Does where you study for you PGCE really matter?

[CandODad]

I have been made two offers and no idea which to take. Any suggestions as to how to decide?

Which one would places students in schools closer to you?

I mentor for two providers. One provides considerably better support for both trainee and mentor. I'm not sure how a prospective trainee would find that out though...

The school I am getting my experience in has a mentor there for one of the providers that has made me an offer but I won't be able to talk to her till the end of next week. The other one is 90 miles from home but did say they would pay for any placement travel from home past 15 miles.

I am slightly shocked as the closer one was a long shot due to my 2:2 degree and they state they require a 2:1. I only selected it as a "this will fill the box" type of thing since I thought my only chance was the one further away.

And being in a large Midlands county the closer has warned everyone they could be expected to travel 90minutes each way.

I needed to be at school very early to set up. I'd go to the knew he replacements were closest.

It matters more where you do your NQT year than which Uni you initially qualify from - unless you're takkimg about the Institute of Education (impressive).

Talking

Some are big... Oxbridge, IOE, Exeter. But they... Despite the pressure they may put on you, are brand names. Why does it matter where you do your NQT? I just got a job in a school where I was lucky enough to feel it matched my temperament.

Really do go for the closest one unless they have a poor Ofsted. Payment for travel is irrelevant if you have to leave home at stupid o'clock to allow you to get in in time to set up for teaching. I say that as a subject lead for a SCITT

Is it primary or secondary? If secondary, what subject?

Primary

Go for the one which will get you placements closest to home. Maybe try TES (esp student teachers section) to see if people have opinions about the 2 providers.

I picked a provider nearly an hour from home but I knew a couple of local people who'd already done the course there and had had placements near here. I worked on the basis that they'd need the placements close to university for the people on campus and who couldn't drive. I reasoned the uni would be glad to have people further away they could put into the schools further away. I was right. I've not yet worked in a school as close to home as my 2 placement schools!

I chose Edge Hill because when I applied it was the best in the country (or something like that). I applied for jobs in London and nobody had heard of it but I still got a job.

I had IOE as my back up application - I looked around it and hated it. Felt like I was in a 70s swimming pool complex and all the staff at the open day were walking round looking thoroughly miserable about staying late. I asked a few questions (in a one to one question session where you queued up to speak to someone) and just got yes/no answers. I'm sure if I'd applied for jobs with that on my application people would have perked up a bit more, but in the long run it didn't matter and I knew I would be miserable there.

Pick the closest.

To answer your question, OP - Yes