Teacher training: Teach First?
- Thread starter rutabowa
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chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
None of the Maths teachers I know have Maths degrees.
I do know there's a massive shortage so it's more flexible. I assume you mean TF is also flexible in this way
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
I don't know. But it's a reason for optimism maybe?
I was thinking it would just be a yes or no answer as to whether they accept you without a Maths degree. After that I'm assuming it's more about the interview process.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
OTOH you get a dependants' grant and pay no council tax for that year.
maomao
普費斯
Also 85% off childcare (including after school clubs and whatever).
miss direct
misfungled
Yes, you can definitely get on without a Maths degree.
Well they've got my application and given me an interview so I guess it can't be completely necessary... but I am kind of thinking of it more as experience for my UCAS interviews now. If nothing else that means I'm not going to be as nervous about the teach first interview.
IME GCSE and A-Level maths are one thing, and then degree level maths is a whole other level that wouldn't necessarily be useful for teaching GCSE. It is the kind of shit that makes people go crazy because it proves beyond doubt that existence itself is totally impossible so I am kind of glad I didn't do a degree in it, people who do maths degrees look scarred.
For sure, but there are def a few universities (eg UCL and Kings College) that will just throw your (UCAS) application in the bin if you don't have a degree that is at least quite a bit maths related (and mine isn't at all).
Yep I'll have to look into that... I suspect family circumstances mean at least 1 of those won't work for me, at least right now who knows by september, but I'm sure there might be other bits it is possible to claim
oh that is surprising . I guess a lot of them might have done degrees where there were maths modules etc though?
miss direct
misfungled
Weren't you asking about getting onto Teach First, or did I misunderstand?
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
When I did my PGCE the person i knew who was planning on doing maths had a degree in accounting.
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
We did also have to prove that we could support English and Maths at level 2 as they needed to be embeded in what ever you teach.
We were supposed to also have to do that for IT but it looked like nobody knew what to do for that.
Which is still the case it looks like as practically none of the students I enroll have GCSE IT nowadays only some basic ECDL.
Not the end of the world when i'm requiting for Creative Media but a bit of an issues when trying to recruit for Level 3 IT.
We were supposed to also have to do that for IT but it looked like nobody knew what to do for that.
Which is still the case it looks like as practically none of the students I enroll have GCSE IT nowadays only some basic ECDL.
Not the end of the world when i'm requiting for Creative Media but a bit of an issues when trying to recruit for Level 3 IT.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
I think it's a more general point about maths teachers
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
My wife is a secondary maths teacher. She was trained as a Primary teacher via a BA Ed.
My aforementioned brother's degree is in Engineering iirc.
Just a couple of examples.
You are right there was a question specifically about Teach First and maths degrees, and like you say you don't need one... I did still get an application accepted and an interview to come for that (without a maths degree).... But also everyone told me to do a PGCE instead so I'm also applying through there, so I just added that bit about certain universities not accepting you without a maths degree on, because I only just found it out (so it would have been a waste of time for me/anyone to put them in my choices in my situation)
I mean accounting and engineering degrees will both have had significant amounts of maths in! So they don't really count as examples.... BA Ed though, yes that is an example.
Further to this: I had the second round Teach First interview yesterday, and it was really really intense and tough BUT virtually zero about the subject itself (obv there will be a subject knowledge test later if I happen to get past this round, but I think that is unlikely tbh). Their first priority is def their general "key competencies", then if you meet them it kind of depends on what their linked schools need, as I understand it.
Do not underestimate the power of Maths. You must have done a good interview too.
Yep you called it right before (not the interview, the maths). Bit weird to get this far and so far haven't even been asked if I can do times tables, but I've got the online subject test still to do so will find out if my a-level revision did the trick. I thought the interview went terribly* ha, but I was pretty prepared.
* ("humility" is a "key competency")
mm it is coming up to decision time... I keep changing my mind. The plus points of teach first are: more money in the first year (I worked this out, in my circumstances it will end up a fair bit more... and a definite job in the second year. Also there is a 5 week intensive summer course. But then straight into classroom in september.
Whereas the university based course I would get 4-5 weeks of tuition, but starting in September... but then still be in a school placement by October! So it is actually in at the deep end almost more extremely than TF? Unless I missed something.... I guess it must be less intense, but it is impossible to find anyone who has done both to compate them, obviously.
Whereas the university based course I would get 4-5 weeks of tuition, but starting in September... but then still be in a school placement by October! So it is actually in at the deep end almost more extremely than TF? Unless I missed something.... I guess it must be less intense, but it is impossible to find anyone who has done both to compate them, obviously.
Hollis
bloody furious
Isnt' Teach First sometimes good if you're wanting to climb up 'the greasy pole'..
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
If it definitely is more money and you already have a place, it would be sensible to take it. There's no guarantee you'd get onto a PGCE anyway.
We had teach first people in some of our PGCE classes and TBH it didn't sound like they were all that much more in at the deep end than we were. They were annoying - they definitely saw themselves as better than us PGCE types - but they were treated like that too, for some reason.
We had teach first people in some of our PGCE classes and TBH it didn't sound like they were all that much more in at the deep end than we were. They were annoying - they definitely saw themselves as better than us PGCE types - but they were treated like that too, for some reason.
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