Do you notice a difference in candidates with traditional PGCE or Schools Direct PGCE?

[Chrestomanci3]

If you were hiring and had a choice between someone who qualified with a standard PGCE or someone who came via a Schools Direct PGCE route, which would you choose?

I'm considering training as a primary teacher. I am a mid-life career changer. For the past few years, I've been working as a teaching assistant, so have recent classroom experience, and have a degree. The trust I work at is involved in Schools Direct, and they often recruit those who have trained within the trust. I have seen good candidates, and some not so good.

If your school is not involved directly in the training, what is your opinion of the scheme? Would you actively choose someone who came via that route, or is your experience the opposite - do you prefer to recruit from the traditional PGCE route? Is there a difference in the candidates, or their skill sets and abilities?

I've run school direct and Scitt, and lead on ITE in school.
I've come to think that smaller providers like scitts generally make better choices of trainees. The big providers seem to be taking anyone who applies whereas the school based providers have tended to be more picky.

It completely depends on the training rather than the provider, ime. I took on a scitt student last year as a favour but she was one of the worst trainees I've ever had. I have now got a fab nqt from the same Scitt provider. Equally, I have seen shocking pgce students from a university and amazing ones.

I’m watching this thread closely! Like the OP I’m a mid life career changer, having spent the last couple of years working as a TA, after i burnt out from my previous career as a solicitor. I think I’d need to do SCITT or similar as we can’t afford to be without my wage for a whole year. I have been wondering what schools thought of non traditional qualification routes, though, as they are not always viewed well in my previous career!

SCITT doesn't necessarily mean you get paid. It just means everything is run through a school.

Hi, does this scheme run in Scotland?

@FrenchFancie the qualification will be exactly the same (qts) and you'll be attached to a uni even if salaried. You'll just have less involvement with the uni.

Thanks, everyone.
FrenchFancie, I've since heard about teaching apprenticeships - I don't have much information, but you do get a salary as an unqualified teacher during the training. I think they result in QTS, but there is no additional qualification, like the PGCE.