Struggling with getting into primary teaching - please help!

[MsWizz]

Hello.

I'm planning to apply for initial teacher training in November, with the aim of becoming a primary school teacher, and want to do everything I can to maximise my chances of being accepted first time around.

I'd be really grateful for some advice, please, as just getting the wheels in motion is proving more difficult than others' experiences have led me to expect.

As things stand, I have:

• A (recent) strong first class degree in a core curriculum subject, from a RG university;
• Lots of academic prizes from my time at university;
• Lots of work experience connected to education (including Early Years, tutoring, experience of teaching children to read using phonics, and experience of running group tutorial sessions);
• Lots of work experience involving communication skills and holding positions of responsibility;
• A really well-presented CV and covering letter, both of which are definitely free from mistakes and routinely rewritten/tailored to ensure that they are relevant to the schools I'm sending them to. I've shown both documents to a trained CV adviser, who said that they were well written, correctly pitched and focused throughout, and that I had a strong set of qualifications and transferable skills.

So far, I have written to three schools, requesting work experience and offering to volunteer regularly in any capacity they would consider helpful.

The first school gave me a flat refusal within 48 hours, on the basis that I once studied there (nearly 20 years ago, when the site and teachers were all completely different, but never mind).

The second and third schools haven't replied in the week since I got in touch with them, although I know I used the correct email addresses and named the correct person in the subject line and covering letter.

So I'd really appreciate some guidance, please:

Is this normal? I was under the impression that schools were quite eager for volunteers to read with children etc, and I made it very clear that I am willing and able to make a long-term commitment.

How much longer should I wait before following up with schools 2 and 3?

How many schools should I approach in each tranche of emails, and how long should I generally wait before following up?

I'd also be grateful for more general advice about what I could be doing over the next few months to gain experience and strengthen my applications - I have plenty of time on my hands at present, and want to use it wisely. I really miss working with children, and can't wait to get started!

Thank you for taking the time to read this :-)

I would phone schools 2 and 3.

Thank you - I'll do that tomorrow. Wasn't sure if a week was too soon to be getting twitchy, as I know how busy teachers are!

Are there any local schools you have a connection with - as a parent, aunt, community member, church member? Also I wonder if you are presenting yourself a little too professionally and the schools are worried you are basically looking for a student placement - maybe instead of asking for work experience you could phrase it more as having time on your hands and a connection to the school and wanting to listen to readers or help with displays.

Could you phone a school and ask to see someone? Face to face really helps. Do you have any contacts you can use?

BMO - unfortunately I recently moved halfway across the country for DH's job, and I don't know anybody connected to schools where we are now. I'm hoping to do a couple of short placements in my home town soon (while staying with my folks), but I'd still like to start up a long-term volunteering commitment locally in the near future.

You may well be onto something, though - I'll try sending off a few less formal requests if I don't have any luck with schools 2 and 3.

Twentyten - no contacts here, sadly. (Which is a shame, as I know a couple of head teachers in my old home town!) I'm very keen to see somebody in person, though. I'm not sure about the etiquette, so please may I just ask: which member of staff would you recommend that I try to see, and how would you frame the request? I'm good at talking to people in person, but I always feel that I wrong-foot them a little on the phone, and I'd like to avoid that if I can!

Thank you both for your advice!

Do you want to train via Schools Direct? If so you should target the schools which run the programme in your area. This will give you a chance to see what they're like and speak to their SD students.

Be very, very careful with SD. It is one big mess. See my post in the "quick help: pgce or SD?" Thread.

How about going to the school and asking at reception if it would be possible to speak to deputy head about volunteering? I take it you have all the crb type checks? Face to face is much better!! Good luck!

The way volunteers were handles in my last school was that the details were presented in a staff meeting with who they were, what they wanted to do and with which age group (if any) and when they were available. Then the teachers got to decide if they wanted a volunteer and when they would be useful. Sometimes the time was split between two teachers.
But we were a good school, and were often overloaded with colleges, unis and the rest all wanting to send us students at various stages of their training, as well as volunteers. Sometimes it got a bit tricky to manage them. Have you got an enhanced CRB or whatever it's called now? Because that will be a requirement before you can start helping. Sometimes the school will put it through for you.
If you don't get a quick response, don't take it personally. They don't know you.

At this time of year, schools are often committed to uni students both teacher training and non QTS. Work experience from schools has also been arranged. Then colleges have also placed TAs in schools. Schools feel under pressure. One more person looking for work experience is another logistical nightmare for them and they will feel no obligation to you no matter how fabulous your cv is. I agree with the previous poster, go in, ask when the deputy head is available and speak to them. They are used to weighing up people quickly so will snap you up if they think you can offer something. Do you have high level maths or English skills? Could you offer them some extra support with booster groups? I'd take you on for that if you came across well and had taken some time to research what l5/6 looks like. Or if you could offer a language and support the teacher in that, that would be a major bonus. One more person listening to readers would be neither here nor there.

Also get involved with a youth organisation, cubs or brownies, whatever is local to you.
Spend some time doing a sports coaching qualification, then you might get a temporary job with one of the many companies doing sports coaching in schools.

I am HT and get loads of emails on a daily basis. Due to time constraints I have to prioritise which ones to deal with first.I would send a follow up email asking for a response, as soon as possible, to enable you to seek alternative placement if necessary.
Requests for placements are increasing in my experience. I have had to turn down three this year.
I wish you luck.

Thank you all for the advice, and good wishes - I really appreciate you taking the time to help.

I'll start popping into schools next week.

Potcallingkettle - I have a degree in English, and a lot of experience in working 1:1 with primary-aged English students. I didn't think of offering booster groups, so that's something I can add in - I'd really love to do it!

Sadly I don't think sports coaching is an option unless I start a sport from scratch, which would be expensive (I keep fit by doing basic aerobics, but that's all). I'll apply to volunteer with the Beavers, though.

Bitlost - I am interested in School Direct, so thank you for the warning. I'll definitely start bearing that in mind when sending out more requests.

Oh, one more question, please: I used to be a music tutor, and have experience of teaching guitar and keyboard. I'm also proficient enough to give workshops on percussion at primary level (the music school I worked for did a module in percussion for players of other instruments, to help them understand rhythm). It's mentioned on my CV, but is it worth highlighting on my covering letter as a skill I can use in schools?

I would focus on what matters most to schools at the moment- booster groups etc for yr 6. Literacy etc but get face to face.

I think going in to a local school and asking to speak to someone about volunteering, saying you have spare time and could help with listening to readers or music, is the way to go.

Is it really so difficult to get accepted into ITT now that you have to do all this? Considering that we are careering headlong towards a teacher shortage?

I trained during the last teacher shortage and they were taking people who could barely speak English.

You could consider signing up with a supply agency who might be able to find you TA cover work. Special schools in particular have to have cover for vacant or absent TAs and that is a sphere in which you don't seem to have experience.

'Is it really so difficult to get accepted into ITT now that you have to do all this? Considering that we are careering headlong towards a teacher shortage?'

A lot of applicants, along with the general public, don't know the truth of the situation, and the realities of teaching now.
That's why the drop out rates, and retention after the NQT year and five years teaching is such a huge problem. There are dozens of women on MN that start threads where they are thinking of teaching as a career, because they want a job that fits round children and holidays.

hmmm Skatingfastonthinice, the people on itt I know who've left have not done so because of workloads issues. They've left because they were not getting the training promised to them (2 hours a week for my dh vs the 40 he was supposed to get), or because their mentors made their life a misery. Some got sick of seeing kids being screamed at or being referred as thickos. See my previous posts on the topic. When it comes to staff shortage, ofsted and the government have a big responsibility to bear but some schools (and their teachers ) should also take a good look at themselves. The bitchiness we've experienced in teaching bears no resemblance to what I have witnessed in banking.

Iremember your posts about it, but I thought your DH was doing Schools Direct route rather than a PGCE?

Schools direct, yes - sorry bit stressed today! Op was saying she's considering schools direct, hence my post. To be honest, husband's school is also going though pgce students like there's no tomorrow.

School Direct trainees also do PGCE - I did. Complete mess, with the uni not adding anything to the process apart from marking the assignments (and taking the fees). Even those in my cohort who were salaried SD also got PGCE. Those who dropped out did so mainly because of he lack of mentoring and lack of coherent training programme, and also because they tended to be older with previous careers who weren't prepared to put up with crazy expectations of teacher workload.

Agree Signora except with us university is great. Also would add that older people not ready to put up with headteachers' hitler complex and colleagues' bullshit and silly behaviour. Workload not a major issue here.

Bitlost
Yes, you put it better - thanks! - it is not workload per se, but the pointless hoops, at bequest of SMT.