Forgive me for asking - How to become a teacher - Mature?

[jellyjelly]

I am thinking about becoming a Teacher and would to love the way into it. Not sure if primary, or secondary or what my favourite subject to teach would be.

I am a single parent who can not give up work even for say a yr because of my committments. I can take my time in doing this but dont knw where to start. Evenings over time are fine.

I do not currently have a degree but will be hoping to do a NVQ 3 in Childcare coupled with my exsisting childcare knowledge i could have this in 6 months time.

I have thought about doing an access course but not sure if this will help or could be a waste of time. I wont be on here much today but any thought would be helpful on how I can put this plan into action.

Without a degree, i would think you will need to do a teacher training equivalent. I think this is usually 3 years full time. What I don't know is how much credit you will get for having an NVQ 3. With a degree, a 1 year full time post grad course is needed.

Some independent schools used to take on people and train them up "on the job". That might be a more practical option but i don't know how many schools do that now.

Hi jellyjelly,

Until about a week ago I worked for a teacher training organisation and am very familiar with this area.

First things first: to become a fully qualified teacher (ie PAID on the qualified teachers' scale) you will ultimately need a degree. Whether that is before you then undertake further post-grad training or during training, there's no way around this one.

I coordinated a small, school-centred post-grad course (primary) and have to say that it is quite competitive to enter primary initial teacher training (ITT) and the number of places available across the country is very much linked to demographics and determined by central government.

There's lots of information out there, but the single most important source (IMO) is the Teaching & Development Agency for Schools (TDA) which is the gov't arm dealing with all things teacher training and funding it! - see their website tda and click "getting into teaching" for more information.

The actual post-graduate training process is very intensive and without doubt you would have to devote yourself to it full time. However, you might consider gaining your degree gradually over a number of years giving you the short-term freedom to balance education with childcare/family commitments and then throw yourself into a year of more intensive training in order to gain QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) which is the required qual for being a teacher in a mainstream school in Eng & Wales.

IMO an access course a good route to HE and then maybe the Open Uni for a degree?

Happy to help if I can and good luck.

Do you know what a teacher training equiv is called?

Can you recommend any sites that could help me?

Thanks walnut shell.

I will have a look at the site. Can the degree be in anything?

Can you also give me a ball park figure on what the slary could be. I understand that this could be quite hard to predict. Am in south of england - 40 miles from London.

No probs. Here for salary including London weighting.

Degree subject is very much determined by individual training provider. You might find that some of the bigger/more popular universities are particularly keen on National Curriculum subjects (ie, maths, Engish, science, ICT, art, history etc) but nowadays with thousands of subjects available at degree level, HEI's tend to be more flexible. As a small provider, we were able to look in detail at applicants' education/training/experience and were very flexible about degree subject - everything from law and dentistry to business administration and humanities...

Particularly if you are coming into HE as an adult, a humanities-based degree can provide a useful 'mix and match' of subjects. Of course, if you are definite about teacher training, you might want to study child development or similar because that will be of particular interest to you.

If you prefer to train locally, check with your local providers for their stance on degree/experience etc before picking a degree subject, just in case. Providers are listed on the TDA website under Becoming a teacher/Ways of getting into teaching - organised by route, eg BEd (4 years), post-grad etc.

All providers will expect you to have in-school experience (whether paid or voluntary) at the point of application - contact your local school and make yourself available!

PS the bigger universities may just use NC-based degrees as a way to filter more easily through their huge numbers of applicants. However, most HEI's also look in more detail at mature students as they realise they often have a range of experience and level of commitment beyond that of some younger applicants. Good luck in your quest! x

Isn't there some kind of combination degree/teaching qualifciation? Bed perhaps? Does that sound right?

You can do a BEd, which is an undergrad degree and will lead to a primary teaching qualification (4YRS). For primary you could also opt for a BA(QTS) (also 4yrs UG)

The other two ways into primary is to do a degree (most universities will want that to be in a national curriculum subject) Then to either do a PGCE (1YR) or start at a school who will sponsor you through the graduate teaching programme (2yrs) The benefit of the 2yr option is that you are learning on the job and earning a salary (@12kpa I think)

For secondary, you will need a degree in the subject you want to teach, followed by a PGCE. There may be other ways into secondary, you'd need to check but that's the main one.

You'll find salary scales on most teachers union websites and the GTC website. Google teachers salary scale.

HTH

You will also need to make sure that you have the right qualifications at GCSE level. You need to have GCSEs in English Maths and Sience to teach any subject in secondary (I don't know if they accept equivalent courses)

I you want to teach in secondary school you will have to show that your degree has suficient 'cover' of the subject that you wish to teach. So for example if you had a degree in Engineering you could teach Physics or Maths as long as you could provethat the degree you studied covered enough of these two areas.

Few people teach in secondary with a BEd (although there are some, and some with a Cert Ed even). Most secondary teachers have a degree in the subject that they teach (or closly related subject) and a PGCE or GTP qualification.

You will have to give up work at some time, since all teaching qualifications require you to see taching practice in school. Even part time courses require this.

I did my PGCE with the OU and it is helpful for parents, since you can take up to three years to finish it, if you need the time.

You will get a non means tested grant for the PGCE, and there are other means tested benefits that you can claim while you are teaching.

MartianBishop - (sorry to hijack your thread Jelly) - I have a BA (librarianship) and an MSc (computing) but really want to teach English Lit. Am doing E Lit degree with OU (very slowly - have 3 kids). I would then have to do PGCE right? How long are we talking about? I'll be 40 next year. Am I getting too old and should I think about speeding it up if I am really serious?

