Too late for a PGCE application?
- Thread starter maomao
- Start date
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
It all sounds very exciting maomao . When I went back and did my PhD the scholarship was the only thing that made it possible, along with a part time job in the uni library. That was the best job ever and I still miss it sometimes.
At least if you're furloughed there's still money coming in for now. Check your organisation's redundancy policy if there is one, to check if they offer any enhanced payout, on top of the statutory entitlement.
At least if you're furloughed there's still money coming in for now. Check your organisation's redundancy policy if there is one, to check if they offer any enhanced payout, on top of the statutory entitlement.
maomao
普費斯
I'm getting an extra month's furlough money (so it will cost them NI and pension I think) in exchange for going quietly and signing a compromise agreement. So technically I'll be employed for two more months. I know that affects benefits but we shouldn't really have to go there. I had an overpayment pool on the mortgage and we've got a couple of months cushion.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
The other downside with teaching a compulsory subject is that you end up teaching a lot of KS4 kids who don't really want to be there. At least with optional subjects you get a little more enthusiasm.
And yeah, you do end up massively jealous of the maths teachers.
But the job security is a massive difference. And once you have QTS you can sometimes switch to primary anyway - I know a couple of people who did that, and a few who switched to FE. Plus you might be able to get a job teaching English but have some of your teaching hours be teaching Mandarin, if the school offers it as a subject. I've taught subjects I'm not technically qualified for.
BTW, although it looks like it's too late to apply for this year, it's worth looking into something like Teach First.. It's on the job training, but some Teach First students were in uni classes with us regular PGCErs and, bizarrely, they seemed to have fewer contact hours than those of us on the regular PGCE.
And yeah, you do end up massively jealous of the maths teachers.
But the job security is a massive difference. And once you have QTS you can sometimes switch to primary anyway - I know a couple of people who did that, and a few who switched to FE. Plus you might be able to get a job teaching English but have some of your teaching hours be teaching Mandarin, if the school offers it as a subject. I've taught subjects I'm not technically qualified for.
BTW, although it looks like it's too late to apply for this year, it's worth looking into something like Teach First.. It's on the job training, but some Teach First students were in uni classes with us regular PGCErs and, bizarrely, they seemed to have fewer contact hours than those of us on the regular PGCE.
maomao
普費斯
So I have been cracking on with this. I have a shortlist of institutions to apply to, am reading prospectuses and have started an application through UCAS. It's an online application so can save and go back to it. Not as intimidating as those old paper forms.
I have been bothering old friends and emailing old schools to try and get the exam boards I did GCSEs and A-levels with but it seems all the big boards have suspended these services for the length of the pandemic as well as now saying they won't look for any info from before 2000! The drop down lists for qualifications on the UCAS form don't actually list the exams I took. We did separate GCSEs for English Literature and Language and they're not listed as separate subjects at all. It's starting to look like some sort of equivalency exam would be easier.
Both references have asked me to write something which they'll then agree to so I need to do that as well. Not sure how to write a reference about myself. Have sketched out a plan for my personal statement though. Plan is to have the form more or less ready by the middle of next week. Phone institutions for chats about details and then submit straight away. I've been assured that applications are open till September but it feels very late.
I think I'm doing okay given it's less than three days since I was made redundant.
I have been bothering old friends and emailing old schools to try and get the exam boards I did GCSEs and A-levels with but it seems all the big boards have suspended these services for the length of the pandemic as well as now saying they won't look for any info from before 2000! The drop down lists for qualifications on the UCAS form don't actually list the exams I took. We did separate GCSEs for English Literature and Language and they're not listed as separate subjects at all. It's starting to look like some sort of equivalency exam would be easier.
Both references have asked me to write something which they'll then agree to so I need to do that as well. Not sure how to write a reference about myself. Have sketched out a plan for my personal statement though. Plan is to have the form more or less ready by the middle of next week. Phone institutions for chats about details and then submit straight away. I've been assured that applications are open till September but it feels very late.
I think I'm doing okay given it's less than three days since I was made redundant.
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
Can you screenshot the drop down?
Kids still do these as separate exams so it can’t be that. Also, not exactly the same but I’ve been involved in hundreds of ucas applications over the last few years, so I’m used to v. similar forms.
maomao
普費斯
I may just be getting form flustered again.
This is the education section:
There are the correct names for the exams I took in the second section 'add gcse qualifications or equivalents' but not in the top section where it wants my english/maths/science gcses. If I click on that and select GCSEs (A* > G) I get this:
with English greyed out. Confusingly if I choose GCSE grade 1-9 it gives me Eng Lang and Lit options but then I can't put my alphabetical grades.
