PGDE Pass grade holding me back

maynooth_rules

Applied for two jobs recently, both VEC and did not get shortlisted as i did not get a 2.1 in my PGDE. I did feel my teaching grade was very unfair and i did put the reasons why I felt it was unfair up here before but unfortunatly I was too afraid at the time to raise my worries with the university authorities.(I would have got a 2.1 but as I got a D- in my teaching grade I only received a pass)
Anyway I have worked hard in the 3 years since, always had work (never my own hours) and have some fantastic references. It was absolutely soul destroying to find out when I went for feedback about why I wasn't shortlisted that my grade was the reason. Is this something that I am going to have to battle against for the remainder of my career?
Its very hard to take that despite working so hard to improve myself in this profession, I am being dismissed due to the opinion of someone who saw me in five classes in my first year of teaching. Surely feedback from principals who have had a lot more dealings with me should be more important.

flatbackfour

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Applied for two jobs recently, both VEC and did not get shortlisted as i did not get a 2.1 in my PGDE. I did feel my teaching grade was very unfair and i did put the reasons why I felt it was unfair up here before but unfortunatly I was too afraid at the time to raise my worries with the university authorities.(I would have got a 2.1 but as I got a D- in my teaching grade I only received a pass)
Anyway I have worked hard in the 3 years since, always had work (never my own hours) and have some fantastic references. It was absolutely soul destroying to find out when I went for feedback about why I wasn't shortlisted that my grade was the reason. Is this something that I am going to have to battle against for the remainder of my career?
Its very hard to take that despite working so hard to improve myself in this profession, I am being dismissed due to the opinion of someone who saw me in five classes in my first year of teaching. Surely feedback from principals who have had a lot more dealings with me should be more important.

It should maked absolutly no difference, far more important is your ability now in the classroom and your references from your previous principals. Is there anything you can do to improve your grade??

Lord TSC

I'm fairly certain I only got the pass grade as well (likewise due to dodgy teaching practice events) but I've managed to get work here and there.

However, I can see why, when presented with 200 CVs, someone might use that as the reason to disregard us, but it's more an easy excuse I feel, rather than a genuine one....

RealJohn

I would say that as a NQT, obviously a poor grade in teaching practice would (and probably should) hold you back. Once you have a few years of experience though, that experience in a real work environment should count for a lot.

The only problem is you've only got three years experience and the principal isn't in class with you to be able to give an accurate impression of how you are as a teacher (since results and positive reports from students and parents aren't a very accurate barometer in the short term). I suspect that your TP grade might hound you for a while yet.

Thinking about it though, you should be allowed to repeat your TP really (for a fee of course). Ok, you passed but I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask a university to reassess you to see if you've improved and improve your grade.

rainbowtrout

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

I'm fairly certain I only got the pass grade as well (likewise due to dodgy teaching practice events) but I've managed to get work here and there.

However, I can see why, when presented with 200 CVs, someone might use that as the reason to disregard us, but it's more an easy excuse I feel, rather than a genuine one....

No offence or disrespect to you, but why would wouldn't it be a genuine excuse? There are loads of people applying for teaching jobs and if a load of CVs land on a principal's desk, all things being equal: all have a degree (most likely an honours degree as there is so much competition to get into the PDE), many have a masters, plenty have extra curricular, why wouldn't ability to teach be a relevant way of weeding out CVs? That is at the end of the day what is required. If I was a principal and saw a load of similar NQT CVs on my desk and plenty had A grades and there were a few with D-, why would I turn down an A grade candidate for an interview ahead of a D- candidate? It wouldn't make sense.

I remember the OPs other thread about this a couple of weeks ago, but that aside, how else is a principal supposed to make a decision?

vamos!

I did very well in TP but haven't put my grade on my CV or in my cover letter since my first year out. I also don't recall being asked at interview, although it would have been a minor question so it is possible I can't remember. Do you have a 'good' subject combo?

maynooth_rules

vamos! wrote: »

I did very well in TP but haven't put my grade on my CV or in my cover letter since my first year out. I also don't recall being asked at interview, although it would have been a minor question so it is possible I can't remember. Do you have a 'good' subject combo?

History and Geography, so not really

tvnutz

rainbowtrout wrote: »

No offence or disrespect to you, but why would wouldn't it be a genuine excuse? There are loads of people applying for teaching jobs and if a load of CVs land on a principal's desk, all things being equal: all have a degree (most likely an honours degree as there is so much competition to get into the PDE), many have a masters, plenty have extra curricular, why wouldn't ability to teach be a relevant way of weeding out CVs? That is at the end of the day what is required. If I was a principal and saw a load of similar NQT CVs on my desk and plenty had A grades and there were a few with D-, why would I turn down an A grade candidate for an interview ahead of a D- candidate? It wouldn't make sense.

I remember the OPs other thread about this a couple of weeks ago, but that aside, how else is a principal supposed to make a decision?

Well I know several cases of teachers getting good TP grades but really just not being that great in the long term. I would think the principal should look at any really good references as evidence of actual good experience in schools rather than a grade from someone who saw you a small number of times in a year,and you may well have been shocking.

Some of these supervisors are an absolute joke. The clown I had told me in my last supervision of the year that in Religion I shouldn't be doing a certain topic I was doing as Religion has no curriculum or syllabus and therefore I should pick anything different and do it. It was a feckin Junior Cert Exam subject in the school, and he had been thinking this all year. Got a C grade,the above being one of the reasons. It is the 2 really great references I have gotten since that has helped me to continue picking up jobs.

rainbowtrout

tvnutz wrote: »

Well I know several cases of teachers getting good TP grades but really just not being that great in the long term. I would think the principal should look at any really good references as evidence of actual good experience in schools rather than a grade from someone who saw you a small number of times in a year,and you may well have been shocking.

Some of these supervisors are an absolute joke. The clown I had told me in my last supervision of the year that in Religion I shouldn't be doing a certain topic I was doing as Religion has no curriculum or syllabus and therefore I should pick anything different and do it. It was a feckin Junior Cert Exam subject in the school, and he had been thinking this all year. Got a C grade,the above being one of the reasons. It is the 2 really great references I have gotten since that has helped me to continue picking up jobs.

Not suggesting the system is perfect - I know well it isn't and came across several dodgy supervisors in my time, but if you are a principal with a truckload of CVs on your desk and you have to shortlist a certain amount for interview, how do you do it? The OP may feel their grade is holding them back, well then perhaps they should leave it out of their cover letter/CV. I certainly wouldn't be bringing a D- to the attention of anyone. It's enough to write Pass HDip on the CV. Highlighting that they've been awarded the lowest possible grade is not going to do them any favours. A principal does not have the time to examine the paperwork every candidate has sent them and to weigh up the possibility that they might be a good teacher and just got screwed over on the inspection, or that they are actually a poor teacher.

They are also forgetting, they are not just up against other NQTs, they are up against plenty of experienced teachers who have lots of years of experience. For a 6 week maternity leave in my school recently candidates with PhDs were turning up for interview (as well as having plenty of teaching experience, glowing references etc). Schools can have the pick of candidates at the moment who have good teaching ability, good references and good subject knowledge. Someone highlighting poor grades is probably not going to get shortlisted when there are so many candidates to choose from.

We had about 50 applicants for a maternity leave the year before and there was no shortage of applicants for a job a couple of years ago for a 5 hour contract.

Scrap the D- on the CV. Then just apply for the jobs and see how you get on.