Cate502

Hi, my boyfriend is from australia and wants to move back there, I am English and have a BA degree from a British Uni and want to go into Primary teaching. Is it better to do the training here before I go or is it better to train over there for job prospects? Am a bit clueless at the moment, hope someone can help! Cate

ceammi

you can do it either way, HOWEVER primary courses over here are MASSIVELY over-subscribed and there is high unemplyment amongst primary NQTs.

i would recommend doing the training over here, as the english curriculum is very different to the australian curriculum, and not having trained here would put you at a disadvantage at interviews.

Sammy-G

I would say one factor to bear in mind is if you are ever likely to return to the UK to teach. The process that Overseas Trained Teachers have to go through here in the UK to get QTS is exhaustive and a real pain. The process for registering as an OTT in Australia, is not as difficult (however i think it can sometimes be a bit lengthy). Its also said that QTS is a real bonus if you ever plan to teach in international schools.

If you did your PGCE here in the UK and then left before starting your NQT year then there is no time limit to complete it, but you would have to start as an NQT if you ever returned to the UK (but salary could possibly be negotiated to take into account some of your experience overseas - depends on the school). If you did begin your NQT year here, but not finish it then you only have 5 years to complete (although I think in some circumstances you can apply for an extension). You do not need to have completed the UK NQT year to teach in Australia.

If you train in Oz then I think some states require that you do a certain amount of rural service once qualified (although i do believe that this is possibly something that can be opted out of, but it can harm your chances of getting a city job quickly if you do so) - OTTs are apparantly exempted from having to do this. I'm not 100% sure on this, as have only had it recounted to me - so if someone knows any more or would like to correct me that would be great! It also may vary from state to state anyway.

You would imagine that job prospects might be a little better in Australia if you had trained to teach there - but don't have any experience of this so not too sure.

Also would you be on a Permanent Visa or Temporary one? If the latter you may have to pay overseas student fees - again not sure about this either - but its worth looking into.

HTH

Sammy

Sammy-G

Also should probably mention that I have chosen to do my PGCE here before returning to Australia (I have dual nationality) - so went through the same thought process. The main difference for me is that I only hope to teach part time or supply as I will be doing a PhD when I get there - so I'm not too bothered about getting a permanent job.

The thing that does worry me a little are differences in the curriculum (I will be secondary English), and know that I will be at a disadvantage in some respects (however I am lucky as my uni had an Australian studies Dept and I took loades of Aust Lit modules, so less of a disadvantage to some I guess). That would be thing I would encourage you to think about the most, as I think it will be hard work as an OTT getting to grips with a new education system. I also went to primary school in Australia so I feel as if have a little (although possibly outdated!) knowledge of how the education system works. I'm not really sure exactly how primary education compares to primary education here though - it may or may not be all that different.

Best idea i reckon would be to get in touch with a few aussie unis and get to grips with how the course compares to here and see how you feel then.

Cate502

Thanks very much for all the advice, is much needed and appreciated! Did not know that you would not be required to have completed NQT year here in order to teach in Australia, though guessing it might still be an advantage, am going to make some more enquiries about this. I woud only be on a temporary visa initially so is likely that overseas fees would apply. I think it's true that it would be hard work getting to grips with a new education system, but this would also apply to the training year if I were to do it there, and I know that this is pretty intensive so might be less of a culture shock to take it here. Am now thinking along the lines of taking SCITT with PGCE here and making further enquiries about what my employment prospects would be over there and how beneficial it would be to get NQT year done here first. Also think the more research I can do into the differences in primary curriculum before applying for a job the easier it would hopefully be to adapt basic teaching skills learnt over here. Will keep you updated on my progress!

Sammy-G

Oh and one other thing to be aware of going the SCITT + PGCE route, is that the actual PGCE certificate must be awarded directly from the uni - someone (on here, i think) talked about having trouble getting their PGCE recognised as the certificate came from an FE College. I'm going the SCITT PGCE route and I've checked with my course and the certificate comes direct from the OU, so I think in most cases its ok - but worth checking!

Best of luck and do keep us updated!

Sammy

NickyP

I am in Aus at the moment and getting the paperwork in order to apply for teacher training next year. It is worth noting that if you have an UK degree in a single subject (I have BA Hons English) then this may cause problems getting onto an Aussie Dip Ed course as most (at least here in Vistoria) require 2 subjects. After a LOT of stress and banging my head against brick walls I have managed to find a P-12 course that will accept me with double method English. There are no courses that will accept me without a second subject if I want to do purely secondary school English. This is not a decision made by the Vistorian Institute of Teaching as they would be happy to accept my degree, it is one set by the Universities and they are not willing to be flexible.
So if anyone has a single subject degree and are wanting to teach in secondary school I would seriously suggest that you consider doing the PGCE in the UK and then heading out here to do the probationary year teaching. It may be different in other states but it is something that would need looking into if anyone was planning to train here.
Nicky

Sammy-G

That's a really good point Nicky - Queenland College of Teachers also told me the following:
'While it is not a requirement to have two teaching areas, it is expected
that Qld graduates have a major and a minor teaching area. It may
enhance your employment opportunities.'
Luckily for me in my degree i was able to take quite a few film studies and Theatre studies modules and with the focus on media studies in most English PGCEs nowadays I have been told that I could have any of them as my minor. As far as I'm aware in NSW it is fine to have just one subject - but not sure with regard to teacher training, so its certainly something worth looking into.

Sammy

NickyP

OK an undate from Victoria. I am currently about half way through a diploma of Education here at La Trobe University. It is a 1 year course similar to a PGCE but will qualify me to teach from prep to year 12 so I am having to cover all subject areas up to year 10, then I have my English method for the senior years.
This course doesn't worry about methods as long as you have 1 so it is a bit more flexible that other straight secondary courses. It is has been a great few months even if it does mean that I have to suffer lectures in maths and science and of course not forgetting PE. The theory is that I can apply for jobs in pretty much any area of education but time will tell as I am only at my second prac round at the moment (but already I am being asked for my resume by schools that I have been to).
I will let you know how it goes but if you are planning to come over here and train to teach don't give up. The road to getting here is often a nightmare but there are many different courses and there should be one to suit you.
I have decided to give up on getting a second method area as I would have to complete another unit of work at level 2 or above in Drama and with this full time course it is just too much. PLus I have been told by schools not to bother as I will be expected to teach whatever they throw at me regardless of method area anyway and what they want is flexibility (which is what this course gives me).
One thing to watch out for in Victoria is the increase in the amount of contract work where teachers remain on year to year contracts for a lot longer than they should. Teaching is starting to become all about the money here as well as in the UK and it isn't a nice change.
All the best.
Nicky