My partner is thinking about this. She is currently a print buyer.
She has a BSc from the OU.

She is thinking about a change of carer and fancies teaching primary school kids.

anybody do the same and have any thoughts they want to share?

Any ideas where she would get info on how to become a teacher?

Thanks

Paul

 

I did the primary PGCE after my degree. My mum is also a primary school teacher and is the mentor for pgce students in her school-any questions I will gladly ask her for you.

From memory the web addy you need is www.canteach.gov.uk and all the info is on there. For primary you just need a degree in order to qualify for a pgce 9as primiary is all subjects)- for secondary it needs to be a degree related to the subject you wish to teach. For primary you do choose a specialist subject however.

I wont lie-Its bloody hard work doing the course.
Say goodbye to any social life whatsoever, as its a several year course crammed into one mega hectic year. Very rewarding in class, but more paperwork than you could ever imagine possible while training. Plans for class, evaluations after class, coursework, essays and a whole host of other crap in addition to lectures and actually teaching. It is extremely intensive!

I couldnt finish it as it got too much (was working at the time too). Would be something I would maybe think about getting into again in later life as it was very rewarding-sadly the crazy need for excessive amounts of paperwork got in the way for the time being.

 

http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit.aspx

 

Brilliant

Jenny says thanks very much for the quick and useful replies!

 

My wife got in the same way...........OU degree, PGCE, then teaching.

She has been in now for 18 years, and is on her third headship, having also won a leadership award.

Any other questions, let me know.

Alcazar

 

Apparently the type of teacher that is in least demand at the moment is female primary teachers.

How much truth there is in this I am not sure, but worth thinking about the prospects after graduating.

 

My Mum was a primary teacher & I helped out for a few weeks. It was great fun making those ickle boats with rubberband windup matchstick propellers

 

Well in my intake at college there were 110 students (for both primary and secondary training). 6 of which were blokes.......

 

I went into Lecturing (Further Education) - MUCH easier than school teaching. I don't know how they do it. Fair play!!

But I did my PGCE and have now been teaching/lecturing for 7 yrs.
On the flip side, perhaps it's my subject area (Audio production/Sound Engineering), workload can be high, but mine isn't. I've got a full social life. I do some work on a Sunday prior to Monday AM, but that's about it. I'm lucky that I've got time in the week to do admin and marking. However, paperwork is a total PITA as are the politics.

My colleague is just qualifiying now, and is entitled to a "Golden Hello" - about £5000 IIRC

Downsides, you will have people look down their noses at you (happened to me at a Scooby meet a few years ago, talking to one of the wives )
The pay is poor for the work involved (even in my field - thank god I've got a Production company outside of work!).
Just because the kids have all the holidays off, doesn't mean you do (You still get most of it off, but in my case, I can work from home)
Schools - teaching some kids who may not want to be there, but have to.
College - teaching people who actually want to do something with their lives (this was the clincher for me)

Teaching is very rewarding ( I love hearing what my lot have produced), but it is hard work.

Dan