Schools advertising for 'unqualified teachers'

[roamingespadrille]

This is what a number of our local schools are advertising. Very low pay attached to it. Job description is a full teaching job.

smu if by biased you mean do I have actual first hand experience of exactly that happening as I describe it, then the answer is yes. If you don't, you're lucky. Don't worry though I'm sure it'll be 'coming to a MAT near you soon'.

I thought as teachers we all know that 'discovery learning' is a bit shit and ineffective, but apparently it's fine to drop someone in a classroom and let them figure stuff out as they go along?

Isaac Newton saw further than others because he was standing on the shoulder of giants. In education we've got Gove's 'had enough of experts' and let's throw a teacher to 9 set Z on a Friday afternoon to see if they make it. Forget that there are many useful tried and tested strategies that could help them in an unread book in the library; looking that sort of stuff up before you go into the lion's den is merely a faff.

Please don't tell me you're a teacher, user1497480444?

but apparently it's fine to drop someone in a classroom and let them figure stuff out as they go along?

that is how you learn in a PGCE anyway,

I don't understand what anyone thinks is of any value in a PGCE. Why would sitting in the occasional lecture or writing the occasional essay make you a better teacher. There is hardly any of it anyway, and none of it is of any value. its just a load of faff. I don't think many people who has actually gone through it in the last 10 years would say it had any use. I don't think many people who went through it more than 10 years ago would have said it was any use at the time, although maybe some of you are looking back with nostalga now, and don't remember how bad it was.

To be frank, the training was, and is, total crap, absolutely without value, and no reason at all to rate it above training in an actual school.

You learn to teach in the classroom, it makes no difference if you are there as a "PGCE student" or an "untrained teacher".

I've always thought it was totally crazy to make this distinction between teachers with a PGCE and teachers without. Not one iota of difference between them in terms of quality.

Forget that there are many useful tried and tested strategies that could help them in an unread book in the library;

why would you assume untrained teachers read less than "qualified" teachers?

Can't believe there is someone who thinks teachers reading is 'irrelevant'.

user1497480444

There has to be a mentor available for the NQTs

yes

and they are paid extra and have less timetabled lessons.

No

The same person deals with the unqualified teachers.

they might in your school, but not in any of those that I have taught in.

We're all absolutely doomed.

Euphemia

the other problem is that it isn't quick quick, cheap and many don't stay.

noble Haven't you already established on another thread that your school is shit? 🤣

My DS got bored of French at school so I'm teaching him fun French, i.e. vous etes un caca 💩 (he needs to conjugate the full verb, obvs) and I let him shout out of the window "Je voudrais un cafe au lait" at unsuspecting passers by. He loves it and can already book into a hotel, find his way to the bar and order a bier all in French.

I should be an UQT. I'd be amazing.

You learn to teach in the classroom, it makes no difference if you are there as a "PGCE student" or an "untrained teacher".

Except for the fact that the PGCE student has a teeny timetable thus giving them time to improve their craft, reflect on their lessons, and yes, read that book which is on their reading list. They also have a class teacher who can sit on every single lesson they teach and give them pointers, if necessary.

I supported a colleague who was an HLTA in converting to QTS last year. She had a degree and had worked in the school for about 4 years. She did brilliantly and her behaviour management was far better than most PGCE students or even NQTs as she know the school systems and was also known in the school - a huge advantage. However, her understanding of pedagogy is not very good. She can teach (v well) the stuff she has been though with me or another teacher but can't easily look at an exam spec and understand how to target assessment objectives or see how skills build over time. Her understanding is very much real life applications - great (better) in many ways but there are gaps and they will take time to sort out.

During a PGCE a student teacher teaches the classes of a qualified teacher who observes them and gives feedback after each lesson. Their school mentor sets them weekly targets for improvement that relate to pedagogy or behaviour management. An NQT teaches their own classes with occasionally observation from their mentor. Any mistakes made cannot be instantly corrected as with a PGCE student and they will have little free time to observe skilled colleagues. I agree that you mainly learn on the job but the instant and constant feedback received on a PGCE course is invaluable, as is the time you have to observe others. This is not the same as just teaching your own classes with little guidance. As for NQT mentors being remunerated well, this is usually very far from the truth. It is often a bolt on to someone's already hefty workload.

I've enjoyed user14's imaginative portrayal of school life on a couple of threads.

Perhaps her useful (& doubtless real) person who has a timetable reduction to mentor classroom randoms could expand their role to showing useless TAs what they should be doing, or explaining how to run an exam?

They sound like the one person in the building who is actually doing their job.

Mind you if the place is full of unqualified teaching staff, this may account for their being told to fuck off every lesson by the kids. I suppose that counts as feedback.

I would much rather be taught by someone who had a passion for their subject and real life experience over someone who has a qualification and no passion.
These young people need inspiring.

I suppose that counts as feedback.

How inspiring is it to be taught by someone who doesn't know what they're doing?

UserBlahBlah is a writer on Ackerly Bridge, surely?

Unfortunately, "qualifications" are becoming irrelevant in lots of professions these days. Take accountancy. You don't need to be a qualified accountant to call yourself one and start an accountancy practice. There are thousands of accountancy practices where there isn't a single qualified accountant. Many more will be owned and managed by one or more qualified accountants, but most, if not all, of the actual work will be done by unqualifieds.

Whilst the word "solicitor" is still legally protected, many areas of law can now be done by unqualified solicitors, such as will writing services, house conveyancing, etc.

I'm just surprised it's taken so long to extend to teaching as the use of unqualified staff in almost all other professions has been widespread for years.

User's school is not an example of best practice in ANYTHING. Maybe some more time spent on pedagogy during your PGCE might have helped User deal with her problematic students. No matter User is off to be a head of sixth form (with no pastoral experience mentioned so far and no understanding shown of the issues students face and how it affects learning) so that's fine.

The thing with accountancy and so on is that on the job training can start simple. Do a bit of photocopying and data entry, fiddle with some spreadsheets, I don't know. You're not dropped in at the deep end doing some complicated contract, on your own in front of a roomful of clients. If you were, you'd be rubbish at it.
A school hiring an unqualified teacher would be doing exactly that.

MrsWalliams - would you be happy to be treated by someone who had a passion for their subject and real life experience over someone who has a qualification and no passion if you needed to consult a doctor?