Anyone been on a primary PGCE?

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 12:56

I'm heading into one in September. Got accepted a good few months back, and was just wondering on peoples experiences of it, and if anyone had any advice for me before embarking on this?

Thanks

winter · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:06

No but I'm starting my primary ed degree in sept! Can't wait! Where are you doing your PGCE?

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:08

Liverpool Hope

. Got recommended it by one of the teachers where I got a lot of my experience. How about yourself?

Redman · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:23

1) Don't touch the kids. This is bad.

2) Assuming you're male, do try and touch the hordes of lush, impressionable female trainee teachers. This is good.

Doing my post grad at a uni that specialised in primary teaching & nursing was a masterstroke for me. Good times

CaptainRAVE · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:24

Not long ago finished a secondary one. All I can say is, be prepared for a mountain of work! Also, good luck

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:28

Redman said:
1) Don't touch the kids. This is bad.

2) Assuming you're male, do try and touch the hordes of lush, impressionable female trainee teachers. This is good.

Doing my post grad at a uni that specialised in primary teaching & nursing was a masterstroke for me. Good times

Excellent advice

. I will most certainly bare these in mind

.

EDIT: Winky face was for point 2, not point one, as a winky face there...well...

CaptainRAVE said:
Not long ago finished a secondary one. All I can say is, be prepared for a mountain of work! Also, good luck

This was something I've been hearing, is it really almost unmanageable the amount of work? And is the work hard? Or is there just a lot of it?

CaptainRAVE · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:33

Ice213 said:
This was something I've been hearing, is it really almost unmanageable the amount of work? And is the work hard? Or is there just a lot of it?

The work isn't hard, it is just relentless - my advice would be to keep on top of it as much as possible.

Also, be prepared for criticism and to just ride it out (I found that nodding a lot helps). Whatever you do there will always be someone criticizing you (even if they do exactly the same or you are just following someone else's advice).

From my experience and I know a lot of others too, the course itself isn't necessarily that much fun. Luckily, the teacher part of it is very rewarding

- especially in the primary school. One of my most enjoyable weeks of my PGCE was the week of work experience in the primary school, so it should be fun

Diagro · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:34

Primary and your male, Good choice! My wife recently finished her PGCE and it took her a year to find a job, But all of the 4 Males in the year of 200 students got a job offer whilst they were STILL studying!

male Primary teachers are highly sought after at the moment.

I shall be doing one when i finish my degree, Its decent pay (£22.5k starting) and seems like fun, I like kids and i wish to help them learn

Shame the PGCE is a headache though, Not an easy year

Also From watching her do it, Its hardish work and there is a ton of it.

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:45

CaptainRAVE said:
The work isn't hard, it is just relentless - my advice would be to keep on top of it as much as possible.

Also, be prepared for criticism and to just ride it out (I found that nodding a lot helps). Whatever you do there will always be someone criticizing you (even if they do exactly the same or you are just following someone else's advice).

From my experience and I know a lot of others too, the course itself isn't necessarily that much fun. Luckily, the teacher part of it is very rewarding - especially in the primary school. One of my most enjoyable weeks of my PGCE was the week of work experience in the primary school, so it should be fun

I will certainly try my best to get on top of it as soon as I can

.

I can definitely do the whole, nod and listen thing. 7 Years of drama helps

.

Hopefully it is a little bit enjoyable, as a year of no fun makes me a saaaaad panda

.

Diagro said:
Primary and your male, Good choice! My wife recently finished her PGCE and it took her a year to find a job, But all of the 4 Males in the year of 200 students got a job offer whilst they were STILL studying!

male Primary teachers are highly sought after at the moment.

I shall be doing one when i finish my degree, Its decent pay (£22.5k starting) and seems like fun, I like kids and i wish to help them learn

Shame the PGCE is a headache though, Not an easy year

Also From watching her do it, Its hardish work and there is a ton of it.

Well that does sounds promising

. Yeah, if only it was super easy to cruise it, I'd love it

.

Thanks a lot for all the advice and info so far everyone, much appreciated

Veco · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:50

My girlfriend teaches primary. Judging by her feedback its a very involved job, you will be working at home and during the holidays, you will be stressed and there will be horrible TA's and teachers who'll do their best to put you down.

