Hands up, who wants to teach?
Glyndŵr University Careers Centre
Objectives of the
session
To help you:
• Access further
information about
routes into teaching
• Reflect on your own
suitability for teaching
and how you can
generate evidence for
applications
The main points....
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Routes into teaching
Sources of information for funding
Making applications
Where to find out more information
What next?
PGCE in Wales
• Primary: Bangor, Swansea, Cardiff (Bangor from
September 2013: require a B in English, B in
Maths, a C in Science GCSE plus 2:2 (Hons) min).
• 75% of entrants had 2:1 or higher
• Secondary: see provider websites for relevant
subjects
• Apply via www.ucas.com
• Ideally, be ready to with your final draft
application around mid-November for courses
starting the following year (previous opening date
was 21 Nov 2013).
Other routes into teaching
Employment-based:
All school-led teacher training courses will lead to
qualified teacher status (QTS) and most will award a
postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
– School Direct – all lead to QTS, 103 lead schools
offering this. This is increasingly a popular route and
one that the NCTL say is here to stay. Check individual
schools websites.
– 70% of SD trainees were employed by their school
(2012/13 cohort)
– There were still primary school SD places left @
March 2014.
Other routes into teaching
– SCITT = School Centred Initial Teacher Training
(England only) – school-based training, full time,
ideally for those who have some prior teaching
experience.
– GTP = Graduate Teacher Programme is an
employment-based route, train while you work, 1 year
full-time (Wales only) www.teachertrainingcymru.org,
you must find a school willing to support you,
employed on unqualified teacher status.
– Teach First - leaders wanted, challenging schools, 2
years, 5 regions, secondary and primary (England
only).
University-based: BA / BSc with QTS or B Ed or a PGCE
Some SD Consortium
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Northern Alliance (led by The Blue Coat School)
North West and Lancashire Consortium
North Shropshire Teaching School Alliance
North West School Direct Alliance (led by Bishop Rawston
C of E Academy, Lancashire)
Salop Teaching School Alliance
Atticus Alliance (Greater Manchester, Stockport and
Cheshire)
The Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester TT
Consortium
‘SD Demystified’ video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcuADoztYus
Typical year PGCE pattern example
• 11 weeks in the University, 3 blocks
• 24 weeks on teaching practice (OctoberDecember and February-June)
Is teaching really for you...?
• Minimum 2 weeks relevant work experience
within a school is ESSENTIAL before applying to a
postgraduate course.
• Experience in other areas will also help you –
clubs/ societies/ mentoring programmes/
volunteering/ youth groups/ church groups/
outdoors education centres.
• If you can’t reflect on what you have to offer, why
you want to teach and what works within the
classroom, this may not be for you.
Finding the funding to train
Funding is announced on an ANNUAL basis
by the Welsh Government and eligibility
depends on individual circumstances
• https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
• http://teachertrainingcymru.org/node/16
• http://www.education.gov.uk/get-intoteaching/funding/postgraduate-funding
Bursaries and Scholarships for
2014/15
ITT Subject/Phase
Training
bursary
2014/15
Physics,
maths
Computing
Chemistry
Modern
languages
Other
priority
secondary
and
primary
Primary
maths
specialists
Scholarship
£25,000
£25,000
£25,000
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Trainee with
first
£20,000
£20,000
£20,000
£20,000
£9,000
£11,000
2:1
£20,000
£20,000
£15,000
£15,000
£4,000
£11,000
2:2
£15,000
£15,000
£12,000
£12,000
£0
£6,000
Other
£9,000
£0
£0
£0
£0
£0
Application tips
• You will need to identify referees and give them enough time to
complete your reference – you can’t formally pay and submit your
application until references are all received. Pre-warn your referee.
• Apply via UCAS for primary teaching PGCE and School Direct – you
are allowed 3 choices of institution.
• Apply 1 phase is followed and can run alongside Apply 2 (January).
Must have applied to Apply 1 first (open all year round).
• Providers don’t know anything about your other choices.
• UCAS may open the search only facility this year before the
application phase opens.
• Currently can’t change your personal statement in Apply 2 – though
UCAS are currently looking into this.
• Providers can open and close courses during the year as they wish
to manage volumes.
Application tips
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After the last decision is received into your account, you will have 10 working days
to respond.
May receive unconditional/ conditional.
http://getintoteaching.wordpress.com/ for helpful advice on gaining classroom
experience.
0800 389 2500 to speak to the Teaching Line.
Must declare any convictions
Must meet fitness to teach requirements
List the paid and unpaid work experience
Check the UCAS guidelines and draft it – only 47 lines of text – this may be
different to MS Word!
Always spell and grammar check it.
