I'm thinking of a career change into teaching. My hand has been slightly forced by the Covid, but the more I look into it and talk to people the more I think it might genuinely be the right thing for me to do, and that I might possibly be good at it. There are a lot of routes in of course, and I'm talking to all the official people about the more usual UCAS ways... but I also applied for that Teach First programme (famously the subject of the TV show "Tough Young Teachers", ulp), which is kind of an intense course where you get 6 weeks training then are straight into a school (and probably quite a challenging school). On the TV show they are all young fresh graduates, whereas I am older and I already had one quite long career (there is absolutely no way I would have even considered this straight from university). I just wondered if anyone here had experience of Teach First... either doing it, or working with people who did it etc).
Teacher training: Teach First?
- Thread starter rutabowa
- Start date
maomao
普費斯
Haven't heard of teach first but I know people who are very happy doing schools direct which sounds like the same thing.
2 factors to consider:
1. Money. What's your major? Music? There won't be a bursary attached to most subjects next year so if you've got rent to pay a salaried scheme may be a good idea.
2. PGCE. It's an actual post graduate qualification, particularly useful if you ever want to work abroad. Gives you a theoretical agle on your practice. But the college work side of it is a massive ballache.
2 factors to consider:
1. Money. What's your major? Music? There won't be a bursary attached to most subjects next year so if you've got rent to pay a salaried scheme may be a good idea.
2. PGCE. It's an actual post graduate qualification, particularly useful if you ever want to work abroad. Gives you a theoretical agle on your practice. But the college work side of it is a massive ballache.
maomao yout doing teacher training right? and SpookyFrank i think if i remember right?
sorry cross posted. My subject is maths... so there are a few salaried courses available on UCAS as well as this route....
maomao
普費斯
I'm doing a PGCE at UEL though am currently on compassionate leave. Feel free to ask anything specific.. There are also a tonne of fully trained and professional teachers on these boards who are all very helpful people.
maomao
普費斯
24k bursary for doing a PGCE. You want to make sure you're getting more than that on a salaried scheme. Bearing in mind you pay tax on a salary and not on a bursary.
thanks! I've got quite a lot of teacher friends and all my family are teachers, teachers are always awesome people ime.
ahh interesting, that is a really good point.... A PGCE is 1 or 2 years, and is a full time course but with in school contact time, is that right?
maomao
普費斯
1 year unless you do part time. Evn if you do part time I think they try to get you to do it in a year and a half, doesn't have to be two years. And depending on covid situation should be starting in schools within a few weeks of starting training. Some bright spark at UEL decided to hold back placements till after half term to allow the covid situation to 'improve' and most of us ended up losing weeks to isolation orders. In a normal year it's mostly actual teaching.
I hadn't really considered doing a PGCE with a bursary, I'd assumed I'd need to do some kind of work/learn on the job scheme, so this is really useful thanks...
My initial thought was primary, but the Teach First primary places were full up, and then once I started thinking about secondary it has kind of started to appeal more and more. it does sound like a really intense course, but it is all about levelling up education in low income areas and inclusivity and all sorts of things that really appeal to me. Even though you probably earn no more money than just getting a bursary to study, for maths anyway...
My initial thought was primary, but the Teach First primary places were full up, and then once I started thinking about secondary it has kind of started to appeal more and more. it does sound like a really intense course, but it is all about levelling up education in low income areas and inclusivity and all sorts of things that really appeal to me. Even though you probably earn no more money than just getting a bursary to study, for maths anyway...
The drop out rates from teach first are a lot higher than the traditional route - only 40% of them stick at it, it's much higher via a PGCE - you just can't learn the necessary skills in their programme so it's much more of a sink or swim situation.
Mrs B's area of research is this kind of stuff, and she reckons that it's basically bullshit, and part of various attempts by the government to undermine the teaching profession and privatise the sector. Do a PGCE.
Mrs B's area of research is this kind of stuff, and she reckons that it's basically bullshit, and part of various attempts by the government to undermine the teaching profession and privatise the sector. Do a PGCE.
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
I did an FE orientated PGCE but for us it was 2 or 3 days teaching and 2 days of uni stuff for the first half of the year and then 3 or 4 days teaching and 1 day of uni stuff for the second half (If i remember correctly)
My numbers might be a little mixed up as I was also continuing to teach at my normal job centre training workplace while also doing some stuff at a regular college (I wanted a placement to see what FE was like outside my bubble)
I found things easy but that was because I had already had some experience and I come from a family of teachers.
I think doing a compulsory education leveled PGCE would be a lot harder due to all the behaviour management stuff.
