Returning to Teaching

[MrC93]

I took a year long course to obtain a PGCE and QTS in primary education. I left the course with 4 weeks to go due to ill health of my new-born child but also due to being bullied in my final school placement by another member of staff. I only gained my QTS and not my PGCE and have struggled to find a course to obtain my QTS since. I have now had a year out of the classroom but I am considering applying as an unqualified teacher (I have made the schools in question aware of my situation). Is this a wise decision based on the fact I have no QTS and have had a year of not teaching. Is there anything I can do to prepare myself if I am successful?

I'm not sure I understand - you don't have a PGCE, but do you have QTS?

I only gained my QTS and not my PGCE and have struggled to find a course to obtain my QTS since.

How can you have gained your QTS but still need to obtain your QTS?

I wouldn’t touch teaching with a barge pole at the moment, I’m sad to say.

Hi, yes I have a PGCE but not a QTS unfortunately. Many have told me that this is unusual but is sadly the difficult position I am in.

Confused here and apologies if I'm incorrect. Why do you need a PCGE AND QTS? Is it not one or t'other?

Sorry! Didn't explain hat correctly at all... I have the PGCE but not the QTS. What reasons specifically would you say put you off teaching?

I'd look at private tutoring or something instead. No way I would go into teaching nowadays. Run. Away. Fast.

To prepare yourself, read this

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07N4B7M2V/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams

What specifically would you view as being negative about the role?

I would go back to your course provider and see if they can support you to get qts. They can send you to another school. It sounds like you only need to do a final placement.

I really found getting the balance with behaviour management difficult. There just seemed to be so many contrasting points of view on how I should be managing the classroom.

Sorry, being a twit as remembering it from years ago. Ignore me.

They have said no as I declined to defer due to not knowing when my daughter's health was going to improve and in all honesty the awful experience I had in my final placement had shattered my confidence.

Workload
Levels of micromanagement by SLT
Lack of funding
Narrow curriculum
Pointless time-consuming paperwork expectations
Rewriting curriculums for no reason.
Ofsted
The constant new ‘fads’ in education based on spurious reasoning or ‘research’ -what was considered a good lesson 10 years ago would be considered inadequate now.
A lack of flexibility and autonomy
Teaching an ever increasing range of abilities within one class and being expected to meet all individual needs at all times and it being entirely your fault if a child doesn’t make progress because you obviously weren’t being ‘engaging’ enough.

I have been doing it a very long time though and know that it doesn’t have to be like this!

What do you like about teaching?
What didn’t you like?

Some of those I have heard of and seen happen to others but since I have only experienced placements then I would say the difficulties for me were workload, the pointless paperwork and the altering curriculum. However, many people have told me that sometimes it depends on the school you work in and some of these issues become more manageable with time.

I loved working with young kids, experiencing the range of personalities and watching them develop. I also think it's a profession that carries a great sense of pride and is worthwhile. I enjoyed the ability to plan some lessons to my own accord. I have spent a year away and have tried to find interest in other professions but I keep getting drawn back to teaching.

Hmmm, I’m not feeling much pride any more, which is really sad.

I’d recommend you post on the Staff Room board-you’ll probably get more posts from teachers

You should definitely go back to your course provider. DS dropped out of Schools Direct due to bullying. when he had recovered he went back to the school where he had been a TA . They contacted Schools Direct and he was able to re-start and complete his final practice.

Can you teach if you don't have QTS ?

As an unqualified teacher, yes. The pay and conditions are usually quite a lot worse though.