Anyone who had done an MA or MEd whilst teaching full time?

[Toomuchsplother]

How hard was it? How much time a week roughly did you have to devote to study?
Thinking about taking on an MA in Autism. However I work full time in SEN, have 4 teenage DC's of my own and a DH who lives away in the week. It would really help with my day to day practice and career progression but I don't want to take on something I can't commit to.
The course I have looked at is over 3 years.

I did mine about three years after my NQT year. It was one module with a 5000 word essay and a dissertation of 15000 words.

The 5000 word essay and module were fine. The dissertation was extremely heavy going. Thankfully it was a September deadline so I spent the summer holidays doing it practically as a full-time job.

I found it really, really hard to come home from work and start to study. I could do some light reading research and take notes for about an hour, but any actual 'writing' I did inevitably wasn't up to scratch. I did much more at weekends and during holidays.

TBH I couldn't do it with kids. I was a single twentysomething. Having said that, I couldn't have done the PGCE with kids either and people managed to do it.

I did it for personal reasons mostly. It hasn't really helped me with career progression at all, not in comparison to the amount of work that went into it. This sounds paradoxical, but because so few people have one, it's not a requirement, just an extra line on your CV IYSWIM?

I did an MEd in special needs at the Institue of Education part time over 2 years, working full time pre children. It was 2 evenings a week lecture and classes and I was usually in library for a full day over weekend every month, longer when I was writing or researching. My school also gave me study leave each half term. This was in early 2000s and fully funded by my LA. It was a lot of work but I loved it. Not sure it added any value to my job/career. I was already teaching in a special school. I’d love to do a PHd if someone would fund that!

I did an MEd while working full time. My head was not supportive so I had to do it without additional time. I did a three year one and it took a lot of self discipline to keep working on it every evening. I mostly did essays and course work over half term breaks, and my dissertation over the summer. You can do it, but don't underestimate the other things you won't have time to do. If your family is supportive then you would probably be okay. Good luck!

I know several young teachers who have done it, but they were very enthusiastic, focused and had no family commitments beyond supportive partners.

They all did a one year MA or M Ed.

I'm doing an Autism MEd. I work full time in SEN, have a 7yo and not much help from DH who works longer hours than me.

I just do all the work in the holidays. My tutor doesn't always like it much, but that's when I can fit it in. Been getting high marks for the essays etc, so it obviously works. I am quick at essay writing though because my undergraduate degree was focussed on turning out at least an essay a week from scientific journal papers.

All the essay deadlines are handily at the end of school holidays. It has sometimes sucked when I have spent most of a holiday writing, but I remind myself I did choose to do it!

Have you been teaching more than 10 years? Have you considered one of the teaching sabbaticals Damian Hinds has been going on about and doing the masters full time? (Not sure when/how they will start being offered).

I started one before children and finished the last bit when they were babies. Personally I found it hard and was only able to finish by “booking time “ with DH and going out to the library or local cafe.

Interesting responses. In reflection I do wonder how much career progression there would be. I am currently working in SEN and teaching in Special needs schools. I have been working for 10 years plus but have had a career break for children and don't actually relish the prospect of sabbatical- strange as that sounds.
Thanks everyone. Lots to think about

I did an MA part time over 2 years, pre-DC. It has helped my career quite a lot. It was 2 evenings a week and I studied every holiday. Funded it myself.

I did an MSc over two years whilst working full time and having a baby in the middle. It was hard work but not impossible so long as you've got a good dh/dp

I did an MEd with the Open University. I had aimed to do it in three years but it ended up taking six as I was working a three/ four day week for the first two years but then I went back full time so I took three years off before finishing it within in the requisite six years. Part of it was in SEN. The last year of it was really hard as I have two D.C. and DH works long hours but he supported me to study in the evenings and weekends. I am glad I did it as I think it looks good and has helped me to move to a better school and move up the ladder again once I returned to full time work. Looking back though it was a long slog and hard work.

I did an MA with the London Institute of Education back in the day: two two-hour evenings a week over two years. 50% dissertation, 50% exam. I was in my third year of teaching. Astonishingly we had 3 weeks paid study leave. It was all free.

Those were the days.

I did a part time MA while teaching full time, so I did a module a year instead of a module a term. I did it through the OU and they were very accommodating, particularly with the dissertation, where they moved all my deadlines to during school holidays.

I did an OU MEd in 3 years, finishing in 2006, then the SENCo award in 2012, which formed part of MA in Special and Inclusive Education, finished in 2016 after a couple of years' break. Both times I was teaching full time, but MA was not distance learning. DC were obviously a lot younger when I did the MEd. Both were really valuable experiences but I think the MA has been more useful in securing promotion, although I don't want to be an inclusion specialist for the rest of my career.