Route in to teaching

[Smilesonfaces]

My daughter is in Year 11. All she has ever wanted is to be a primary school teacher. I know many on here would say try to change her mind !

She has been looking at the various routes she could take. Someone has been in to school talking to them about apprenticeships. Is it possible to do A Levels and then train under an apprenticeship ? Daughter is telling me this is possible but I hadn't realized this was the case.

I would prefer her to do a University degree then a post grad course. She always has the possibility then to change career in the future. She is planning on English Language/Literature combined course, Sport and Psychology for A level.

I wondered if anyone could give any advice/ pointers as the best routes to take.

Thank you so much in advance for any replies.

[JoJo88]

I’m interested in any replies too as DS is considering primary teaching but doesn’t want to go to Uni. He’s Y13 at the moment and has spoken to his career’s advisor but was a bit vague about what was said, just that it’s too early to be doing anything yet. Problem with DS is that he’s just too laid back when it comes to things like this!

[Beth_Disney]

This website might be of some help - getintoteaching.education.go...acher-training

My husband is a teacher and did a degree and then a PGCE. His degree is in maths and business studies. He originally wanted to be a primary teacher but the jobs weren't there when he finished his PGCE (he did a maths specialist PGCE so he could teach primary or secondary)

We have friends that have done a teaching degree (BEd) and gone on to be primary school teachers.

[123]

It is certainly an option to get into teaching through "in-place" training schemes (apprenticeships and the like)

However like you if you child is intelligent enough to be a teacher I'd be doing by level best to persuade them to go via a degree/pgce route

This has a couple of benefits:

1) They could always change their mind and go for a different career if they change their mind
2) As with Beth_Disney havign a PGCE should enable them to switch into older kid teaching if the primary school entries are full at the time they start

[Aliloo]

Places to teach in primary with funded courses are very competitive and often are given to internal applicants for example teaching assistants who have already proved themselves. A BEd does feed directly to teaching and provides school experience over the 3 year term though arguably less than another degree and then a PGCE after. The PGCE is very school based for a year but it does give you a much better idea of what teaching is like than the shorter placements on the BEd in my opinion.

[Helen1512]

Hi
Yes there are apprenticeships available. One school I teach at has trained up staff who transferred after A levels to an apprenticeship in school. They worked their way up from being TAs. The plus point is they have had a huge amount of hands on classroom experience which in my mind has made them really excellent teachers. I did a degree then pgce so that or a teaching degree is also an option.

[Twin mummy]

Traditionally most secondary teachers did a degree and then a 1 year pgce (the route I took) and many primary teachers did a 4 year BEd.

Those routes are still available but as others have said there are many different ways in now. I think you still need to have a degree to get QTS but I might be wrong on that!

I'd always suggest keeping options open if possible and get as much experience as possible (when volunteering is possible).

I did a humanities degree then a pgce, taught history in a secondary school for years, then was a HLTA in a primary school and now I'm head of RS in a middle school (ages 8-13) so it is possible to swap between phases and subjects.

[Smilesonfaces]

Originally Posted by 123

It is certainly an option to get into teaching through "in-place" training schemes (apprenticeships and the like)

However like you if you child is intelligent enough to be a teacher I'd be doing by level best to persuade them to go via a degree/pgce route

This has a couple of benefits:

1) They could always change their mind and go for a different career if they change their mind
2) As with Beth_Disney havign a PGCE should enable them to switch into older kid teaching if the primary school entries are full at the time they start

See more...

This is absolutely my thinking too ! I don't know if it is the current climate which is causing her misgivings about university. I just think the university route gives the most flexibility. None of the friends I went to university with are still teaching now.

[123]

Originally Posted by Twin mummy

Traditionally most secondary teachers did a degree and then a 1 year pgce (the route I took) and many primary teachers did a 4 year BEd.

Those routes are still available but as others have said there are many different ways in now. I think you still need to have a degree to get QTS but I might be wrong on that!

I'd always suggest keeping options open if possible and get as much experience as possible (when volunteering is possible).

I did a humanities degree then a pgce, taught history in a secondary school for years, then was a HLTA in a primary school and now I'm head of RS in a middle school (ages 8-13) so it is possible to swap between phases and subjects.

See more...

I've no idea what the OP child's aspirations are with their career once they are a teacher, but there are some specific (but unsuspected) downsides to not entering teaching from a degree entry-point if she wants mobility in the future.

Teaching is generally a desirable career for immigration purposes and many teachers in Australia are UK immigrants. The AUS system though doesn't recognise QTS status acheived unless a degree in teaching or PGCE is also present - so this would rule out moving countries in the future if she didn't have a degree

It's a specific, niche, case I respect that, but it's best to go in a direction knowing the pitfalls and compromises before you choose it rather than finding out after you've started on the path

[123]

Originally Posted by Smilesonfaces

This is absolutely my thinking too ! I don't know if it is the current climate which is causing her misgivings about university. I just think the university route gives the most flexibility. None of the friends I went to university with are still teaching now.

See more...

Our daughter went away to UNI this year for the first time, she was apprehensive about lockdowns/online learning etc.

I can honestly say she is loving every second, even the "are you really sure you think that is correct" comments from some of the lecturers.

It's actually harder on yr2&3 students as they are seeing that online learning is a poor substitute for face-to-face (but no less viable in terms of teaching content) than the freshers who aren't aware of anything but online uni lectures