primary PGCE in Uk Questions, help appreciated

homercleese

hi folks, ive sifted through many posts, so first i'd like to say thanks for taking the time to write up your experiences- theyve all been very helpful. I do however have a few questions that i havent managed to find the answers to, so if anyone could helop, i'd really appreciate it.

1. im looking at doing my pgce in either st mary's in Twickenham or brighton,have an honours degree- has anyone any experience of these places? Im looking for a good school, but social life is important to me , and a bit of craic is essential- recently laid off, and recently single too

2. Ive read somewhere that i need a car, especially doing it in brighton, where the schools are an hour or so away, si this true?

3. Do i have to apply through the gttr website ive read alot about, or can i apply directly

4. would it be foolish to try to find a job while over there with the amount of work ill have to do (ie.Do i get paid for teaching i do while on placement during the PGCE course in England? )

5. Staying with money, as i havent got a crazy amount of it- i understand the bursary will pay the course fees only (roughly $4k i believe) so, how much realistically will i need to live on for the year, im thinking i'll need to get a loan for sure (this of course assumes that i wont get paid throughout the course for placement work)

6. I understand it isnt too late (today is 18th May) once i call the college and confirm there are still places available- is this correct yes?

Guys, i realise alot of these questions may have been answered before, but i have looked, so if you could give me a dig out, id appreciate it. I really want to teach primary school, but the plan was for next year, not this year. Unfortunately, economic recession has made my adventure come alot sooner than anticipated.:)

Thanks again for your time folks

homercleese

Hi again guys,turns out on Gttr website that St Mary's and Sussex (Brighton) are both full according to that website. Is it worth ringing them up directly, or is the gttr website always completely accurate?

hot chick

1. im looking at doing my pgce in either st mary's in Twickenham or brighton,have an honours degree- has anyone any experience of these places? Im looking for a good school, but social life is important to me , and a bit of craic is essential- recently laid off, and recently single too

- A social life, DURING a PGCE? Never heard of a PGCE student having one of those as evening and weekends are for resources and lesson plans. Be glad that you're single, the PGCE puts a masssive strain on relationships.

2. Ive read somewhere that i need a car, especially doing it in brighton, where the schools are an hour or so away, si this true?

It's true for most PGCEs, if you say you have a car they're more likely to give you a distant placement, but I know plenty of people who'd no car who ended up spending 3-4 hours a day travelling, it's generally luck of the draw as single parents etc will get preference on local schools. I couldn't have done mine without a car, the amount of bags you hawk around with you otherwise is unreal.

3. Do i have to apply through the gttr website ive read alot about, or can i apply directly

You have to apply through the GTTR for courses in England, Scotland and Wales. You apply directly to Northern Ireland colleges.

4. would it be foolish to try to find a job while over there with the amount of work ill have to do (ie.Do i get paid for teaching i do while on placement during the PGCE course in England? )

You would be very foolish. The PGCE is a fulltime commitment and you will be up till the small hours a lot of nights trying to get everything together for the next day. They are BIG on the paperwork in the UK. You don't get paid for teaching placement, and you won't get subbing hours as you must be qualified. You will get a bursary which you get a payslip for so it feels a little like you're being paid

5. Staying with money, as i havent got a crazy amount of it- i understand the bursary will pay the course fees only (roughly $4k i believe) so, how much realistically will i need to live on for the year, im thinking i'll need to get a loan for sure (this of course assumes that i wont get paid throughout the course for placement work)

Course fees are a max of 3500 at the moment, rent will be around the same, the bursary is enough for day to day living but realistically you should have 7000 of your own to cover the year (rent and fees), or be prepared to take a student loan for that amount in and around.

6. I understand it isnt too late (today is 18th May) once i call the college and confirm there are still places available- is this correct yes?

Almost. You'd still have to go through the gttr, get your referree to send in your reference, get your application in, and then you can ring colleges, but you'll still have to go through the gttr, ringing the college is just a precaution so you don't waste your time applying to a course with no places.

Hope this helps, best of luck.