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Undergraduate or postgraduate route into primary teaching?

5 replies

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 24/03/2022 06:30

DD has been deadset on primary teaching for a long while, so was devastated when she found out her UCAS applications to undergrad teaching had been unsuccessful. She has a back up offer to do a completely different UG course and so is now considering whether she should do that then apply for the PG teaching qualification, or if she should take a year out after school (to work, hopefully), and reapply for the teaching course next year.

I think that doing another degree will build her confidence and maturity for applying for the PG as well as let her have some fun after what's been a pretty miserable 2 years. She's worried that doing a different degree then a 1 year PG will disadvantage her compared with people who've studied teaching for the full UG degree. There's also the additional financial cost of studying for an extra year to consider.

I'd be really interested in views of people who've taken either route into teaching about whether you think the route into the profession makes a difference both to how you're perceived and how prepared you were for classroom teaching. Thank you!

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ThanksItHasPockets · 24/03/2022 09:53

Subject specialism teaching followed by PGCE is the norm in secondary and it is what I would personally always recommend. I don't expect it has much impact on employability and it keeps her longer-term options open. There are a lot of primary teachers with BEds and they are not always easily transferable to other sectors.

What subject would she study?

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MichaelBooblay · 24/03/2022 21:27

Undergrad and PGCE will be no disadvantage at all, in fact I’d say it is preferable. It also gives her more options.

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Scarby9 · 24/03/2022 21:50

I would also say that it is a plus, not a minus, to have a subject degree then a PGCE for primary teaching.
Do a degree in something she is interested in, and volunteer in schools alongside, or work as a PT TA to build her experience over the three years.
By her third year she will either have decided against teaching, in which case she has her degree to build from, or will have built a secure foundation for a successful PGCE.

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TheGirlOnTheLanding · 25/03/2022 13:38

Thank you, everyone, that's reassuring to hear. Hopefully once DD has got over the initial disappointment she'll see the positive side of this route into teaching.

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WlNDMlLL · 31/03/2022 21:54

I only have anecdotal evidence, but around here PGCE definitely seems more highly regarded for primary teaching than a BEd. I wonder if it's seen as more academic.

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