PCGE with no intention of teaching ?

[Sofabitch]

Has anyone done the pcge with no intention of actually going into teaching?

I'm considering doing it. The bursary is pretty good and I could really do with a year to bump up my finances and repair my savings after 3 years of student finance before starting on the bottom rung of somewhere.

I figure it will look great on my CV regardless and has loads of great skills that I can take with me into my carer, plus I can get 60 credits at Masters level which saves a few thousand on the OU.

Is this an unworkable plan?

I mean there is a possibility I'll love it right ;-) but from everything I've read I'm not holding my breath.

I think i would enjoy it. But realistically don't think I could be a teacher in today's climate.

Becoming an educational welfare officer.

nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/educationwelfareofficer.aspx

"I found the PGCE fine when I did it. It's not as bad as people make out."

How much work is it callie?

"I am a cover supervisor desperate to become a history teacher, I only have a 2:2 degree, history is a really competitive subject, I really really hope I am not up against people like you better on paper but no real desire to be a teacher. You are taking a place away from people like me."

Doesn't sound like she wants to be a history teacher so how would she be taking your place?

Go for it.
But keep quiet.

and let us know how you get on.

alive - thanks for answering the first part of my question. What about the second part?

If you have to volunteer to be a teacher, that means it's only open to people who work nights or part time or can live off their spouses isn't it? There's no way many people could volunteer at a school as they work during the day.

Surely OP could make some excuse

Well I guess the OP could tell barefaced lies to the people who are giving up their time to help her.

I'm going to assume that the OP thought (as would be reasonable) that on her PGCE she would be trained by people whose job it was - who were given time to do it and would be paid for the responsibility. Hopefully now that she realises that she would be taught to teach by teachers for free on top of their usual teaching load she would reconsider due to not wanting to take advantage of their goodwill when they're already pretty overloaded.

gwen people take time off work to do their school experience.

Noble - thanks for the explanation. People with plenty of money to take unpaid leave then or use up all their paid leave, then. What kind of work do volunteers do?
People have suggested teaching to me, but none of them said I would need to do voluntary work or be a TA. As a single person, I'm pretty sure I couldn't live on a TA's wage anyway. Seems they start on 12 or 13k!

"Well I guess the OP could tell barefaced lies to the people who are giving up their time to help her. "

How is it so different from someone who does the training and then decides it's not for them? You've 'wasted' your time just the same. In any case, OP might actually like it and change her mind.

It isn't one year though, its two, and the second one is working full time as a teacher, before you get the qualification. And you have to pass.

How is it so different from someone who does the training and then decides it's not for them?

Because that's not mercenary. Someone who intended to go into teaching but finds it isn't for them isn't just completely taking the piss.

I kind of see where you're coming from. If I'm honest, my main reason for doing my PGCE second time was to complete the course and get the qualification, as I dropped out on my final placement first time around, and the idea of not finishing something I set out to do doesn't fit with my image of myself. My second PGCE was part-time and I have only intended to teach part-time, but unfortunately for me, I haven't managed to find a part-time teaching post, after finishing my NQT year in a full-time post, in 2011. So I've sort of ended up doing what you're intending, as I only want a part-time EYFS teaching post, and if I can't get that, I stick to day-to-day supply, 2 or 3 days a week.

I was lucky to get the bursary both times, so £6000 each time and no tuition fees. No way in hell would I have done a PGCE both times if it hadn't been free. Not a hope.

Gwenhwyfar I took a lot of annual leave from my first job as an XML programmer in Essex, to volunteer and observe in a school-had to, prior to my place interview, otherwise they would have said 'thanks but no thanks' and in a lot of subjects, they still do. Plenty of people get rejected from applying for a PGCE. I was and am still not 'rich' (back then on £16k and was going to be paid £6000 as a bursary to train, so a huge pay cut) was living on my own then and it never entered my head that it was an unreasonable thing to do.
As a volunteer, I observed various different teachers daily (it's amazing how many people think just because they went school, they don't need to observe lessons and research/volunteer before training), I helped teachers prep rooms and saw them plan lessons. I didn't get involved too much as it wasn't my place to, but I learnt ever so much about different pedagogy.

It really bothers me that so many people think teacher training is a doddle. I have mentored a fair few PGCE trainees over the last 14 years, who burnt out very quickly and realised standing in front of a class who weren't compliant, was very difficult and often demoralising and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

OP, Go and do a PGCE for the 'fun of it'. Go on. I dare you.

