PGCE, can anyone tell my what are my chances of being accepted?

[NoHank]

Hello everyone, just looking for some information or advice if anyone has any to offer. I am coming to the end of studying with the OU next year and I have been thinking about what I want to do with my degree. All being well I should have a degree with honours in health and social care.

I initially thought about qualifying to teach in FE but I have now started thinking about doing a PGCE instead. Can anyone tell me what they think my chances may be of being accepted on to a course? Also, what help might I get with funding if it is full time (married with 2 dc's, wouldn't be able to work whilst studying full time)

Also, if doing a pgce is a pipe dream, what futher qualifications would I need to teach FE instead. Sorry for all the questions! Any advice much appreaciated

Hi,

What subject would you be looking to teach and would it be a secondary or primary level?

Also there is now a FE PGCE that anyone coming into the profession would be expected to hold. As far as I know it is not yet a legal requirement as with state secondary and primary teaching but I would strongly advise you to complete a PGCE regardless of which level you chose to teach at.

What kind of experience do you have in an education setting? You will be expected to have quite extensive relevant experience and preferably a 2:1 or above although lower grades are accepted in some cases.

There is high competion for places on PGCE's and I would advise you to get your application in as soon as it is open. So line up your references well in advance as they can hold you up. Also make sure you look at the funding that is available as all of the bursaries/grants have been slashed apart from the in demand subjects.

Re subjects, my degree is (or will be) in health and social care but I know that is not really a specified subject. I was thinking probably primary mainly because I wasn't sure what I could be qualified to teach at secondary.

Re experience in education - not in a setting but I have been an NVQ / now apprenticeship assessor for the last 8 years and not sure if it would be relavent or not but I am also a registered childminder so have some knowledge of the EYFS. My predicted degree is a 2:1 (fingers crossed) and I have 9 GCSE's grades A-C but no A levels. I left school 20 years ago!

I'm not due to finish studying until Oct next year so I'm guessing it would be 2014 before I could hope to start - I like to plan ahead!

thanks

Nat curriculum subjects are highly preferable for primary PGCEs.

FE you can do the lifelong learning sector qualifications and then you could teach health and social care etc.

You can do a health and social care at secondary level for gnvq's but whether they survive the education review is uncertain. Primary pgce's are massively over subscribed - I think you're unlikely to get on without a national curriculum subject, tjough it might be worth contacting the dept for education at your local uni and asking.

Thanks everyone - re the FE quals, is that like PTLLS? Are there any other courses that I could complete? Would this qualify me to teach in colleges?

Sorry for all the questions. I just really don't want to feel like the past 5 almost 6 years have been a waste and want to put it all to good use.

Hi NoHank, congratulations on getting your OU degree. Health and Social Care is a subject, taught to GNVQ levels 2 & 3 and at GCSE. The last school I taught at was the leader school in the area for Health & Social Care, so there are definitely job opportunities in secondary, as well as tertiary education in your degree subject. Sorry, don't know much about funding, except to say that some people get a job as a TA in a school & ask the school to fund them through teacher training, once they know they're a good bet. They then teach at the school for an agreed amount of time once qualified. Always forget the 3rd initial: GT (graduate teacher) something - help me out someone!

We have a lot of students who study health and social care in my school, level 2 BTEC and Applied A level.

Vocational subjects are out of vogue, but I believe Health and Social care is on the approved list of level 2 vocational qualifications.

How about Sociology or Psychology A level? I know there is some overlap between Psychology A level and A level H&S...

It's GTP btw!

You need a 2:2 or above pluse GCSE English, maths (for primary you need science too) for a PGCE to teach in schools.

PTTLS is the very basic teaching qualification for FE - If you were teaching pottery once a week that would be enough. The full qualification is PTTLS + CTTLS + DTTLS, it is normally done over two years part time and you are expected to be working.

I have years of practical experience, a degree and a full DTTLS, as well as a masters' and I cannot get a job. FE funding is so tight at the moment most contracts are 0 hours.

How much experience do you have on schools? You will need as a bare minimum 2 weeks, for primary most people have a year or more as a TA. You really need to know which age group you want to teach, it is very unlikely you will not mind. ( There is a thread here somewhere about a TA who is reluctant to go from KS2 to EYFS, and that is totally normal.)

PGCE is much much harder than even doing your degree part time, and working and having kids. So really make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for.

Sorry everyone! My DC's came down with a nasty D & V bug this last week and I have been so busy dealing with that and trying to maintain my sanity that I completely forgot I had started this thread.

mummytime my preference would be for secondary but I wasn't sure if this would be possible due to what my degree is in. Re experience in schools, non at present! However, if this is the route I want to take then I would look at getting the experience over the next year whilst completing my degree. I have spoken to DH and we are hoping that I could take a year off work so I could concentrate just on studying. We would have to really tighten our belts but it would hopefully be worth it in the long run

TheFallenMadonna Would I be able to teach a different subject to my degree? I would definitely be interested in sociology or psychology as a subject if possible.

sashh thanks for the reality check That is one of the main reasons I want to do the PGCE

cheapskatemum thanks - not there yet but the end is in sight!

thanks again everyone who has replied, you are all being really helpful