Opinions please! Starting Schools Based PGCE in September. Would you?

[namechangedyetagain]

Have a place, student loan applied for, starting to get some reading done and now I have serious reservations. The course is going ahead, just starting a couple of weeks later. But just how can I make it work with 3 different schools if my children (years 8,6 and 3) aren't back in September? Will having a student to look after annoy an already busy teacher? And what kind of teaching experience will it be?

I realise that these are probably impossible questions. I'm so torn. My heart wants to do it, if I don't do it now I never will. But my head says it's a really daft idea to even expect a 'normal' school year. Whatever that will be in future.

Help! Your opinions please, WWYD in my shoes?

Well I am due to have a trainee again in Sept and I’m hoping they will still be on the course whatever shape that takes.
So I’d say carry on with your plans as I imagine there will be an increase in demand for training places as people reflect that teaching, despite all the difficulties, is a relatively secure job. You will be qualified in a year and then be able to look for a job- obviously this depends on the demand for teachers in your specialism and location.
The childcare issue is one facing many qualified teachers at present so you will not be alone with these concerns- I’m a single parent and worry constantly about childcare, especially at present. Good luck!

Unfortunately, I think it's really hard to answer these questions, as we don't know much about what school will look like in September. I'm going to be a Y7 tutor in September, and we have talked about it a bit, because we're going to be making contact with our new tutor groups before the end of term. But we don't know what school will look like, really. We are assuming something closer to normal than now, but with some disruption, still.

We are planning for all children to come back in September- but tbf we don't know if this will be the case. I think if your children are not back at school, then schools also potentially won't be in a position to accept student teachers, so in a way the two worries cancel each other out?

Hopefully you will get a supportive mentor. You may have to be quite flexible, and your experience may not be perfect, but I wouldn't think of it in terms of annoying your mentor/class teachers. They have chosen to take on a student- if they don't feel able to, they can refuse to do so! If they take you on I think you have to assume they are happy to have you there.

I think it's probable that next year won't be a perfect training experience and there may be some disruption. But I think that you have to balance that against the alternatives- what would you do instead? If there's a viable alternative for next year, I would perhaps consider putting things off for a year- but equally there may be a lot more competition to get on a PGCE next year.

Thank you for your responses. I've thought of nothing else for the last couple of days and can see arguments for and against. I've spoken to my girls school and they've said that they'd be happy to have them in the key worker bubble in September if that's still the way things are. So that's kind of one less worry.

I'm not sure whether I could defer or have to go the the whole application process again, as you say, possibly with more competition.

Wish I had a crystal ball! I assume that course providers feel that we'd get all the necessary experience to meet the teacher standards.

The alternative is that i remain as a TA for another year. Again I'd still have the childcare worries which it seems isn't unique!

Ooh I hate to make the wrong decision and regret it