Anyone applying for/starting teacher training this year?

[backinschool]

Hi,

I have just sent my application in to hopefully begin teacher training in September this year. I'm applying for Secondary Biology. I'm very excited but also really nervous about interviews, skills tests and just generally about completing a PGCE. I've spent a lot of time in schools, talked to all my teaching friends (and any other teachers I could grab for 15 minutes) and I've have taught in a college for 3 years so I think I have a good picture of the life of a (trainee) teacher - part of me thinks I'm mad to even consider it but I know I need to give it a go and find out whether I can do do it and if it works for me.

It would be great to chat to anyone else who is starting teacher training (or anyone who's in the middle of it all). I've posted on the TES forums too but they are less chatty. Anyone else going for it this year and wants to chat?

That's fab backinschool congratulations and well done ! Good luck for Saturday

Thanks Needmorewine and Madcapped - I'll let you know how I get on with the tests on Saturday. The practice ones I've done online have been okay but I'll be more nervous on Saturday so I hope I don't make any silly mistakes.

Hi madcapped, I sat my numeracy and literacy today and passed them both. The maths was much easier than the practice tests. I was less sure after the literacy but it was obviously fine - I had them both finished and was out in under an hour. Good luck with yours

Oh thanks! Well done on your pass! I've booked mine for the beginning of March so we'll see how it goes.

Good luck

Hi backinschool!

Well, I was going to apply for a PGCE starting September 2017, but I've decided to go for it! I was interviewed for a School Direct place and a university place, and have accepted the university one. Still need to do my literacy and numeracy skills tests.

Like you, I'll be doing Secondary Biology, and like you, I have children: DD age 6 and DS age 4, he'll be starting school in September. I hope he settles into school ok, but his sister will be there so hopefully he'll be fine. I guess your DD2 is starting school in September too? Is she the youngest, and how old is/are the other(s)?

I'm going to hand in my notice to work tomorrow, to finish in August (need to give them plenty of time to manage staff numbers and workloads, it's a small company). I can't wait! Well, I'm excited and terrified (from all the warnings from teachers) in equal measure.

I bought a desk and bookcase yesterday so I can have my own workspace free from crayons and glue sticks (unfortunately this needs to be in our bedroom).

Yes. Me. Just had an interview with one, another interview on Monday. Had to hand write an essay within 40 mins , I think I'm so used to writing using the keyboard I've forgotten how to do hand writing coherently.

The hoops you have to jump through, they don't make it easy. It's crazy, considering there's supposed to be a recruitment crisis. It's like supply and demand and behavioural economics go out of the window in the education world.

Me too! I have a primary school direct place starting September. Passed my QTS tests at the beginning of the month so good to go now. Pretty nervous about the workload but couldn't hate my current legal job more so I decided to take the plunge and do something I'd been wanting to do for years.

I had completely missed the new posts on this thread, sorry.

Ceebie - congratulations on getting your place. Have you booked your skills tests in yet? My DD2 starts school this year too and her older sister will be starting year 2. It's going to be a big change for all of us and I'm still stressing about childcare - I can't find a childminder who picks up from our school and has places for September. Apart from that I'm really excited about getting started, I can't wait to get more info from my school.

Queensansastark - have you had an offer now? I hope you are all soryed with a place. Are you doing primary or secondary? I was really lucky with my interview as I had been into the school to get some classroom experience and they knew I had been teaching at the college so I think they had decided to offer me the place before I arrived. They skipped the essay/group activity etc and kept it simple but I've heard the interviews can be awful.

T2710 - congratulations on the place and passing your skills tests. Its awful when you hate your job and I really hope this next year isn't as hard as we're imagining. I'm sure it will have tough bits but hopefully there will be great bits too which sounds better than your current job. I'm worried about the work load too but I need to at least give this a go. I have a huge stack of BTEC assignments to mark, a mock exam, 8 lessons and a revision session to plan for this week so I can't say I didn't know what I was getting myself into!