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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Had my PGDE interview yesterday and think I failed it?

36 replies

sweetkitty · 31/01/2015 08:42

That's it really, I was first in, was nervous and just feel I didn't answer the questions properly, I waffled, missed off loads of stuff I've done, loads of experiences I've had working in school etc. I went on about how realistic I am about the workload, how hard teaching is but on the plus side I was quite passionate about how I want yo be a teacher.

I'm so down feel it was my one shot and I blew it. Suppose there's always next year Hmm

OP posts:
TheTroubleWithAngels · 31/01/2015 11:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tabulahrasa · 31/01/2015 12:09

Did they lean over halfway through and pat you reassuringly on the shoulder and tell you not to be scared?

If not, you did better than me Blush. Surprisingly I was turned down...can't think why.

Fourarmsv2 · 31/01/2015 23:28

I came out of mine and cried for about a day solidly. I knew I'd blown it. Three years later I've completed my NQT year and now work at the school where my PGCE interview took place. It might not be the bad news you expect. :)

Caronaim · 01/02/2015 08:43

As an ex teacher, the best thing that can possibly happen for you is to get turned down.

don't be a teacher, you think it is all about educating and supporting children, you could not be more wrong. You don't get any say in anything you do, it is all done by formula, and the formula keeps secretly changing, nothing you do can actually EVER be classed as "good enough" EVER EVER EVER, most of your time is spent recording and reporting and assessing, ( and you assess yourself more than you assess any class, and three quarters of your life will be devoted to bowing down to the great God OFSTED and paying homage through the sacrifice of paperwork.

It is slave labour. Don't get hooked in. Everybody else is desperately struggling to get out, but htere aren't enough life boats.

Armpitt · 01/02/2015 08:45

not bitter, eh?

I have been teaching for twenty years. I adore going to work.
in y day it was a piece of piss to train, so I cant help there but if you are energetic, imaginative , fun and resilient it will be amazing

Lizzylou · 01/02/2015 08:56

Don't worry! I thought I had completely blown my chances this time last year, I hadn't.
I am almost halfway through my training and really enjoying it.

It is hard work, and the paperwork and planning etc is seemingly endless but it is the best thing that I have ever done.
Hope you get some good news.

Caronaim · 01/02/2015 09:55

energetic, imaginative fun and resilience has absolutely nothing to do with it.

The teachers who survive are the ones who:

a) permanently work to rule, right form day one
b) have no outside family children friends etc
c) Can skimp and cheat and rush work through and get away with it
d) Play the game, don't step outside the box, don't put their head above the parapet
e) Lie and fake
f)disregard the welfare of pupils and colleagues
g) don't stand still, keep on moving round jobs and schools, and con their way up the ladder and out of the classroom as fast as possible.
h) any combination of the above PLUS a massive dose of luck.

Absolutely it is not the caring, energetic, imaginative, resilient teachers who last. i have seen dozens of caring, energetic, imaginative, resilient teachers ground into tiny pieces by the ofsted machine, and spat out as total physical and emotional wrecks.

I'm not bitter, I'm out and free!

I'm just angry at the level of abuse thousands of teachers in the uk are still living through.

threepiecesuite · 01/02/2015 10:30

As depressing as it sounds, Caronaim is pretty spot on there.

SignoraLiviaBurlando · 01/02/2015 10:50

sorry, but I agree with Caronaim Sad

Armpitt · 01/02/2015 14:14

That's bollocks Caronaim

a) permanently work to rule, right form day one

threepiecesuite · 01/02/2015 14:19

Reading through Caronaim's list, a number of current colleagues came to mind...

Armpitt · 01/02/2015 14:21

Maybe it's just not for them then. Some of us love it.

Caronaim · 01/02/2015 14:32

Armpitt, I stand by my list. if you don't recognise yourself on it, fine. there is no "just can do it". It is not humanly possible to "just can do it" all, if you think you can, fine. Of course maybe you are a one in a million super star immortal angel who can time travel, and work at ten times the speed of humans. Maybe.

Armpitt · 01/02/2015 14:41

What an utterly discouraging post to put to somebody who wants to be a teacher, maybe because your experience was bad and you admit it wasn't the right job for you

Caronaim · 01/02/2015 15:12

It isn't the right job for any of my friends and colleagues, it isn't the right job for anyone I know,

Why should I write an "encouraging" post?

far far kinder to give Op a more realistic view of the trap she is walking into. Hopefully in 5 years time she won't be crying in bed every night in private, crying openly in the staffroom regularly, to hitting herself on the head repeatedly shouting WHY WHY WHY did I listen to the government lies

Caronaim · 01/02/2015 15:13

and by the way Armpitt, I was judged to be outstanding for over a decade.

threepiecesuite · 01/02/2015 15:22

We should not perpetuate the myth that teaching is a good and rewarding career. The entire profession is in crisis. It's time we all started shouting about it.
I would not recommend it as a career to anybody, and I'm very clear about that whenever anyone asks.

SignoraLiviaBurlando · 01/02/2015 15:52

Completely agree that prospective teachers really deserve to hear all sides - not jus the guff and glossy brochures. It would help if on the 10 day visits to schools, instead of just observing selected lessons, they could properly shadow a teacher 24 hours a day for a week Grin to see all the work that goes on outside the classroom/school - time in the classroom is the fun stuff - it everything else that is a relentless slog.

Skatingfastonthinice · 01/02/2015 15:58

Oh come on, the system will collapse without new cannon fodder.
For The Sake of The Children...

Over The Top We Go

susannahmoodie · 01/02/2015 16:02

PGDE not PGCE would imply the OP is in Scotland where the pressures are less intense than in England as far as I'm aware.

Fwiw I'm a ft teacher in England (secondary) and I love my job. No one ever believes me on here though!!

Think it's all about finding the right school.

Ridingthestorm · 01/02/2015 16:33

Agree with Caronaim completely and whoelheartedly. I know of teachers who hide behind the technology to scrape them through a lesson observation (head LOVES apple tech stuff) yet many SLT members do not rate the teacher and another who has taught the same year group for the past 11 years and it being a year group that SLT have no experience of and have no clue as to what constitutes a 'good' lesson. She prints off the same lesson plans year after year and had three other staff the her classroom to do all the shitty stuff. No wnoder she leaves at 4pm!

I would not encourage anyone in England to go into teacher training at the moment. It is at crisis point and certainly whilst I have been in the career (14 years) it can change dramatically depending not just on the government but the education secretary too. OFSTED change their goalposts constantly and don't allow schools any chance to implement anything. Teachers are in a profession of constant change and with no idea what the future holds for them; by that I mean come September!

Bide your time and wait to see how things change after the election. The morale of teachers has been in dramatic decline since the coalition and it took years and years for the status quo to be changed last time round. It will be more than a quick fix this time round and may end up being a good 5 years or so before things start to improve.

Just do not go into education now.

SignoraLiviaBurlando · 01/02/2015 16:39

Over The Top We Go Grin

Original poster
sweetkitty · 01/02/2015 18:02

Oh dear I've opened a can of worms Shock

I am indeed in Scotland so it's different we have no OFSTED, we have other pressures of course.

I have been volunteering in my childrens school for 2 years and I have 3 children at school soon to be four.

I've asked every teacher I know would they recommend it, they all said its hard work but yes they love their jobs.

OP posts:
rollonthesummer · 01/02/2015 19:07

I agree with everything Caronaim has said.

Original poster
sweetkitty · 03/02/2015 17:30

Still not heard anything Hmm

OP posts: