UK Primary PGCE

LUFC123

Hi all,

I'm considering applying for the Primary PGCE in the UK and curious to see whether or not people think it's a good idea or if anyone has any experience of doing the same thing?

If I want to return home following my NQT year, will other applicants who train ed here have an advantage over me when it comes to applying to schools here?

Is making up the qualification shortfall with regard to Irish etc a nightmare after?

How dies trying to fund yourself as a postgraduate student in the UK compare with Ireland?

Thanks

dory

I can only really answer on the Irish bit. It all depends how your level of Irish is. If you're going over to avoid Irish as yours isn't good, the exam when you come home will be very difficult. If you've an ok base it's fine.

LUFC123

Also with regard to this, can anyone who has maybe studied in the UK suggest universities/cities where the price of living is reasonable for a student? St Mary's in Twickenham is a very attractive option but I just don't know if I'd be able to afford living in London.

Shaungoater

LUFC123 wrote:

Also with regard to this, can anyone who has maybe studied in the UK suggest universities/cities where the price of living is reasonable for a student? St Mary's in Twickenham is a very attractive option but I just don't know if I'd be able to afford living in London.

Anybody I know who successfully completed it did so in London. There was six or seven living in East London together at different stages, barely surviving. I had a mate who did it somewhere near Leeds, but it didn't qualify him to teach in Irish primary schools for some reason, even of he did the Irish exam.

williaint

I completed a secondary PGCE in England so I can't comment on the Irish shortfall but after the PGCE I did a Master of Education and the TC are *still* saying it does not equate to the PME. This is not the case for anyone who trained pre 2014 in England. In other words, it's not just Irish you need to consider.

The bursary for secondary depending on subject is nearly £30k tax free, I do not think there is any bursary for primary so you have no huge financial incentive to go to England.

I trained down south as it was a really good university but then moved up north in my NQT as cost of living is so much cheaper. I would not live anywhere in the south east, it is so expensive and outside of London you get nothing extra. There are some really good unis in the north like Durham, York, Lancaster, etc. See if they offer the primary PGCE.

I can't comment too much on primary teaching but secondary in England is incredibly tough (half of the people I trained with in 2016 have now left the profession, most were late 20s and they weren't just out of their undergrads) and the system is obsessed with targets but maybe primary is different?

I couldn't afford to do the PME here and was offered £25k to go to England but if your heart is set on teaching in Ireland then I would stay here. The NQT year over there is also more observations and targets and depending on the school can be much tougher than the PGCE. In my last school, they failed the NQT as progress was too slow in his classes and he can now never teach again in a state school.

LUFC123

williaint wrote: »

I completed a secondary PGCE in England so I can't comment on the Irish shortfall but after the PGCE I did a Master of Education and the TC are *still* saying it does not equate to the PME. This is not the case for anyone who trained pre 2014 in England. In other words, it's not just Irish you need to consider.

.

So have you not been able to register with the Teaching Council then? Below is the response I received from them when asking them what ground I'd need to make up if I did the Primary PGCE and returned home.

When you complete your PGCE in 2018/2019 - you will then have to undertake your INDUCTION year in the UK (or in the jurisdiction where your qualified) - you will then be a fully recognised primary teacher in the country where you qualified.

When you decide to register with the Teaching Council you qualifications will be assessed which may result in conditions being attached to your registration i.e. completion of the Irish Language Requirement, Induction, Probation and any shortfalls that have been identified during your qualification assessment.

You will have three years from date of registration to meet these conditions. If necessary, you can seek an extension to the three years if required. Upon completion of your conditions you will have full registration as Primary Teacher.

You have no further action to undertake - please ensure that you retain all paperwork from your PGCE - in particular your course handbook and module descriptors which will be required for your assessment with the Teaching Council.

All Post Graduate qualifications are recognised by the Teaching Council - all you have to ensure is that you gain QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and complete your Induction in the jurisdiction where you qualify.

williaint

Eh they'll let me conditionally register but it's looking like I will have to complete some postgraduate qualification in education in order to make up the credit shortfall. This is crazy when I already have a PGCE, NQT and a Master of Education. A postgraduate qualification in education will cost easily another €5k...

The only way around this that I can see is to do a PGCE in England then come back and start a Master of Education from scratch...That will be a year for the PGCE, a year for the NQT, and another year f/t or two years p/t for the Masters in Education to give them the credits they want.

It's all about ECTS...I'm even thinking of going back to Europe where university is more or less free and accumulating the credits over there.

KatW4

I completed the PGCE in University of East London in 2011/2012. It was really tough. My fees at the time were 3 thousand but I think they're gone up now. I was very lucky with rent and only paid about 450 per month while I lived there. You do get paid a couple of thousand more per year if you work in inner London.

You have to stay the extra year to complete your NQT year. It's not too difficult to get a job but your NQT year will be difficult. Someone mentioned above about paperwork and observations, it's just that none stop. I was in school at 7:30am and lucky if I got to leave at 5pm.

When I came home, I was able to register with the teaching council but it took ages because you have to get your university in England to help with the forms. I had a conditional registration. I'm pretty sure it cost me 290 euro to register.

I completed the SCG Irish exam through Marino. It was basically the Leaving Cert Irish all over again. I had to spend 3 weeks in the Gaeltacht, I had a project, a lesson observation and the 4 exams (paper 1: grammar, paper 2: stories and poems, aural and oral).

I also had to do the Certificate in Religious Studies in St. Pats to make up for the lack of religion we did in our PCGE.

I hope that's of some help to you!

williaint

Yep, if you trained before 2014 (in either UK or Ireland) you don't need a Masters.

If you trained after 2014 you have to have 120 credits in Education, so a Masters in Education.

LUFC123

KatW4 wrote: »

I completed the PGCE in University of East London in 2011/2012. It was really tough. My fees at the time were 3 thousand but I think they're gone up now. I was very lucky with rent and only paid about 450 per month while I lived there. You do get paid a couple of thousand more per year if you work in inner London.

You have to stay the extra year to complete your NQT year. It's not too difficult to get a job but your NQT year will be difficult. Someone mentioned above about paperwork and observations, it's just that none stop. I was in school at 7:30am and lucky if I got to leave at 5pm.

When I came home, I was able to register with the teaching council but it took ages because you have to get your university in England to help with the forms. I had a conditional registration. I'm pretty sure it cost me 290 euro to register.

I completed the SCG Irish exam through Marino. It was basically the Leaving Cert Irish all over again. I had to spend 3 weeks in the Gaeltacht, I had a project, a lesson observation and the 4 exams (paper 1: grammar, paper 2: stories and poems, aural and oral).

I also had to do the Certificate in Religious Studies in St. Pats to make up for the lack of religion we did in our PCGE.

I hope that's of some help to you!

Thanks! When you say it was tough, are referring to the course, trying to gt b financially or both?

KatW4

LUFC123 wrote:

Thanks! When you say it was tough, are referring to the course, trying to gt b financially or both?

The course was tough because we had to squeeze so much into 1 year, 3 placements of 6/7 weeks. I hated being away from home too.

When I was on placement, I would get home from a full day of school and spend the rest of the night doing plans and making resources. There wasn't much time for myself.

Financially it was horrible too. I had to take out a huge loan to cover my fees, accomodation, travel and living expenses. I didn't have a job or savings though so that's why it was such a huge!