Anyone training to be a teacher????

[SAHmummy]

DD is 4months and I am coming towards the end of my third year of my degree! I can't believe I have done it with a new baby but have!!! Anyway I really want to be a primary school teacher. I know there is this year long course you can do after a degree to become a teacher. has anyone done it? how hands on is it? How many hours a week? do you have to do it even if you only want to be a primary teacher? I am effectively a SAHM as don't spend much time at uni any more. AND I have found out I am expecting DC2! Due September 2nd! Has anyone done this course with a newborn???? all advice appreciated!

I know Primary PGCE's are oversubscribed so virtually by december all places are filled up
contact your nearest uni, go to an open evening/day event, talk to them what's needed
you would have needed 2 weeks observation before applkying
can you try to get it done b4 baby's born?
etc

sso research and do as much (including early applying when you can)
but during course you would need to have excellent childcare as training is very demanding
in any case thye were talking of changing it

read posts on here

I am 4 months into my PGCE and have dts (2yo) and dd1 (6yo). It is bloody hard work - 2 assignments of 4000 words each and a dissertation of 6000-8000 words plus lesson planning every night, evaluations of each lesson, marking,etc. You really need to want to do it as it is tough but hopefully worth it in the end. Why not try volunteering in a school to see if it's what you want. I would say chances of getting in for September now are very poor as interviews will mostly be over with. Personally I would leave it till Sept 2012 when your dc2 will be one and more able to be left in childcare.

You won't be able to get on a PGCE for September now. Closing date for 2011 for primary is December 1st.
As other posters have said, PGCE is extremely competitive and if you decide it is for you then you need to start preparing now for applying for 2012. This means getting as much volunteering experience in local schools as possible - your application won't be considered by most providers unless you have a minimumof two weeks work experience observing in a primary school classroom. I graduated last year and applied for a secondary PGCE during my final year,but didn't get an interview because my provider wasn't even interviewing candidates who didn't have a guaranteed 2.1. I graduated with a first, reapplied (having done a considerable amount of volunteering in the meantime) and was accepted. There were 15 people at my interview day, they were all very good and very well-prepared. Fewer than half of us got places. I start in September and am expecting to have a very hard, though hopefully rewarding year. If you really want to do it the message is prepare, prepare, prepare. And BTW lose the "even for primary teaching" attitude - the training for primary teaching is, correctly, just as intellectually demanding as for any other kind of teaching.

Hi SAHmummy, I've just applied for a PGCE Primary Education, my uni still has vacancies so I was able to apply after the December 1st deadline, for a start in September 2011, so it might be worth checking on GTTR to see if your Uni still has places and you may still be able to apply. HTH

I'm halfway through my degree (OU) and am hoping to be a primary teacher.

I've heard about the GTP as an alternative to the PGCE - anyone know about that?

Gtp is very hard and the support you get varies wildly dependingnon your school. A pgce is very hard for a year but a Gtp even more so.