Can you be a secondary school Tech teacher with an architecture degree?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Asking for Year 12 dd. She's wanted to be an architect for ages but is now having second thoughts between that and a Tech teacher. We've discussed the pros and cons that we can think of for both at length but she's still unsure.

She says she wants to keep the doors open for both possibilities for as long as possible and was wondering if she did an architecture undergraduate degree if she hadn't decided by the end of it she did want to be a teacher could she do her pgce and then be a teacher? If not she's considering maybe a product design degree but obviously then she couldn't be an architect.

It depends on the units/modules within her degree and how well they map to what is required in a particular subject.

If she is thinking of tech then she should be looking at what translates. Eg I can teach maths, my degree isn't in maths and I don't have maths A Level but the content of my degree covers much of the maths GCSE syllabus.

Thanks. Though I guess that's what I don't know and what we're trying to find out. Is there enough content in an architecture degree to translate to design and tech? She will have an a level in product design.

If her degree wasn't suitable (I don't know how practical an architecture degree is), then as tech is a shortage subject she can do a funded subject knowledge enhancement course to get her knowledge up to speed before starting the PGCE.

Look at the Get Into Teaching website for more information but as long as you have a 2:2 or above degree you can take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course to prepare to teach something other than your degree subject.

Thanks, I didn't know about the subject enhancement courses. She spoke to her DT teacher today who reckons that she'd be fine with architecture.

Will have a look at get into teaching website now as well.

she will be expected (currently) to teach RM, Electronics, Graphics, systems and control and Textiles for pupils to be able to gain the higher exam levels.

Hopefully CAD would be covered as would the maths aspect of the course, CAM can be picked up as you go but is dependant on the schools provision.

The school she goes to now have different tech teachers for different areas.....so a textiles teacher, a graphics teacher, a resistant materials teacher. They don't teach each other's areas. Is that not the norm? She couldn't teach textiles!

Depending on the school's pan size the number of tech teachers varies. Generally schools want someone that can teach two areas (at a minimum) the exam boards have said that to get a level 4/5 three of the areas will have to be taught.

With the new spec the old areas have been compacted in to one exam so teachers will have to have a broader knowledge to teach Ks4. Many of the areas are cross modular, but most schools have one teacher with a Ks4 class.

Yes she could.
Her PGCE would be in DT so her subject knowledge would be enhanced there.

The new course isn't split so clearly into
Separate areas, so RM, Elec, Graphics and S&C are taught under one heading at GCSE.
AT KS3 she would likely be expected to teach around the carousel but that's ok and not something that's tricky if she comes from a design background anyway.
Different schools operate different methods so it depends where she ends up.
My degree is DT and secondary Ed but I teach around the carousel. Including food and textiles which weren't let of my degree.

Thanks, that's all really good to know. Will make sure dd will know she can't just teach product design!