Skills tests must be completed prior to the start of the course. Welsh universities
issue their own skills tests. England = all via Pearson
www.education.gov.uk/teachskillstests
GCSE Equivalency Tests – check individual universities
Example SD search
Train to Teach Roadshows
http://traintoteach.education.gov.uk/
• 45-minute presentations
• Speak to teaching experts at the National College for
Teaching and Leadership stand; they can give you one-toone advice on your training options.
• Attend application form clinic
• Meet initial teacher training (ITT) providers from your
region
• Meet School Direct schools within your region
• Meet with professional associations to hear how they
support subject teaching in schools and to get more
information about the scholarships on offer.
• Talk to current teachers in the 'Meet the Teachers' area.
Personal statement
• Avoid clichés, get to the point, be concise.
• Read the statement out to yourself – how
does it sound?
• Ask yourself if you would be interested in the
application if you were the ITT provider?
• What are you really trying to say in every
sentence?
• What are your real reasons for wanting to
teach? What’s your story? What has inspired
you to apply?
Personal statement
• Have you emphasised the relevance of your
experience/ studies to the course you’re
applying to?
• What skills have you identified? Why this
PGCE subject/ age group?
• What do you know about initiatives in
education today?
• What other interests/ skills can you bring that
would help a school in other ways?
What are the top competencies most
important to teachers?
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Adaptability
Self-organisation
Emotional resilience
Leading with authority
Communication and interpersonal style
Decision making and autonomy
Drive to succeed
Have you considered …?
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Behaviour management
Managing other staff
Differentiation
Planning
Team work and leadership
Adaptability
Reflection and criticism
Techniques that work /
don’t work
Creativity
What else does a school
look for?
Leadership?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZTZBrUpNWS4/SBiq4gOMQ9I/AAAAAAAAA
Js/Ev-m_kC9QrE/s320/enthusiasm1.jpg
Task
• What are your real reasons for teaching?
What inspired you?
• Why will you enjoy teaching?
• How are your studies relevant to
teaching?
• What can you offer apart from your own
specialist subject?
• What skills and knowledge can you bring
from your work experience?
• What will make you a good teacher?
Task continued…
• What makes you ready for teaching?
• What else could YOU do to improve your
application?
• Can you give an example of how you have
made a difficult topic interesting / accessible?
• What are you doing this year which makes you
a good candidate for teaching?
• Can you give an example of a challenge you
have faced and how you have dealt with it?
Consider…
• How do you manage creative aspects of work such as
coming up with innovative ideas?
• Can you give an example of how you set about you
work? Prefer clear instructions or just get on with it?
• How do you approach topics in which you have very
little interest?
• Can you give an example of a time where you have
faced significant obstacles on a project?
• How do you cope when you are feeling stressed?
• Can you give an example of a time where you have
persuaded someone to do something they weren’t
keen to do?
Consider…
• What motivates you?
• Have you got any examples of how you have led a
group or a team to success?
• Preference: team work versus individual?
• How have you dealt with conflict in the past?
• Give an example of when you have made a quick
decision.
• Describe how you work within a classroom, particularly
your pace and motivation.
• How do you go about setting your own goals and
targets?
Interviews for teacher training courses
• Full day, training provider will let you know the
programme – institutions vary in their approach
• Be prepared give clear examples of your experience
working with young people/ commitment, knowledge
and skills
• Expect an individual interview and group tasks/ minilessons/ presentations, written task
• Research and be able to discuss what’s happening in
education (news/ media articles).
• The interview may be shorter than you imagine!
• Be professional in how you dress and if you aren’t
going to turn up to an offer of an interview, let the
school/ uni know
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Useful websites and
contacts
www.UCAS.com
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http://www.education.gov.uk/get-intoteaching/
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Use the application assistant
http://www.education.gov.uk/get-intoteaching/apply-for-teachertraining/application-form-assistant.aspx
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http://teachertrainingcymru.org/index.htm
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http://www.tes.co.uk/
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Teacher Information Line 0800 389 2500 or
0800 085 0971 for Welsh speakers
• www.prospects.ac.uk
• www.targetcourses.co.uk/teaching
• www.glyndwr.ac.uk/careers
Websites > Education and training
Glyndŵr University Careers Centre
• Careers Guidance – call
01978 293240 or pop in to
book an appointment
•Support with personal
statements, CVs, interview
preparation. We won’t do it
for you, but we will support
you.
• Information on Moodle:
www.glyndwr.ac.uk/careers
What’s next?
• Draft an application and work on it
during the summer.
• Any questions about individual courses/
entry requirements? Contact the
university you’re applying to.
• Go beyond just the application form –
look at example interview questions and
reflect on your experience – we can and
do help!
• Be courteous and give Careers staff (we
are open during the summer) and your
tutors/ teachers plenty of time to do
checks or references – bear in mind we
often have holidays too during this time.
• Think about your alternative plans – this
may not happen this year for you. If not,
what next?