TIA

There's no time limit and more and more mature people are coming into the profession. Keep in mind that teaching is stressful physically can be more demanding than you think - lots of standing and walking around classrooms and corridors full of busy people. And in lower primary they have those teeny tiny chairs they have to sit on (killer on the back I am led to believe). I did my PGCE with the OU and temped inbetween to pay for child care (obviously you can't work whilst on placement because you are training). Another option in the GTP programme which is good - you are trained at the school and go once a week to the Uni for lectures, etc.

It is a rewarding profession but niceglasses be aware that English has a huge marking burden which is not to be underestimated. You will need your degree first before you apply for PGCE or GTP.

Anyone considering embarking on a serious course of study in order to teach really should spend as much time as possible in schools first to be sure of their decision.

A lot of people think they want to go into teaching, spend a lot of time training, and then drop out either during the PGCE yr, the NQT yr, or the first two years after that, which is a real shame.

I have a degree and am currently working as a cover supervisor in a secondary school, and have been for two years now. I could go and do the GTP immediately (school would recommend and support me), but I'm not taking that step yet.

Roisin: What opportunities are there to spend time in schools without a teaching qualification?

MB: Is Pscyhology a relevant degree for Primary in your oppinion?

mum did an access course, then went to uni to do a history/education degree she qualified when she was 40 so it is possible she now heads the whole early years dept for her school - and hopefully has got extra for the area job as well (and she's only been teaching for 9 years I think)

Deestingsduznotappen, most schools will welcome you to shadow teachers and observe for as long as you like as a volunteer.

As a completely unqualified person it's very hard to get any sort of paid work in primary schools, though it does happen in some areas. But it is easier in secondary schools, where appointing for TAs and CSs is often more tricky; and in many areas it is possible to get a job without qualifications.

I did

*By 'without qualifications' I mean, of course, NVQ3 or HLTA or PGCE or GTP, or other 'education' qualifications.

I'm 2 years into a degree prior to doing my PGCE, so 4 years in total FT

PGCE takes 1 year straight although part time is available as well, funding unlikely to be dso good on thsi however.

What i would say- my Uni has cut the number of PGCE places for non-shortage subjects by Half (fortunately I am doing a shortage subject- RE), non- shortage subjects are becoming hard to get places for

Ther is a governemnt website with all the info- search those who can teach

I can't comment on what is good for Primary as I teach in secondary

It would obviously help with understanding the learning theroy side of things. But primary teachers have to do sooooooo many different things. I tip my hat to them. I couldn't have done it , with a deghree in Biochemistry, that is for sure. But that might just be me!

Nice Glasses, as I said I did my PGCE with the OU. They audited the content of my degree (biochemistry) to make sure that it covered enough of the NC science that I would be expected to teach. You should contact them to see if any of you librarianship degree could 'cover' teaching GCSE/ A level/KS3 english. I don't know if it would, but it might!

The PGCE itself can be completed in a year, if you do it full time. I did mine with the OU and they will let you take up to 3 years, if you like. They will also give you credits for any relevant work that you have done.I had none, but Roisin, for example, would be given exemptions for quite a bit of the course because of her work as a cover supervisor.

And with the OU you don't go to lectures, but you do the academic work in your own time. You do have to do the same amount of teaching practice as a 'standard' PGCE.

Peachy, funding for a part time is the same for a full time. So I got £6000 in total, spread over the 2 years it took me, instead of the year it could have taken me, IYSWIM

(two terms of that I spent working on the unqualified regester BTW, in the school where I now work as a qualified teacher)

Inyteresting MB (although thats still less ayear isn't it? She sayd defencvely )

There's extra for shortage subjects too of course

How does childcare grant work with PGCE? I get it for Uni atm

Everyone got the £6000. People below a specific level of family income got more in means tested grants. I never found out about them, because dhs income put us above the limit....ditto child care funding.

You are right, you do get less per year, but at the same time you can also continue to work for part of the time. I earned about £8000 for the two terms I worked on the unqualified reg.

Hiya Martianbishop!
We've got the dreaded O**D men in this week - today and tomorrow

Fortunately there's virtually no cover, but it's a wonderfully stressful environment to be working in! Roll on teatime tomorrow.

Treat yourself to a large G and T at the end of it m'dear. You'll have earmed it.

My PGCE tutor was an ofsted inspector. She couldn't have taught a class to save her life!

A good way to get into teaching(in a secondary school at least) (if you have a degree already), is to get a job as a cover supervisor (like Roisin) / LSA in a school, work there for a couple of years, and then ask them to support you through the Graduate teacher preogramme. We've had 3 people do just that in recent years: 2 in science, and 1, who'll be starting next September, in Maths.

It's a good way for mature entrants to come into the profession - especially as you're earning while you're doing your training, which is better for you if you have commitments.

Doing it that way also means that you get a really good insight into what the job is like before you commit yourself to training.

Good luck!

Thanks to everyone with the information. My plan at the moment is as follows.

I am trying to get a nursery nurse role so i can work and think about what i want. (they will train me/sponser an NVQ for me) Whilst i am looking i am working as a TA in a special needs school which i have really enjoyed. I am trying to learn BSL.

I didnt get a great grade at either english or maths at school because i moved around and could only achieve the highest mark due to the setting of classes at the school so i have just done the maths and english equiv run by learn direct.

Think i will look into the course now and please give further advice if you can think of anything that could be useful.