"Someone who intended to go into teaching but finds it isn't for them isn't just completely taking the piss."

I'm sure some of those who do it because they can't think of anything else might suspect it's not really a vocation for them though. I don't think it's as black and white.

"It really bothers me that so many people think teacher training is a doddle."

When did I say I think it's a doddle, or did you mean some other people?

"Plenty of people get rejected from applying for a PGCE."

In shortage subjects as well. I was accepted even after a terrible interview almost 20 years ago, though I didn't take the place.

I was an English-language assistant on the continent many years ago. I wonder whether that experience would be accepted.

"OP, Go and do a PGCE for the 'fun of it'. "

She's not doing it for the fun, she's doing it for the money.

Gwenhwyfar

How is it so different from someone who does the training and then decides it's not for them? You've 'wasted' your time just the same.

The difference is how you approach the training, the mentors, the pupils and the school.

I'm sure some of those who do it because they can't think of anything else might suspect it's not really a vocation for them though. I don't think it's as black and white.

I don't know of any that have 'survived' with that attitude. It may have did work 20 to 30 years ago, but it doesn't work now.

Sorry, should have put a question mark after 'In shortage subject as well?'

I didn't find my NQT year too bad either, as by that stage I had a 7 year old, who I made clear, was my main priority. Obviously, I attended all staff meetings and school cluster meetings and training, but apart from that, I was in school 8.15 until 4.30 (sometimes as early as 3.45). I spent my PPA time planning and my NQT time on observations and highlighting the children's profiles and did 2 or 3 hours every week night, except Fridays, at home and most of a full day at the weekend.

"It really bothers me that so many people think teacher training is a doddle."

When did I say I think it's a doddle, or did you mean some other people?

You sound a little touchy - forgive me if I am wrong. No. This wasn't aimed directly at you, hence the change in paragraph. However, it is interesting that you think it was.

And 20 years ago was a long time. Things change.

I don't think it would be a doodle... far from it. I actually have experience of spending my days with the young people who even attending school was a challenge.

I very much doubt it would be wasted time. If a person goes on to teach or not they still have very valuable skills that are transferable. I hadnt realised teachers had to give up their time for free to mentor students. So that is an added consideration I guess. Seems crazy that teachers are expected to that to be honest.

Now something like education welfare I would enjoy a great deal.

I was just mulling if it was worth it. Financially it seems a great deal. Morally clearly less so.

Seems crazy that teachers are expected to that to be honest.

Then you are in for a nasty shock regarding all the things teachers are expected to do, apart from stand in front of a class and 'teach'.

The bursaries have been slashed for this year, so bursaries are harder to come by and are less. Although it is high if you're a physics/maths specialist at secondary schools.

*Then you've not got a chance in hell of coping with the bullshit that goes with PGDE.

3 A4 sheets of planning for every lesson.
Written evaluation of every lesson.
Written evaluation of every week and month.*

I didn't have to do any of that for my PGCE last year. It depends which provider. Obviously you have to have evidence that you're planning/teaching/assessing, but not all places are insane paper-factories. I went to interviews and was horrified by the people from other institutions clutching their 'evidence files'. We just had to fill in a document saying where the evidence could be found.

Deciding that teaching is not 'for you' during pgce is one thing, but deliberately setting out to take the money and run, so to speak, is, imo , wrong.

DC has recently completed pgce in a shortage subject. There were ten places available on their course and over 100 applicants. The selection process was still incredibly rigorous.

For those wondering about getting experience, DC worked in a school during their gap year. Several teachers at the school where I work did the same. We've also had people who take annual leave to volunteer before applying for once. FWIW, at dcs ITT provider, only those with experience of paid work in school even got as far as the selection days.

Well no I'm not in for a nasty shock. I'm still only considering it as an option.

But perhaps that is a fundamental error with teaching.

And one of the many reasons that whilst I think the pcge year is a tempting option. Teaching itself is not. Surely this is a major systematic error? Deterring many people who have the potential to be excellent teachers. Every where you look forums say don't do it, it's horrible, a terrible time to enter etc etc

And yes I'd rather have my children taught by someone like me that wants to learn and goes in with ope eyes to the proffesion, than someone who went into teaching because they always wanted to be a teacher despite not actually being suited.

There's definitely no £25k bursaries on offer for History.