Tiggs+Graz

sorry this is a little long winded...!

i have been a stay at home mum for the past 4 years and now that we are in the process of applying for our pr visa for oz i am looking at my options for returning to work once we have (hopefully!) moved.

When i did my uk degree (in IT) several years ago it was with the intention of carrying on to do a PGCE and teaching in secondary school. As things turned out i never quite got around to going back to uni!!

Part of the dilemma that i now find myself in is that on personal reflection i now realise that i really should have done a primary teaching degree and gone into primary education. However the though of going back to uni now for four years (with a husband 3 kids and a dog) does not fill me with delight - been there done that ... would rather do something else!

So... thoughts and experiences please on:
do i look at doing my pgce and teaching secondary education? (is this a bad idea if i am not sure it is for me?!)
Do i bite the bullet and go back to uni for four years ?!!!!

Any other options?? I have even been toying with the idea of doing something a lot simpler (at least while the kids are still small) and maybe looking at working as a classroom assistant - i know that is is a one year course in both uk and oz ... but then i could do a one year course and work in secondary education (going around in circles again!!!)

tiggs x

foxall22

How about a PGCE in Primary!?

There are other routes:

GTP

SCITT
(this is what I did)

Good luck,

Gemma

Tiggs+Graz

Thanks for the reply Gemma

In the UK to do the PGCE in primary I would need a degree in one of the core subjects - my degree is IT so is no good for this. Does anyone kmow if this is the same in oz?
SCITT would be the same i think.
I know that there are foundation courses i could do but again this seems to be heading me off the long way around to a job!!

To be honest i have never heard of anyone actually doing the GTP - and is this just a uk thing or can you do this in oz?

Maybe the answer for me could be pre-school - anyone any thoughts on this?!
(if i keep thinking then i am sure that i can come up with more options to confuse myself with!)

Tiggs

stardust

Hi ICT is fine for a subject for PGCE primary. I know because I got a place at two teacher training places with an ICT degree (decided to do secondary instead though) ICT is a core subject at primary and secondary level so they will probably snatch your hand off

foxall22

Hi,

Yes, ICT is a core subject, along with Literacy, Numeracy, Science.

You don't need a degree in one of these subjects to do I primary PGCE, I know - I had a BA in Philosophy and did a PGCE Primary.

I know many who have done GTP, but this is not recognised in Australia.

If you choose a SCITT route into teaching, Australia only recognise it if it includes a PGCE awarded by a University rather than a college.

Gemma

Tiggs+Graz

Thanks stardust and Gemma

That is good to know - i shall certainly look for more info - suddenly i can see a solution!!

Bit annoyed really as I was definitely told by my local uni (the same one i did my degree with) that i could not do the pgce with a degree in IT. Maybe they meant that they don't do it - so i will look around at diff unis.

Now just have to look at whether i study in uk or oz!!

K on the way for your both

Tiggs

Swerv-o

I think you will find that it is not the same in Oz - Your original degree has much more bearing on what you are allowed to teach (in the state system). A friend of mine has an engineering degree, and wanted to teach science, as that was what his PGCE was in. The NSW wouldn't register him unless he went back to Uni and did 2 additional year modules of either chemistry or biology, as it wasn't covered in in his degree.

The Aussie sysstem really doesn't have the flexibility to move around subjects like the UK system does. Often and additional year of re-training is required before you can teach a different subject.

Primary teaching in Aus is massively centred around your degree, so you should contact the DET in the state of your choice and find out what their requirements are. Some are more flexible than others.

Remember also that there isn't really a shortage of primary school teachers here - it's all a trick with smoke and mirrors - you may find that getting a job will be easier in secondary than in primary, particularly for a new migrant with no/little local experience. Alternatively, consider doing an Aussie DipEd, which will tailor you into the local system, but again on a state by state requirment basis.

S

Tiggs+Graz

Thanks for that.
I have also heard people on BE say that they have had problems getting into teaching training in oz with a single subject degree as it is expected that teachers have double awards. So this is something else that i will need to look into.

To be honest i don't think that i have time to do the training in the uk - although it would be financially eaiser and probably eaiser for me with childcare etc (at least i already have this sorted here!). Of course my decision in not really helped by the fact that we haven't yet made a decision on where we are going to move to in oz so i need to be looking at more than one state!

Lots more research needed i think!

Tiggs