It's not that you don't have behaviour management in FE it's just I managed to get lucky and not have to deal with much of it until a few years back.
My numbers might be a little mixed up as I was also continuing to teach at my normal job centre training workplace while also doing some stuff at a regular college (I wanted a placement to see what FE was like outside my bubble)
I found things easy but that was because I had already had some experience and I come from a family of teachers.
I think doing a compulsory education leveled PGCE would be a lot harder due to all the behaviour management stuff.
It's not that you don't have behaviour management in FE it's just I managed to get lucky and not have to deal with much of it until a few years back.
Interesting.... none of the other routes into teaching advisers ever have much to say about it! But, I have also seen really glowing reports from people who've actually done it.... well, I'm definitely going to apply for as many routes as possible, so as not to rule them out too early. Just I already passed the application stage of Teach First, next stage is an all-day live assessment.
maomao
普費斯
Just to clarify, a PGCE is on the job training. You wouldn't spend much time at uni at all. If I wasn't off I would currently be working a five day week teaching (online admittedly but that's not because it's a pgce). Unless someone decides to send you to a posh bit of Essex (as happened with me) you'll be teaching at a school local to you. Also, if you do it at a very liberal school (like UEL) there will be plenty of practical stuff on inclusivity, decolonising the curriculum etc.
Yeah I'd definitely not be doing FE, I'm between primary and secondary....
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Just the name Teach First ain’t right as it implies teachers won’t stay in the profession, and just use it as a stepping stone to a more financially rewarding career
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
Sounds about right. Give you just about enough to get you going but also little enough to not have to pay you the full rate.
Whenever I did cover for secondary I would only be given cover supervisor rates instead of teaching rates as I didn't have QTS (as I was FE)
While I appreciate the idea of opening up teaching to let subject specialists who don't have a degree or teaching qualifications still contribute I find what happens on the ground is they use this as an excuse to pay you less and move figures around on the spreadsheet to make themselves look better.
It is just the first bit of good job news I have had in about year, passing that application stage, so I felt a bit happy and excited about it.
Thora
Differently Ethical
I did a pgce with a bursary - £9k and no fees. Childcare grant too.
There’s a lot of teaching experience on the course, three placements and by my third one I think you’re supposed to be teaching 70%. Though in practice I did 100% in my 3rd placement as the teacher was also SENCO and was so pleased to have someone to cover
There’s a lot of teaching experience on the course, three placements and by my third one I think you’re supposed to be teaching 70%. Though in practice I did 100% in my 3rd placement as the teacher was also SENCO and was so pleased to have someone to cover
that's explicitly the point of the programme
maomao
普費斯
Yeah, you get 85% of childcare costs covered as a full time student and can get a student parent grant (just under two grand). I even get an adult dependant grant as wife not working.I did a pgce with a bursary - £9k and no fees. Childcare grant too.
There’s a lot of teaching experience on the course, three placements and by my third one I think you’re supposed to be teaching 70%. Though in practice I did 100% in my 3rd placement as the teacher was also SENCO and was so pleased to have someone to cover
I think if I understood right I can only get a bursary if it was secondary maths, there's no bursary for primary courses... but there are a few paid courses near me.I did a pgce with a bursary - £9k and no fees. Childcare grant too.
There’s a lot of teaching experience on the course, three placements and by my third one I think you’re supposed to be teaching 70%. Though in practice I did 100% in my 3rd placement as the teacher was also SENCO and was so pleased to have someone to cover
Sweet FA
✪ Three rounds Lord, in my .44 ✪
Absolutely this. I had 2 TF trainees with me a couple of years ago. It did not go well. It can be done - 6 weeks and then teach - but ime it's hellish for all concerned. As a TF trainee, you basically get thrown at under-staffed schools; the majority in very challenging contexts. One of my trainees couldn't cope with being called a cunt all day (by the kids, not me); the other could do it but couldn't handle the workload, which is astronomical even if you know vaguely what you're doing and have a few years experience under your belt. I'm not a gatekeeper or whatever - I don't necessarily think you can't teach without qualifications - I've never seen it done effectively over a period of time though.
You're playing around with my LIFE here!
Steel Icarus
we move
I worked with some Teach First teachers. Nice enough but with a kind of bright eyed zeal about them being specially selected to save the world, going wherever they were needed to sort everything out.
And the minute a better offer comes along, ta-ra, see you later
Basically seemed like they were in it more for themselves than the kids. Wrong way round.
And the minute a better offer comes along, ta-ra, see you later
Basically seemed like they were in it more for themselves than the kids. Wrong way round.
Sweet FA
✪ Three rounds Lord, in my .44 ✪
with you as in, you taught in the same school?
Similar threads
