PGCE and more...

honk05

Hi all,

I have spent the last few days reading through alot of posts both here and on educationposts, as well as alot of other info all over the web- some great information has been posted on here.

I have kind of a different situation and Im really hoping you guys can help me out. Im Irish, 26, I have a bachelors degree and dont have honours LC Irish. I am currently in my second year teaching in public schools in Korea and love it- Ive finally realised that teaching is the way forward for me. I also have some limited experience wokring with in a special needs school in Ireland. I will finish up teaching in Korea next August and will then will be travelling for 8months-ish! What I want to do is go to England and do a PGCE for Primary teaching. I know this is still a bit away but because of my circumstances and age I really want to get this right first time round!!

So...

1. I will need to apply for my PGCE for primary by December next year? Any reccomendations for colleges?- have read good things about St Marys in Twickenham-is it very tough for places there!?
2. I wll need to do the NQT year in England after I finish due to new rules. Could I head to Australia/NZ and teach there after I finish the year in England?- is it possible to get work in Oz or NZ with a qualification from England?
3. If I go to Oz then I assume when I go back to Ireland I will then have to get my PGCE accredited and to the SCT and Catholc test?
4. I have read about Bursaries too- is this guaranteed for PGCE students? How much will I get? Whats the financial situation in England- course fees, living expences, etc?! This is important to me. Have read I can get a student loan to cover the fees and the bursary would cover me through the year for rent and living....doesn't seem like alot tho!
5. Is there anything I can be doing in the mean time to bump up my chances of getting into a course? Should I be contacting colleges in the UK now or is it too early? I teach in a school full time here in Korea so I feel I have alot of experience- I presume it will count for something? Anything at all I can be doing??? Extra courses online or anything? Getting referees? Video classes here? Anything?
6. My girlfriend and I are in Korea together now and we will we going to study in England together for the PGCE too so obviously we want to get the same college- should this influence our choice of colleges?
7. Is it right that you can only put two options on your GTTR application? If you don't get either of these do you have to wait til the following year to apply again?!?!

Sorry about the long post- really need to get some sort of a plan in place and have to get going on it early to ensure we save enough money, allow enough time etc. Any help at all would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Brian

Nead21

I think you would get a better response on www.educationposts.ie

best of luck

Titania

honk05 wrote: »

1. I will need to apply for my PGCE for primary by December next year? Any reccomendations for colleges?- have read good things about St Marys in Twickenham-is it very tough for places there!?
2. I wll need to do the NQT year in England after I finish due to new rules. Could I head to Australia/NZ and teach there after I finish the year in England?- is it possible to get work in Oz or NZ with a qualification from England?
3. If I go to Oz then I assume when I go back to Ireland I will then have to get my PGCE accredited and to the SCT and Catholc test?
4. I have read about Bursaries too- is this guaranteed for PGCE students? How much will I get? Whats the financial situation in England- course fees, living expences, etc?! This is important to me. Have read I can get a student loan to cover the fees and the bursary would cover me through the year for rent and living....doesn't seem like alot tho!
5. Is there anything I can be doing in the mean time to bump up my chances of getting into a course? Should I be contacting colleges in the UK now or is it too early? I teach in a school full time here in Korea so I feel I have alot of experience- I presume it will count for something? Anything at all I can be doing??? Extra courses online or anything? Getting referees? Video classes here? Anything?
6. My girlfriend and I are in Korea together now and we will we going to study in England together for the PGCE too so obviously we want to get the same college- should this influence our choice of colleges?
7. Is it right that you can only put two options on your GTTR application? If you don't get either of these do you have to wait til the following year to apply again?!?!

Sorry about the long post- really need to get some sort of a plan in place and have to get going on it early to ensure we save enough money, allow enough time etc. Any help at all would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Brian

Hi Brian,

I'm currently doing a Secondary PGCE in London, so I might be able to answer a few of your questions.

It's hard to say which courses/universities are best, as they all have different strengths. It might be worth fielding this question on the www.tes.co.uk forums. Have a look at some of the league tables too. I don't have a link, but might be worth a Google?

The bursaries are not guaranteed, and people aren't going to know about next year's sums until the current government announce it. As far as I know this year's bursary for primary was £4000, but it could change.

It's not too early to apply. Get on the GTTR now and familiarise yourself with it. I already know of several people who have sent in their applications, and the primary application process closes well before the secondary - I think at the beginning of December.

Experience-wise, your current teaching will definitely stand in your favour, but you may be asked to do some time in UK schools before you start.

If you and your girlfriend are both applying, it might be worth focusing on an area rather than a single college (e.g. South East London).

I believe you're right about the two options for Primary, but I think you can add more options if you're unsuccessful. And there's always Clearing, which will have vacancies once everyone's offers are through.

Best of luck with the process. I love my course.

T

dory

One thing on the going to Aus plan though. If you're looking for one of the visa they issue to people with skills that are in demand, then you need 3 years experience.