Question re PGCE workload and holidays

[shadypines]

I'd be grateful for any advice on this. We want to take a holiday abroad next year and are weighing up whether to go at Easter or in summer hols period. DC is starting a PGCE in September and I presume it is full on study so my question is whether Easter is even viable or will the workload be too much and it is best to leave it until the course has finished? I know there is roughly the 2 week window from end June (end of course) until main school hols start but DC has been warned if she by any chance does not have enough classroom hours she will have to make these up after the planned end date. We feel a bit in limbo with what we should do at the moment, thanks for any advice.

Go for the summer - Easter might be needed to catch up before the summer term starts.

Definitely don’t book for Easter. She’ll be in the crunch period of taking on more lessons and completing uni assignments.

Easter could be full of PGCE assignment deadlines, so go for the summer.

Thank you all for giving me such a clear answer. I did suspect it but from the horse's mouth is better.

”Neigh”! 🐴😂

Hope the PGCE goes well. Although I did mine a long time ago I now mentor training teachers. I’d advise your daughter to take everything one day at a time and be super organised, and, if you can, write everything down. I now that seems very simple but I find everyone nods their head during meetings and completely forgets what has just been discussed. Or, perhaps that’s just me!

@Justonemorecoffeeplease thank you for that, it's kind of you and sounds excellent advice.

Summer,definitely. Think about if she was doing A levels or GCSE's , it would be better to go after they have all finished. Really able to switch off then. I know it not quite the same,but is the same principle. Hopefully by the summer she will hsve secured a job too so that will add to the sense of relaxation.

Yeah, I'd say summer. Easter was full on for mine when they were doing their PGCE.

I went away for a week at Easter during my PGCE and so glad I did. It really motivated me to get my assignment due before I went on holiday so I could then enjoy my holiday!

I left a bit of wiggle room after the holiday so I had a couple of days to take another look at my assignment after holiday before I submitted it, if I needed to.

My PGCE course was set up to start a new school placement after Easter as well so I didn't have any planning to do or prepping lessons then either. So I literally switched off completely and had an awesome holiday. Felt like a new woman after for the final term of PGCE!

And also just to add - you know when the assignments are due because you're told in your handbook at the start, it's not like they jump up out the blue at the last minute to surprise you. If your DC are organised it's totally achievable.

This is all really helpful, thank you.

When DS finished his PGCE he was asked to start his new job almost immediately the course finished rather than in September so it gave him a few weeks at the school to acclimatise and had the added bonus of him being paid for the summer. Not sure how often this happens but it could impact on a late June getaway.
All the best to your DC.

Thanks, something else to bear on mind.

Yep was just coming on to say this. It's summer hols from now onwards, not a chance at Easter with deadlines and dissertations due.
Most schools will ask new students to start for the last few weeks of term in the summer after graduation/summer half term ish and this ensures that they get paid over the summer hols, so you wouldn't want to deprive DC of this chance.

I was coming on to say the same as @fussychica
I really wouldn't go away for the last couple of weeks of the Summer Term - that is likely to be when job interviews are, and, if lucky enough to know her school by then, the opportunity to get into school and get sorted before term starts in September would be invaluable.

Yes to this. Happens all the time.

Gahh, am slightly panicking now...@fussychica @RSintes @UsingChangeofName @Piggywaspushed so do you think a school would not accommodate a week's (only plan to go away 7, not 10 or 14) prebooked hol eg. the last week of their term? (We need to be particular about hotels that cater for allergies so it's not like it's easy to casually pick anywhere).
Really appreciating all your heads up though.

I wouldn’t worry. Job interviews are usually between October and March for starting in September. I’ve never known job interviews right at the end of term - that would be for teaching posts starting in October/ January otherwise there wouldn’t be enough notice. I’m secondary though.

Also, you are lucky if you get paid over the summer - school finances being so tight many places would want to avoid that. The fist day of term in September is usually an inset too, at the very least she’ll have that to help her prepare and could always organise with school a day in the summer when she can go in.

I’d book your holiday so she has the dates and can raise this at interview if needs be. I had my own wedding booked! That wasn’t go to be movable. 😎

Sorry ‘going to be moveable’

Thank you @Justonemorecoffeeplease , sounds reasonable!

No
it is a professional role
you cant ask for time off or for a job interview to be moved to go on holiday with your parents
there are 13 weeks of holidays

We were told very clearly when I started mine (donkeys years ago mind) that "you'll be still doing uni work and possibly placement stuff at Easter so don't go booking holidays for then because every year someone does and every year it ends in tears". (Followed by an additional warning that nits and worms will be headed your way - oh Primary, how I love thee)

Might be worth looking on the course pages on the website which could have a more detailed teaching week structure set out as well - but PGCE weeks didn't line up with the usual university term dates either when I did mine (so we had extra accommodation costs as well).

It’s honestly fine. Our trainees often have holidays booked just after their course has finished. The majority of student teachers will have contracts that start in September rather than June.

This is not about a teacher having an extra holiday but rather a student who has finished their training and whose job doesn’t officially start until September. Also, if she’s a strong candidate schools will be very keen to have her whenever they wish her contract to start.

I teach in a comprehensive school and I mentor training teachers who a training though a variety of routes.

Summer - definitely.

In terms of jobs, it depends on subject and the area she is applying in. Shortage subject in an area of the country with not many ITT courses- it's very likely she will have a job sorted by Easter.

If it's a less shortage subject and there's lots of competition, she could still be applying for jobs in the last half term of the year. Some people do find jobs after the May half term, especially as there's less competition from those already in post. So she might even still want to be interviewing during the time you're proposing she goes away.

Equally, if schools did want her to start in July, and she said she had a holiday booked, then she'd potentially lose out on two months of summer pay.

The thing with the PGCE is that you're also applying for jobs throughout, and that means that it can be hard to schedule things. In a way, I actually think Easter is safer- yes, she'll have work to do, but it will be easier to plan, and if it's just a one week holiday, then there will be another week to catch up with work. But on the other hand, she may well be knackered at this point in time.

How would you feel if, at the time of the holiday, she said she wasn't able to go away with you for reasons relating to her course/new job?