Hve started English with Cultural Studies Degree. Should I switch to English Lit?

[suwoo]

I want to be a secondary English teacher and aim to study via the GTP. I am thrilled to be doing any degree due to crap GCSE's and 1 B at English Lit & Lang A level.

I am enjoying the sociology side of my degree, but am having underlying doubts and thinking that 'straight' English would be more highly thoughy of. My passion lies in the narrative, and not cultural theory. If it is possible should I switch to English Lit? Is that better CV wise?

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssse.

Advise me, good ladies.

Perhaps the best place to ask is the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991.

www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/faqs/becoming-a-teacher.aspx

Would the Sociology aspect of your degree give you the option to teach Sociology as well as English?

I know that Eng Lit is one of the most popular and sought-after subjects. This could look like you connived your way into your University on false pretences, with the intention all along of trying to get on the Eng Lit course by the back door. They may not accept your request with open arms.

Also, I started a thread about English A Level and the consensus seemed to be that A Level Lit&Lang was not the ideal preparation for Uni level Lit-only.

You need to check with the providers offering teacher training. GTP is competitive and a "purer" degree may be advantageous. But check with providers.

Straight lit is nearly all cultural theory in another guise. (I speak as a lit lecturer). Talk to your tutors before you make another move.

Thanks all, so far. The English Lit students are also doing the culture modules this year, its next year when I could choose film modules if I wanted to, which I don't. The reason I don't think (but don't know)that I would appear sneaky is that I could choose every module the same as my friends doing Eng Lit, should I choose to do so. So effectively, we would have done the exact same degree, mine just has a different name. My tutors know I am dedicated and passionate and I hope that this would enable me to switch.

Have spoken to my tutors and it is absolutely fine to switch. Given that as I've said I will have done all the same modules as an English Lit student, I can change at the end of the summer in readiness for year 2.

My tutor is a sociologist and is therefore somewhat biased, but he said that the cultural studies element would still be highly thought of as I could teach sociology and film etc. What puts me off if I'm honest, is reading on here that sociology is considered a 'soft' subject. If I am putting myself through this, I want a degree that I enjoy, but ultimately the one that gives me the greatest chance of getting the best job. English lit ticks both boxes, I feel.

I'm no expert but sadly I think you're right that "Cultural Studies" isn't considered as serious as "English Lit" even though it's basically the same thing.

If your tutors are happy for you to change, then go for it and good luck.

The fella I just spoke to at the TDA, as linked to above, says cultural studies would be stronger

Oh and he said that English lit wasn't looked on favourably to be an english teacher as you need combined english. Thats bollocks though, right?

Bump.

That's interesting Suwoo - what the TDA said. The conflicting messages you are getting may reflect differences of opinion among teacher training providers (universities, schools). If I get a chance I will try to check it out.

That wouuld be very helpful, thanks, Farside.

Re needing combined English to be a teacher: yes, IME it's bollocks. I lecture in English literature, and many of our graduates go on to qualify as teachers (mostly via the PGCE though). There are ways of slanting your personal statement to show that your study of literature has given you a good understanding of issues such as the social contexts of language use, and IME that is enough to get you in to a teacher training course. (I usually say something along those lines in my references for students too).

You do know I suppose that it is fantastically difficult to get a GTP place for a non-priority subject such as English? be prepared to apply for a PGCE too.

I need to look into funding/loans and childcare tax credits for both too. I feel they may be vastly different. What do you specialise in campergirls?

Hi Suwoo I am currently in the third year of my joint honours degree - Education and English Lit and I have just been invited to interview for a secondary English PGCE place.

From all the research I have done English Literature is the favoured degree not combined English, so it could be a differing of opinions between a GTP and PGCE which seems a little odd. I'm going to watch this to see what happens. Good luck!