Good luck =D

Diagro · 3 Aug 2012 at 13:52

Veco said:
My girlfriend teaches primary. Judging by her feedback its a very involved job, you will be working at home and during the holidays, you will be stressed and there will be horrible TA's and teachers who'll do their best to put you down.

Good luck =D

Quoted for truth

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 16:31

Veco said:
My girlfriend teaches primary. Judging by her feedback its a very involved job, you will be working at home and during the holidays, you will be stressed and there will be horrible TA's and teachers who'll do their best to put you down.

Good luck =D

This, this doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence

. Lol. Ah well, I'm sorta committed to it now anyway

Redman · 3 Aug 2012 at 16:47

Ice213 said:
This, this doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence . Lol. Ah well, I'm sorta committed to it now anyway

It's the same with any teaching role really. The first couple of years are the hardest as you build up a portfolio of lesson plans & materials to draw from. After you've got a decent stockpile there's fairly little actual new stuff to consider, just additions to the syllabus etc. You can just reuse all you've done so far, and make more time for yourself.

I imagine the workload for primary is less than secondary, and certainly less complicated, although there's bound to be a fair bit of after school stuff to consider. Just think of all the fellow teachers, and the milfs on parents evening

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 17:13

Redman said:
It's the same with any teaching role really. The first couple of years are the hardest as you build up a portfolio of lesson plans & materials to draw from. After you've got a decent stockpile there's fairly little actual new stuff to consider, just additions to the syllabus etc. You can just reuse all you've done so far, and make more time for yourself.

I imagine the workload for primary is less than secondary, and certainly less complicated, although there's bound to be a fair bit of after school stuff to consider. Just think of all the fellow teachers, and the milfs on parents evening

Ah right, I see. That makes a lot of sense actually, obviously no one is going to plan all the lessons for me and I just deliver them with charisma

.

Haha, while working voluntarily for the experience to get onto this course, I did happen to spot a few of them there milfs on the way out of school

.

sparklebox · 3 Aug 2012 at 17:45

Veco said:
My girlfriend teaches primary. Judging by her feedback its a very involved job, you will be working at home and during the holidays, you will be stressed and there will be horrible TA's and teachers who'll do their best to put you down.

Good luck =D

Lol this is very true. I am currently a primary teacher in a year 3 class and my partner did a secondary PGCE. Just finished my NQT year, the training and first year are ridiculously hard, it starts to get easier though :-)

, stick at it, it gets better. Message me if you need any help! xx

Ice213 · 3 Aug 2012 at 18:08

sparklebox said:
Lol this is very true. I am currently a primary teacher in a year 3 class and my partner did a secondary PGCE. Just finished my NQT year, the training and first year are ridiculously hard, it starts to get easier though , stick at it, it gets better. Message me if you need any help! xx

When I start to have a breakdown I may take you up on the help offer

. Lol.

sparklebox · 4 Aug 2012 at 17:08

I'm sure you'll be great! Good luck! It's certainly worth it by the end :-)

xx

winter · 4 Aug 2012 at 20:33

I'm going to Durham uni to do my primary ed course mate, hoping with being male to fall in to a job, although it's never as easy as that! Gl with your PGCE mate.

CaptainRAVE · 4 Aug 2012 at 21:58

Veco said:
My girlfriend teaches primary. Judging by her feedback its a very involved job, you will be working at home and during the holidays, you will be stressed and there will be horrible TA's and teachers who'll do their best to put you down.

Good luck =D

This unfortunately. They say it will get easier, but working for a top school is especially demanding. Certainly is a job where most of the work is at home unfortunately. It is rewarding though.

As others have said, being male you are sorted with a job at the end.

craptakular · 4 Aug 2012 at 22:07

I did half a primary PGCE and it was a massive mistake.

The work is relentless, the kids are awful, the parents were all prostitutes, drunks, druggies or were battered by there husbands. I had parents fighting in the play ground...

It was a truly saddening experience for me, the poor children. The 2-3 bad ones aged 5 had already been arrested for punching a pensioner in the high street.

The job is very low pay, they don't want teachers they wanted an entertainer.

This is my experience, and I say don't do it, go into a good science or engineering career.

Now earning double in a professional career. It worked out for me in the end! Still the experience made me realise just what career I had given up.