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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Any college Lecturers?

19 replies

skrimbo · 09/12/2008 23:17

Wondering if any out there, a few questions about how you got into it, what do you teach, what qualifications do you have to teach?

Just had a vauge idea about maybe going down this route

OP posts:

gigglewitch · 09/12/2008 23:21

am qualified to do it but actually work in SEN instead

What's your subject? Quals to lecture seem to vary enormously depending on what subject you want to lecture, and whether at FE or degree level.
For FE, your best bet is PGCE[PC] / Cert Ed if you haven't got a degree.
'Trades' such as building, electrical and plumbing, floristry and such all seem to need their own peculiarity quals. Sorry that sounds odd, i'm not implying they're weird, but sorry i don't understand their quals as i'm a mere boring sen teacher

roundcornvirgin · 09/12/2008 23:23

gigglewitch you are near me I think. Give me a clue as to what you do. (and where!) I'm also SEN just changed from mainstream.

roundcornvirgin · 09/12/2008 23:23

Or maybe I'm mixing you up with someone else

Original poster

skrimbo · 09/12/2008 23:31

I have a childcare qualification and will soon have a foundation degree, but no teaching qualification yet. I had shyed away from this before. Was looking at skills for life tutors jobs but in another area, trying to see if any jobs locally to get an idea what they are looking for.

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gigglewitch · 09/12/2008 23:32

rcv have tried stalking looking at your profile, but how very rude there isn't one

I'm in the north west - where u?

[sorry skrimbo, we're hijacking now] [hwink]

gigglewitch · 09/12/2008 23:38

ah-ha. now skills for life is a good one. You can get in there through a few different doors. A suggestion - Get in touch with your local college, see if they'll put you on their "learner support staff", even if it's only a couple of hours a week, and then get into the basic literacy and numeracy quals via that. Our local colleges take volunteers for this and train them.
Cert Ed would still be a very handy thing - but these days they charge for it (it used to be mandatory award) and that may not be the most cost-effective route.
How about investigating tutoring the childcare/early years courses at FE level? If you were to stick this in the childminder's thread then I think some of them would perhaps be able to help you out.

oh, and sorry, I must still be thinking it's halloween and i meant to do [ this

roundcornvirgin · 09/12/2008 23:39

Yes North West.

gigglewitch · 09/12/2008 23:41

this looks useful but I do think they overestimate the quals that you need to get in there in the first place, they are not asking for both PGCE and literacy/numeracy teaching quals, you can get a post with one or the other in my patch.

What [geographical] area are you looking in?

gigglewitch · 09/12/2008 23:44

RCV i work in a merseyside based, autism education charity. Email me if you like - addy on profile - and will happily share more info.

roundcornvirgin · 09/12/2008 23:45

thanks gigglewitch

Original poster

skrimbo · 09/12/2008 23:57

Thanks for the info, I looked at a few ads and they don't seem to be desperate for Teaching qualifications.

Don't know the topics in the new childcare courses but we did an arts and craft module, cooking for kids and sewing, I could teach most of that I think with a bit of a quick brush up. I would love to teach crafts of some kind either to childcare students or in SEN.

I will ahve to keep a look out now, all this because I was chatting to a baker who got asked to teach a few classes at a college and she is loving it, holidays will suit her kids and the hourly rate is good. She teaches both HNC/ HND and SEN students.

OP posts:

gigglewitch · 10/12/2008 00:15

The hourly rate is good, but feeling the need to be devil's advocate or whatever here, it's only fair that you know sooner than later that there are very few or no contracts in FE/HE, so it is all basically 'casual' as such. Then again, if you're not desperate for sick pay or holiday pay per se then all is fine. I understand from friends that this is why the hourly rate is so good. They're unlikely to pay for planning, prep and marking time either. Just so you're forewarned

Another line to look into might be learning mentor posts - they tend to pay around the same level, and may or may not be up your street but worth a look to find out. Also take a look into 'learning support tutors' in FE colleges, particularly the LD departments. Lots of these seem to be part time hours - and obv are term-time only. Added bonus (if that is what you are looking for) of offering contracts.

Original poster

skrimbo · 10/12/2008 00:19

I thought it would be on a casual basis , I am used to working like that anyway.

I will def look into the support side of things too. Just had a look at my localy college's website and nothing at the moment, but certainly do run the courses like Skills for life and Creative Skills, childcare courses seem a lot more professional than when I did them, we had to make aprons, darn, cook meals and experiment to find the best technique for marbling. I must be ancient

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gigglewitch · 10/12/2008 00:24

Original poster

skrimbo · 10/12/2008 00:44

Crazy when I look back, we would have failed the course if we had not passed darning it was the late 80's not the 50's.

OP posts:

thumbElf · 10/12/2008 01:20

I am a lecturer at a private college, teaching a BSc(Hons). I have a BSc and an MSc plus a TEFL teaching qualification. Don't know if that is going to help you or not! Especially as I don't know whether it would allow me to lecture in a standard University/HE establishment (but I think it would as I have a professional qualification as well, so it would depend what I was lecturing on)

ketal · 13/12/2008 20:38

Agree with Gigglewitch, I'm an FE lecturer, and most teachers who have permanent full time contracts are qualified teachers (either QTS secondary or the FE PGCE), without either, I think it is more likely that you would be given an hourly contract, which if I'm honest is nowhere near as good as a permanent contract. However, the rules are more flexible than in schools, and so there is no golden rule - it will vary from college to college. The FE college I'm in is an academic college, so most of the lecturing staff have degrees, and a significant proportion have higher degrees too. Whereas, this would not be the same at a more vocational college. Your best bet is to get in touch with your local colleges, and see what they say - perhaps send in your CV too - I got my job that way!

Original poster

skrimbo · 13/12/2008 23:41

thanks again, def something I will be looking into.

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Jennypog · 15/12/2008 16:16

I am a Manager in FE and I have a degree and QTS - I also have subject specific qualifications.

However, many of the tutors that are employed at the college where I work don't have degrees, etc, it depends what area of work you are interested in. eg it is a bit unreasonable to expect a hairdresser to have a degree, but they will need to have a teaching qual. However, you would expect someone teaching A levels to have a degree - so it depends largely on what area you are looking at.

I have just employed a tutor for Clait and ITQ and she hasn't got a degree, but has lots of IT qualifications and is doing DTTLS.

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