Modern Languages PGCE - Advice needed please!

[DramaticCow]

I graduated with a 2:1 degree in Mandarin Chinese in 2022 and spent 5 months living there before the pandemic cut my year abroad short.

I have a GCSE A grade in both Spanish and German from 2013. There are no Mandarin teacher-training courses near me and I can't relocate.
I want to teach MFL but I am confused by the responses I've received so far. I contacted my local university regarding their MGL PGCE and they said that I (understandably) do not meet their criteria because I don't have a Spanish or French A-level.

However, I have a school experience day booked in July and I rang my local SCITT training provider for a French and Spanish PGCE (with QTS) and asked them, and their answer was basically, we'll assess you at interview and recommend an SKE if necessary, and that if I needed a longer SKE (for either Spanish or French or both) I could do it alongside the SCITT and that I should apply now.

Obviously I am already working on dusting off my GCSE Spanish but I'm confused...is MFL in such dire need that they would potentially consider me even though I do not have an A-Level? Or would it be a waste of time applying?

Conversely, the uni I contacted told me to spend the next 1-2 years and complete a certificate (DELE) exam run through the Instituto de Cervantes to show my Spanish ability but I'm wondering if this is the best use of my time? Should I look at completing a Spanish A-level instead to show I'm a strong applicant?

I asked the Get into teaching team and the adviser said to ask the training providers 🧐

I'd appreciate advice or guidance from others!

Thanks

They'll allow you onto the course because they are desperate to get the funding and mfl is always hugely undersubscribed. The problem is, you might struggle with the subject knowledge at gcse and the course itself is time-consuming enough without doing the equivalent of an a-level which is much harder than the old coursework GCSE you did. You'll be very employable in a school that offers Manderin, but if there aren't any local, you might struggle to get a position without a degree in the main language/s taught.
Do any schools local teach Mandarin?

The A Level is tough going with a lot of knowledge needed, never mind the language. I would consider doing the DELE as that will help your language improve quickly. I am not sure I would want to do the SKE alongside the SCITT although there are a few trainees in my school who have done that. It's hard work. Hand on heart, is your Spanish good enough to be able to teach it at GCSE?

I’d do the DELE before A Level as it opens more opportunities internationally too

The problem is that would take at least 3 more years and I've already spent 4 on my degree so that wouldn't be an option for me.

You raise a good point and the frank answer is currently, no.

I attended a Teacher Training event yesterday evening and got the answer I needed which was that I don't have the knowledge needed to enrol on a Spanish PGCE, so I would need to do at least a Spanish A-level. I'm disappointed as this will probably take another 2 years to do the A-level as I can't seem to find any fast-track courses and it would be probably be a lot to take in over a year.

However I'd rather do that and be ready to teach than be a bad teacher with poor subject knowledge. At least now I know what to do. Thanks all :)

The A Level needn’t take 2 years, you can find a school registered as an examination centre for private candidates and take it next year as it istoo late for this year, no need to do AS, just get your language level up to scratch and study the syllabus. The learning is another matter, you could take longer or shorter, depending on your dedication and flair! The quickest thing, if you have no ties or responsibilities, would be to spend time in the country immersing yourself either staying with a family or in a shared flat with locals and attend intensive classes in a good language school. If that’s not an option, find yourself a good tutor (or language school or college with adult courses) and spend time daily learning in between lessons. Good luck!

When I applied for my MFL PGCE more than 20 years ago, I only had degree level French and intermediate Spanish (DELE). I wanted to be able to teach French up to A Level and Spanish up to GCSE. So alongside the PGCE I did my Spanish A Level part-time in the evenings at an adult college. I sat the AS Level in January of that academic year and the A Level in the following June.

Therefore, I would say it can be done but bear in mind, I was always advised (and agree with) the idea that the teacher should always be qualified one level above that which they teach ie. Degree level to teach A level, A level to teach GCSE and GCSE to teach KS3.

Thanks Meredusoleil.

Yes I think the one level above what you teach is what I have heard before too. However, I'll never get a degree in Spanish because I already have my degree in Mandarin Chinese.

I've looked at several PGCE Spanish & Spanish/French courses in my area and all seem to want A level in Spanish, even if it is a grade C.

I was also told by the teacher training rep that for graduates without a degree in Spanish, they ideally would want A level in Spanish so that they could fund a longer French SKE course to get me up to GCSE level so I could teach years 7 and 8, with a view to doing more training and further qualifications down the line if desired/needed.

Thanks again for your reply. This evening I did actually find a Distance Learning provider who offer A-level Spanish in one year and there are several test centres not too far from me. However the adviser said that if I wanted to complete the A-level in one year I would need to spend between 14-20 hours a week studying for it. There is no AS level anymore so all exams would be taken next summer. I think this could be an option if I spend the next 4 months recapping my GCSE Spanish with some online tutoring, although I'm wondering if doing it in one year would be too ambitious......

I also can't spend any time immersed in Spain as I have a wife to support, but thanks for the suggestion.