Postgraduate Certificate in Education Level 4

[vim_fuego]

Anyone done this course?

I've always wanted to teach adults and now I've got my BSc and MA I've enquired [just last night] about doing this course to train as a teacher.

Level 4 is the only course I can do with my current day job (Level 5 needs a night and a whole day a week).

Obviously my local college was very enthusiastic about me signing up (and paying the £1460 fee) but what they won't tell you in any granularity is the prospects of employment after (I aim to teach business studies) or pay aspirations...There is no point in layi9ng out that kind of cash (they aren;t ELC signed-up so I can't use one of those) unless afterwards I could earn a crust from it!

Open to comments, advice, light abuse etc.

 

[Dan_Brown]

No idea, but i was recently at a Career Transition Workshop and they were pushing the Troops to Teachers route - Graduate and non-Graduate:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/documents/teachertraining/troopscourseinformation.pdf

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

Have a look at the Times Educational Supplement (TES) published every Friday, or online LINKY BIT. It will give you an idea of the market in your location, plus you can sign up to get any job alerts via email, etc.

My advice to you is to get another string to your bow, 'cos if the course you teach gets chopped, e.g. not enough students sign up to make it viable, ... so do you. Whereas if you've also got basket weaving and macrame on your CV, they'll be able to reassign you.

 

[Hu Jardon]

To be honest Vim level 4 should be enough for adult education in a college, but not necessarily acceptable for primary or secondary education. but there are always exceptions. So it should be good for what you described.

 

[busby1971]

Here's an article from TES that looks informative:

Linky

Why don't you approach your local college, not the one selling the course, and ask them what their entry requirements are?

 

[Shiny10]

Cert Ed

Cert Ed

I have done the course as it was a compulsory requirement to teach at the college I worked.

You can get a grant from your local LEA depending upon how short they are of teachers in your speciality.

The college gave me a whole two hours remission a week from teaching to complete the course.

So my advice is approach a college, offer your expertise and let them organise it.

You can also claim an interest free maintenance grant from the government (the taxpayers) if your not too old.

Good luck with all those extremely boring essays! DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[vim_fuego]

Update on this matter...

The college doing this course was/is registered for ELC's so cool as I have 2 left.

Also another option to not front up £1.5k is to take the government loan offered for this and the level 5 cert. You only pay it back when you finish and actually start teaching your repayments are means tested so only a small amount a month...and it's interest free. The college sorts the loan for you.

I have picked up hours really easily teaching Business to 14-16 year olds and engineering project management to eng HND studes...I haven't started the course yet but after an assessment morning at the college where, with my fellow potential course mates, we had to build and give a lecture on a supplied subject I was advised that I could start initially under supervision and assessment now...and it was the good old service background with such qualities as confidence, bearing and humour that they said swung it!

May not be for everyone but if you're wondering what to do or fancying a change and especially if you are threaders there is an option in this...

 

[Flybynight]

Vim - I think the Level 5 route mentioned in your update would be wise, as it would give you more options and more promotion possibilities. At Level 4 you'd be in competition with people who'd been doing basic English & Maths teaching in their spare time without payment as a way of getting on the CFE teaching ladder. I've a reasonably good knowledge of the tertiary colleges in and around Bristol/Bath/South Glos/Somerset/Devon/Cornwall so do PM me if you want gen about a particular establishment. Would Sixth Form Colleges interest you as a further string to the bow?

I'm not crawling (a practice I strongly dislike - I'm better known as a leg-puller/p!ss-taker) or being a patronising old fart when I say that from your posts you appear to be ideally suited. The very best of luck!

 

[vim_fuego]

Vim - I think the Level 5 route mentioned in your update would be wise, as it would give you more options and more promotion possibilities. At Level 4 you'd be in competition with people who'd been doing basic English & Maths teaching in their spare time without payment as a way of getting on the CFE teaching ladder. I've a reasonably good knowledge of the tertiary colleges in and around Bristol/Bath/South Glos/Somerset/Devon/Cornwall so do PM me if you want gen about a particular establishment. Would Sixth Form Colleges interest you as a further string to the bow?

I'm not crawling (a practice I strongly dislike - I'm better known as a leg-puller/p!ss-taker) or being a patronising old fart when I say that from your posts you appear to be ideally suited. The very best of luck!

Thank you sir and I'm humbled by your comments...it is an aspiration to use the teaching route to get us back where we want to be but patience is everything...I'm lucky enough to have a great job now which pays the bills et al whilst I take this journey...and I actually do get a real kick out of taking people and giving them the tools to succeed so maybe this is the route for me...I know the one I'm on now isn't...

 

[Old Timer Chris]

Am I too late?

Am I too late?

I have said it once so I might as well say it again, if you are a techie I would still consider programming. It doesn’t have to be Programmable Logic Controllers which is what I suggested in a ‘Time for a New Start’. Which, for some reason, none of you seem to be too interested in (I won’t go into what it cost me to set this course up in terms of equipment and time, that’s another story!)

There are other avenues Visual Basic, C++ Install Shield or even SW testers it doesn’t really matter. Yes, it will be a bit sticky to start with because you will be a rooky. But if you work hard and make the grade, a couple of jobs later you have an enjoyable job, and the knowledge, so you will make decent money and, if you then set yourself up as self employed, contract programmers you can make between £250 - £400/day. I know one guy making £375/day without any formal qualifications in this field just the ability to learn and apply his knowledge.

If you are considering teaching it is something I considered, also qualified to teach adults (Maths, Engineering stuff). I think Gove wants you there because he thinks you will install discipline and will be able to sort out some of the kids that don’t want to be there and probably has a point. Not an easy task, especially if you are fast tracked into a profession where most of the teachers disagree with the policy. With a MA and BSC you shouldn't have a problem so I am also humbled!

 

[iainrm]

I tried it ..........

I tried it ..........

My last job in the mob was writing a training course and having no experience standing at the front I took a couple of part time jobs. One at the local tech. and the other on camp. The politics at the tech. was incredible, while the money was ok (~£17 /hour some 25 years ago) it was very variable and there was great pressure to teach just about anything even if you knew F all about it.
Made it very easy to cross that option of my list of options.

 

[vim_fuego]

Took my first class on my own today...2.5 hours of BTEC Business extended diploma.

Do you know what...kids get ex-servicemen. They really do. Treat them like recruits, soften the tone a little, tell them they are all capable of achieving credible grades and empower them to speak, ask questions and voice opinions then feed them the lesson...lace it with some real world experience and before you know it you can't shut them up!

Really enjoyed it!

 

[MontyPlumbs]

Congrats mate, I train and mentor apprentices and graduates and get the same sense of satisfaction seeing them do well.

In a few years, it's very likely one of these guys could end up being my boss, so I must remember to treat them nicely!