a tuition centre for primary age children and was also an A level tutor until I hit a full time job. But I have no idea of dates I worked and the tuition centre closed down around 10 years ago

Yes at a SEN school or in a mainstream supporting SEN children.

I asked where you envisage working after qualifying because it's important to which kind of PGCE you pursue. Most (but not all) special schools are for secondary age children. What kind of setting are you interested in?

Sorry I want to teach early years.

There is normally more than one referee, so I'd do last employment for one and somebody with something useful to say for the other. Schools are all about safer recruitment so will want every gap covered.

OP I did PGCE at 45, specialising in EY. You’re definitely not too old! There were loads of mature students on my course - in fact very few had gone straight onto the course from their undergrad. I’d been a TA for years though as had lots of my friends on the course. I think as others have said getting some school experience even if only for a few weeks would be great.

My DIL is a teacher in an SEN school and she did primary PGCE. Even when teaching 11 year olds she drew a lot on the EYFS model as it was more appropriate for the children she was teaching. She teaches secondary age now but the primary experience is still more relevant than having a secondary PGCE because very few children get to GCSE level (although it depends greatly on individual schools and their specialisms as to whether that applies elsewhere). She teaches maths, English and life skills in her class. Maths is very much a basic skills paper.

Re your referees, I’d cover the bases for your last employer (as otherwise it looks suspect) and then try to get a referee who can talk about any relevant experience you have. Unis are used to students who don’t come through a conventional route so don’t be put off.

My last 3 employers are big international companies so any reference will just be dates I worked and job title.
I've been doing a bit of free advocacy/ helping with ehcps for other sen parents and can ask a person who I've been working alongside for a character reference as they work for a charity. But I'd rather not mention that.

The university asks for employment references as part of its safeguarding responsibilities, rather than to judge how good someone will be as a teacher. It won't be an issue at all if they are brief and factual. If you're still not sure who to put down, it's worth giving the uniI a call—they're usually really helpful and can advise you on the best people to list.

Good luck with the course! It's a brilliant experience and you'll learn loads, but it is intense and the workload is huge, so be prepared to be busy!

Thank you @CountryGirlInTheCity This is exactly why I want to do a primary pgce.