Now which one of you English experts wants to read the 1500 words I have spent today writing on The Great Gatsby...What not one of you, how rude

Well I'd love to read it. Purely for purposes of comparison

Have checked (on gttr.ac.uk website) entry reqs with a selection of unis offering secondary PGCE - some say degree must be in English or a relevant subject, many (including top ones) say degree must be at least 50% English, Birmingham says they will consider media, drama and journalism degrees and if no English then OU modules in lang & lit.

Interesting to read what Nottingham says: ^"All applicants are required on entry to their teacher training course to hold a UK degree or equivalent qualification. This must be in, or closely related to, your proposed teaching subject.
As a guideline we would expect to see that at least 50% of your first degree is directly relevant to the National Curriculum subject you intend to teach.

On your application form, give us the details of what you've studied at degree level and make a case for why it is relevant. We aim to look sympathetically at each application but you need to be aware that subject knowledge is an increasingly important element in the assessment of trainee teachers. Although you will have the chance to improve and, perhaps, update your subject knowledge, the PGCE course is not designed to teach the subject itself - it is designed to teach you how to teach it.

You might be interested to know that people with the following degrees have been accepted onto the English course:
English
English Literature
American Studies
Media Studies
English Language
Film Studies

Occasionally we accept students whose first degree has a less obvious link with teaching English in the secondary school. We have had successful applications in the past from students with degrees in Journalism, Publishing, Law, Politics, Sociology, Art History and Classics. However, such applicants, would need a very strong basis for developing their English subject knowledge:

they will be very keen readers who read widely
they will have an A level in English Literature or Language ideally at grade C or above.
they will have begun to develop their knowledge of National Curriculum English through paid, or volunteer work, in a school
they will have good study habits and will be able to demonstrate how they will continue to develop their subject knowledge before, during and after the PGCE year."^

SO ... quite a lot of flexibility in the content of your degree ... depends also on how you sell yourself to the provider.

Thats brilliant and very kind of you to look it up for me. I've definitely decided to switch. Got my essay back today 'The influence of socio-economic structure on the self'. I did Evelina and Mansfield Park. I got 67 and I'm thrilled

One thing you might want to bear in mind is that the PGCE and GTP will be no more quite soon. The Govt's white paper announced that training will be separated from the Unis and placed in the hands of Training Schools, which will be created in the next year or so from Ofsted 'Outstanding' schools in each cluster. It will be structured much more like the GTP than PGCE, i.e. on-the-job training but probably without the wage attached that GTP has.

This has implications for you as it will probably be the school that conducts the admissions process (there's talk of a 'central' system for admissions but most of the Unis and schools agree that this will be almost impossible to administer.. but hey).

If you apply this year you will probably be in the last cohort of trainees with the current qualifications.

GTP is very very competitive and most schools are facing huge cuts so you would be lucky to find a school to sponsor you through it, esp as most PGCE courses are very oversubscribed at the moment (particularly Eng and humanities subjects) and so schools will be able to take their pick from these trainees. The Govt is publishing details of the funding after Christmas. Keep your eye out for this.

Don't want to put you off, though... just thought you might want to know what you're facing! Good luck.

Thanks Sue. I'm just hoping that my life and work experiance will help me. I will have been a weight watchers leader for 11 years by then. I am not suggesting that that makes me a guaranteed good teacher 'just like that', it does however use a similar skills set, so I am hoping that and my age and the fact that I (historically) interview well, will get me a place. I'm not bothered what the system will be then, not like I have any choice in the matter. I WILL have a 2:1 degree though. secretly hoping for a --first-

Gah.

first

The best trainees recently have certainly been those with some life experience, so it should certainly help.

Have you been in a secondary school recently? If not I'd recommend you do asap. It will definitely help your application for ITT if you've done some observations in school, even a few days, just so you know what to expect.

I've got a placement in June that I have lined up myself, I then plan to get as much experience in as possible. I'm only in semester one of my first year, so am planning pretty far ahead!

Good plan. Have you got a CRB yet? Unless you've always been in f/t education, you'll need to get one sorted before you go into schools. They take about 6-8 weeks but you've got plenty of time.