Question about Teacher Training courses

[Hassled]

This is on behalf of my DD (18).

Which is more useful on terms of actually getting a teaching job at the end of the course? And which would be seen as more "respectable"? Either:

A four year KS2 to KS3 English with Education degree which will give her QTS, or

A degree in English Literature and Language followed by a PGCE (so again 4 years).

She has applied for both but needs to make a decision soon.
Many thanks.

KS2 to KS3? Does she want to teach primary or secondary?

Well therein lies the problem - she wants to potentially be able to do both (is that even possible?) but is leaning more towards primary.

I think the problem with a KS2 and KS3 course is that this covers only a small part of secondary. Only up to year 9. Which would I think limit her employability in secondary.

Do a degree first then a pgce that way if she changes her mind she still has her degree. QUite hard to get a job I believe as a primary teacher now.

That was what I thought - many thanks.

Excuse my stupidity, but will a PGCE qualify her to teach right from Year R onwards?

If she loves English, then I'd be tempted to do the English degree and just enjoy three years of my fave subject. Then she could decide about which age to teach at when she's finished.

Not sure about Primary key stages but you can do PGCE in Secondary or Primary. Secondary will cover you up to and including A levels.

You can do a Primary, Middle Years or Secondary PGCE.

Or Early years I think too.....

x posts!

No, you have to choose either a primary or secondary PGCE and the primary is further split into Infants and Juniors. Also, I think there are alot more applicants for Primary jobs than there are places so she might find it easier to get a secondary post.

Hi. I did an English degree (many moons ago) and then did a PGCE for Primary. I would second the advice to opt for the English degree because then she is leaving her options open , and need not decide on what stage she would like to teach till later on.

God I'm a slow typist!

Although the Primary PGCE maybe split into infants and juniors the reality is that once teaching its pretty easy to swop about and she'd be able to teach any of the Primary years, and even Nursery if she really wanted to.

And also I read on another one of these type threads that there are people with a secondary pgce who work in primary and vice versa.
I find it depressing when I hear of the lack of primary school jobs. Having finally decided what I would like to do with my life the opportunities post pgce seem limited. Gah!!

In general I think that there are more people with BEds working in primary than there are people with BA/BSc + PGCE. And more people in secondary with a subject degree and a PGCE than a BEd.

Obviously there are exceptions

I would say that doing an English degree followed by a PGCE.

Many thanks everyone - she's just got a good A in her English A Level (retaken - was unwell last year) so I think the degree + PGCE makes much more sense.

DD says to thank you as well .

And on my pet subject, can I just add that whilst doing her degree your dd can do the SAS course which pays her £40 a day to go into school for 3 weeks which will also ease her path onto any PGCE course.

www.tda.gov.uk/about/newsletter/may2007/knowledge.aspx

Oh yes. That site Heated linked to is really useful. Doing the SAS course would be a really really good idea.

That SAS thing looks great - will make DD read through. Better way too earn student money than bar work, apart from anything else .

I did an English degree, then a PGCE. The plus side is that, as others have said, it gives you something to fall back on, especially with a subject as broad as English. The downside is that PGCEs are incredibly tough, simply because there is so much crammed into 9 months. Thus, in terms of gaining experience in schools, the Education degree will offer much more.

With regards to which employees prefer, I haven't found that having a PGCE is a barrier. To be honest, in the teaching profession, getting a job is as much about who you know as what you know - people that I know have tended to get permanent jobs having initially done supply at a school rather than because they do/do not have a PGCE.

Also, if she REALLY wants to teach, don't let the lack of jobs put you off. I was told this throughout my 4 years of studying, and living in an area where the job situation is tough. I got offered a job at the school where I trained and haven't looked back. I also second the SAS scheme - its only a taster, but the fact that you get paid is a real bonus, and it does show a commitment to beginning to train as a teacher. One last tip - most PGCE providers see work experience in a school as crucial before letting you onto a PGCE course so make sure that your daughter volunteers over a period before her interview.