Conversion from PGCE secondary to primary

[krisskross]

I did a secondary teaching PGCE in 2001- i felt all along i'd made a mistake and should have done primary school. I never took a teaching job and am wondering now how to convert it to primary teaching.

Has anyone done this?

Hi. I have no experience of this myself (I am a secondary teacher) but think that you can do a conversion course in a few weeks - I think I have heard of people completing them in the summer break. 2 things spring to mind though. Firstly, if you have never taught, you may have lost your qualification for teaching if you didn't complete your NQT year which has to be completed in 5 years - you need to see if this applies to you as it might mean you are not eligible to do just a conversion course. Secondly, if you are qualified to teach you are just that, regardless of whether this is secondary you could still teach in a primary school if you can find someone to employ you although you would struggle with the curriculum content. Have you thought of maybe something like the GTP? really its aimed at graduates looking to teach but maybe it would suit you as you could teach while you learn the curriculum. It would also mean that you earn while you train. I would also suggest you look at the availability of primary jobs where you live as many people who are already qualified in the primary sector struggle to find jobs due to competition. Good luck. HTH.

thanks penguin. am pretty out of the loop- GTP- graduate training programme? how is it different to PGCE?
Is there anyone/ organisation who can advise on this kind of thing, or would it be admissions tutors? thanks again.

Can you get work in a primary school i.e. in another role such as TA/cover supervisor? Have you still got a few years left?

Hi there,

With the PGCE and GTP you come out with the same qualification at the end which is Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The difference between them is that with the PGCE it is uni based with placements in schools. Plus you pay the Uni the fees.

With the GTP you work full time in a school but are released to attend uni/course provider and are paid approx #15,000 per year. In my area the Uni of Reading train the GTP students and so does the local authority.

There are pro's and cons to both ways to train. The best place to get accurate information is from www.tda.gov.uk.

Good luck.

Thanks giggle, will have a luck.