I think I should probably just put therm all in the GCSEs section and then point it out when I show the completed form to the teacher training people.
Forms really do drive me mental.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
If the exam boards can't/won't help then I don't think you need to worry about the college - the equivalency tests are easy, anyway.
I second what Spangles said about the GCSEs though. They are still separate subjects. And TBH that's probably helpful for you to know before applying to teach them...
I second what Spangles said about the GCSEs though. They are still separate subjects. And TBH that's probably helpful for you to know before applying to teach them...
maomao
普費斯
I know. Because I believe my degree qualifies me for the lang but not so much for the lit and I'll need to point that out/explain how I intend to address that.I remember at the time not having a clue though. I only had one English teacher.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
I remember at the time not having a clue though. I only had one English teacher.
Yeah, usually you're taught them together and take both exams, so they feel like one GCSE, but occasionally there will be a class that only takes English language. That's the one that counts for job applications, etc, and is the legal requirement for a PGCE. You're too old to be required to have a science GCSE, BTW - they don't apply that rule to people who went to school when it wasn't a compulsory GCSE subject - so that's one equivalency test you don't need to worry about.
I hate forms too. Actually it was one of the things I hated most about secondary school teaching, because there were tons of them. Can't work out what's going on with that drop-down form.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
There's probably some unwritten assumption built into the form, based on what's happened for the past 20 years. I'm pretty much the same age as maomao and did both English language and English litersy GCSEs although was taught for both by one teacher. I loathed the subject mainly because the books chosen were mostly just not what I'd read by myself. I was horrified to find out that A Town Called Alice by Nevil Shute was actually much longer and a much better story than the crappy abridged version we read in class.
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
Right. You’ve got 3 separate lines in section one. You’ve done the maths one. Is that right?
if there’s no choice for the English one, it probably means that it’s assumed to be English language. (iirc, the qualifications are called English and English literature. “English language” didn’t used to be the name of a qualification at all, but I may be wrong).
The other possibility is that they will accept a passing grade in either lit or lang, and you can add the other one underneath in section 2.
presumably, that’s what happens in the science section - you only need one science to be a grade c / level 4 or above, and some kids still do separate sciences.
the other thing is, for now I’d probably put down London as the exam board (which is now edexcel, I think). If it comes up later on and is wrong, you will be able to deal with that then.
My school didn’t give out certificates by the way. Not sure what I would do if I had to prove it now. Fortunately I didmy pgce in 1995.
if there’s no choice for the English one, it probably means that it’s assumed to be English language. (iirc, the qualifications are called English and English literature. “English language” didn’t used to be the name of a qualification at all, but I may be wrong).
The other possibility is that they will accept a passing grade in either lit or lang, and you can add the other one underneath in section 2.
presumably, that’s what happens in the science section - you only need one science to be a grade c / level 4 or above, and some kids still do separate sciences.
the other thing is, for now I’d probably put down London as the exam board (which is now edexcel, I think). If it comes up later on and is wrong, you will be able to deal with that then.
My school didn’t give out certificates by the way. Not sure what I would do if I had to prove it now. Fortunately I didmy pgce in 1995.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Small point spanglechick but yes there was English language O level. I've got one (and just checked my results to be sure). Taken in 1980.
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
Oh. Dunno where I got that idea from. I look at dozen of gcse transcripts every enrolment day too.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
The AQA website has English Language listed as a GCSE, as well as English Literature. Maybe they don't write that on all the forms though.
maomao
普費斯
The most annoying thing is that this is the fourth UCAS application I've made in my life (though it might have still been UCCA/PCAS the first time) and if anyone knows my bloody qualifications it's them.
I'll just do it the way that makes sense to you spanglechick as you deal with these forms and try and worry about the other stuff instead. I want the form shipshape before I call colleges next week.
I do have a confirmed exam board for my Sociology A-level now at least. The only person I know who actually kept her certificates and found them within two minutes of me asking her on Facebook. Pity she didn't do English.
I'll just do it the way that makes sense to you spanglechick as you deal with these forms and try and worry about the other stuff instead. I want the form shipshape before I call colleges next week.
I do have a confirmed exam board for my Sociology A-level now at least. The only person I know who actually kept her certificates and found them within two minutes of me asking her on Facebook. Pity she didn't do English.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Is yours secondary or FE? The rules are different for FE PGCEs.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
Neither. 'Lifelong learning', so that could be why.
maomao
普費斯
Thanks for the kick up the arse. Had a bit of a weekend off (from the application anyway, no weekends off from kids) as the fact of redundancy is starting to sink in.
