If you have done an access course, can you read and answer this please ?

[NuttyMuffins]

Am looking at doing an access to teaching course this sept but cannot decide between full time and part time.

I am a single mum and have 3 kids aged 9,7 and 4. The 4 yr old starts school this sept too.

I originally wanted to do the course full time over 1 year, mainly because I have no patience and the quicker it's done the quicker I can get to uni, but there are a few cons to full time too.
The 3 kids would need to go to after school club for about 45 minutes every day as although the full time course finnishes at 3, it can take ages to get home.
I am not at all keen for ds to start full time school and then be adding 45 minutes on to his day.
The other con is that I am starting driving lessons soon and will need to fit one of those in every week and weeekend lessons aren't really an option for various reasons.
Oh and it would mean me doing all of my work at night after the kids have gone to bed, which is normally when I collapse exhausted on the sofa.

The pros to the part time over 2 years are, one day a week so wouldn't need after school club as my mum could collect kids and give them their tea.
I would still be available to go to Ds's plays, workshops etc which is imortant to me as I went to all of the dd's activities at that age.
I could do my work on the days off college and still fit in driving lessons and a days volunteering at a school/nursery.

The cons to part time are that it takes an extra year.

So, have you done an access course ? Did you do it full time or part time and which do you think is better ??

I started mine in sept, full time and its great. Tutors are quite flexible and after dicussion about pickups and drop offs for schools etc, we all decided to make it in for 9.15am and finish at 2.45pm, 2 full days and 1 half day, only downside is that its all so squashed into 2+1/2 days, we dont really get any breaks-one day a week we have continues lectures for 4 hours.

I did full time as I just wanted to get it over and done with and be able to apply for university, not have to wait anougher year.

Thought it might be hard on the sprogs 16months and 3, but they LOVE nursery and have a whale of a time whilst Im at college.

I stay on a bit later (till 5pm) to get work done as I find it hard at home when theres always other stuff to be done(housework etc) and by the time I get home I just want to drop and watch tv-you have to be extremely diciplined to get on with your work after dinner time, baths, bedtime, sorting out washing, pack lunches for next day etc

Realistically reading through your post, I thought straight away, part time. Im also learning to drive but have my lessons at weekends- I really dont think you can afford to have time out for lessons-when I have had to due to child ill or something, Ive had to do loads of extra work and try and get my head around lecture notes from that lecture.

I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do, keep us posted and good luck

I did an access course full time and TBH i only had one child at the time who was 2! I found it very full on and almost impossible to complete homework etc and also i saw little of DS as he was in nursery and then i was doing homework!
My best friend is just completing the access and she did 2 years part time 2 nights a week. She has 2 children and although has found it stressful has liked the fact she can concentrate on certain things one year and others the next.
If oyu are in no rush really then id say go for the part time course.

I did mine part time over two years.

1.30pm to 9pm one day a week. I did lots of home study though, reading & researching, I also had a baby near the end of my second year.

If you have the right tutor & the right motivation you will be grand! Out tutors were ace, really really encouraging & becuase no-one in the class was under 21 I didn't feel like the odd one out

I found finding time for the essays the hardest thing, as dd was at playgroup & I was pregnant & in hosp for 6 weeks, but I kept up with the work load & graduated from the access course 2 years ago.

I am now in my 2nd year of a degree course & I can honestly say that the access course set me on my feet, it give me a good taster of the standard of essay a uni would be expecting an undergraduate to do.

Part-time would mean you have time for you & the kids, your driving lessons etc... less stress perhaps? Full time would mean squeezing everything in, putting the kids out of their routine if they have to go to after schools club & having no time for yourself, or your driving lessons!

I know, if it were me, which one I would go for!!

Thanks for all of the messages.

At the mo, I am not 100% sure that I am still doing the access course. I am majorly broke and so have applied for a couple of part time jobs. If I get either one of them and can still fit in the 1 day a week access course then thats what I will do, if not then i'm not sure what will happen.

Hi
I have not read all of the replies but my access course is part time over 1 year and just 1 evening a week. I know my local college, which I didn't go to. Does my course part time over 1 year but 2 evenings a week. I am sure the college I attend does access to teaching part time and just 1 evening a week.
Anyhow doing it part time has worked for me.I have found alot of my weekends have been given up to doing college work but I would rather that and be at home for my kids during the week when dh is working. Then at weekends I study and dh takes care of the kids . I have found that I probably have to study 2 out of 4 weekends which isn't too bad.
Hope you still go ahead and do the access course.

Hi!!

I did an access course in 2004 for two years and found it was a struggle but if u are wanting to better ur career prospects this is the best way to go. My little boy was 1 when I started and there were many late nights doing assignment after assignment but got there in the end and it all pays off for what u want to study at uni. The debt is my next concern HELP!!!

When my older children were finally all at school, I did a one year full time access course. It was soo hard! Out of a starter class of 24 students, only 7 of us finished the course (and I nearly dropped out several times) 3 of us took the final examms and continued on to Uni. I finished a degree course in Psychology and Criminology at Teesside, then went on to do the Masters. It got easier! I think the access was the hardest to be honest. Now I'm with my new partner we have 2 young sons, so I'm a sahm all over again! Glad I did it though

sal13-Did you find uni easier than access?

I keep thinking-omg if i cant cope with my workload now, what will I be like at uni, but on the other hand I think-well at uni at least we'll do X subject for X amount of time, then clinical placement, then X amount of another subject......whereas at the moment Ive got about 12 different subjects with 3 or 4 assignments/exams each all iof which have to done alongside one another... Im hoping that at uni Ill be able to focus more on one thing at a time(or at least not as many things as I have to at the moment!)

I thought I'd posted a reply, but it isn't here - good job I checked, sorry! Yes, I honestly think Access was much harder. this is because you have to learn how to write academically, and, as you said, you have to study three or four subjects that may not interest you, in order to get into the area you have chosen. Uni is only ten physical hours a week, lots of home study, but you also get to plan your own timetable. It is very difficult much of the time, but something kept me going. I'm pleased I managed it, but at times it was only by the skin of my teeth. I remember sitting at my desk one New-Year eve, crying and crying because I couldn't seem to get a particular essay right. my lecturer kept sending it back to me. I don't regrent any of it though.