I spent far too much time last week stressing about certificates and not enough reading syllabuses and prospectus. The bursary doesn't depend on them anyway as long as I'm upfront about it. I asked UCAS to check and see if they had old applications of mine and they said no but just fill in the boards as unknown.
Need this application in by next Monday latest. I now know at least one college on my shortlist near me is now closed to applications for secondary English. I'm coming to the conclusion that this may take two years as I might not get on a course till 2021, no-one does January starts. If this happens I will start looking for TA (and other) work locally (though this may be slowed down by dbs problems due to coronavirus) and try and do an SKE concurrently so I can get a place sorted early for next year. This would be the better route really but it's goin to be a lot harder financially.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
Yeah, just get the application in, so you don't cut off the option.
Might the coronavirus affect when/how intake happens (in your favour)?
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maomao
普費斯
I'm basically counting on this to have any chance at all. Though it may be there's a lot of redundant people suddenly remembering their long-supressed vocations right now.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
True. Fewer with your specialisms, though?
Cid
Proper break this time
Perhaps, but don't do yourself down (the chance bit)... You have a lot of valuable experience. Not least the fact that you've taught before, and actually enjoyed it. Get the application in... Seen too many people put something off a year and just end up not doing it.
maomao
普費斯
Yes, it is definitely getting done this week. I have half a draft of my personal statement and my entire work and school history uploaded so far. The weekend break was partly to make a small office space in the back bedroom so I'm not constantly craning my neck to see past the kids playing lego on the floor.
maomao
普費斯
Both my referees have asked me to provide a draft of what I want them to say and I'd like to get that finished today. It is so fucking difficult. I can't exactly have my current boss go on about what a great teacher I'd make because it's not what he'd say. Also worried about length. I've written what I think is a wordy and over the top reference and it's only 40% of the character limit. Similarly my academic reference is a teacher who hasn't seen me in fifteen years. I know I did well and she was always nice to me then but she's not going to write a whole sheet of a4 about me.
Anyone feel like helping me proof read (and could probably do with a look at my personal statement in a couple of days)? I would be very grateful.
Anyone feel like helping me proof read (and could probably do with a look at my personal statement in a couple of days)? I would be very grateful.
maomao
普費斯
I'm really shit at talking myself up. Sitting here trying to write positive things about myself and just thinking it's all bollocksThink about what skills you have that are transferable to teaching. I managed to get shitloads from my civil service/TU roles for my social work course. Made myself sound brilliant.
Personal statement will probably be easier to be positive it's just writing words for someone else. Mrs maomao is taking over sole child care (9-5 anyway) for the meanwhile and is even cooking every day till I get this done. Which gives me extra incentive cause I prefer my own cooking lol.
Cid
Proper break this time
I'm really shit at talking myself up. Sitting here trying to write positive things about myself and just thinking it's all bollocks
Mrs maomao is taking over sole child care (9-5 anyway) for the meanwhile and is even cooking every day till I get this done. Which gives me extra incentive cause I prefer my own cooking lol.
Just go through this list point by point
But I kind of do actually suggest doing that. Break it down... Don't just think of it as talking yourself up. Actually think about what you have learned, or what opportunities for learning your job could have provided and that you could er... embellish. Maybe think of a colleague you've liked and use them as a surrogate. I mean imagine your were writing a reference for them, not yourself. It doesn't hugely matter what your boss actually thinks, unless they're likely to read it and say 'nope, can't say that'.
And, I mean, this is your boss. Does the person reviewing this application need to read 47 lines of text by someone with precisely zero ability to assess your ability to teach? Do they expect your boss to even be able to do that? I don't know exactly what you worked in, but isn't it something to do with dispatching couriers? The relevant parts of that are going to be ability to communicate, ability to coordinate, problem solving, adapting to particular situations. Anything client-facing, anything to do with training. Break it down into those sections and use a structured approach along the PEE (point, evidence, explanation) lines you use for essays. Structure it into paragraphs, each addressing a particular, relevant skillset.
I'd be wary of being overly wordy. Also I have no idea how these are assessed. But I'm just struggling to imagine someone looking at the personal statement of someone who speaks fluent Chinese, bits of other languages, has taught before and spent plenty of time overseas being rejected because their last boss didn't manage to fully articulate their admiration.
e2a: you could probably pad out with a few technical things too; timekeeping, ability to make deadlines, anything to do with safe working practices.
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