So this teaching gig-how and when?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I spent a day talking about science careers in a school recently and that's when I realised that it was actually enjoyable to speak to people with enthusiasm, energy and a bit of, well, oomph. I know one day doesn't give me any insight into this complicated job but I'm going to try and distill what I've found out this week about  the required training. I don't think I ever had a bad teacher - I had some that were good and I had some that were exceptional, so I guess I'm lucky. I should also add that I went to a state-funded catholic school in the Valleys on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil- A place that makes the Elephant and Castle roundabout seem like a quiet place to spend an afternoon, but my class-mates and teachers are up there with some of my fondest memories and I still haven't really left education, so they must have done something right!

Effectively, you can go straight from your degree or after your PhD, actually, I think you can become a teacher at any point, but I'll cover a few of the things I've learnt about getting into it from where I am, i.e. not straight after graduating...

I've come across three major ways to get into teaching*- I'm sure there are more and this is not going to be a complete dissection of them- more a description of what I can see as some key benefits of each program, the big differences or, without getting too 'Dragon's Den' about it, their USP ( unique selling point, don'tcha know- check me out with the acronyms!). Please add anything extra in the comments, correct me if I get anything wrong and let me know what you've learnt. This blog is supposed to be helpful and a synopsis of what I've learnt - it's certainly not the 'be-all-and-end-all' of what there is to know about teaching.**

University-based training

1. PGCE- Participation Gets Clever Educators (not really)

The PostGraduate Certificate in Education is basically a qualification that teaches you how to be a teacher-NOT the subject you intend to teach, you're expected to know that from your degree. The course is generally one year full-time or two years part-time. You need to choose what level you wish to teach which means I would suggest some work experience - See the previous post for pre-application tips.

There's a really good, detailed website here so I won't re-hash it, but this site allows you look into the funding (not massive), application process (ideally mid-September to June), FAQs etc. on the standard PGCE process. I think most people go via this route straight out of university and, upon researching it, I can see why. It looks like half-way between university and placement, so I think it provides a nice transition for most university leavers. From what I can gather, the first term is mostly training on the basics of teaching, lesson-planning and how children learn, before some placements where you take on increasingly high levels of responsibility and independence from any observer that is present.

For me, I think this would feel a bit like a step back. Whilst the course is quite intense and, by no means, has anyone described it as easy, the transition into the classroom is more gradual than some of the other routes and this is a lot more like uni on 'teaching-steroids' (or teenager friendly supplements, whatever you think is more appropriate).

Financially, this appears to be the lowest paid, if that is a concern for you. Again, coming out of university with no pay, this will probably be less important than if you're used to a paying job. There are extra bursaries available if you want to teach something that no-one else wants to. Sorry, I meant something valuable and in demand, such as chemistry, physics, maths or computer science. For example, there are extra funding opportunities here. You should always keep in mind that, out of this bursary, you will also have to pay the tuition fees. I found loads of different figures for the tuition fee, ranging from around £4000-£9000, depending on whether you're Welsh or Northern Irish (the best [in terms of cost and as a life choice]), English or Scottish and where you study. Any numbers I quote you will be out of date by next September so I suggest you look into this on a case-by-case basis.

If you intend to teach secondary maths, physics, chemistry, modern foreign languages (MFL) or computer science, there is also the opportunity to join PremierPlus - which is I think is effectively a one-to-one coaching service to get you through the training. The fact that this might be required to make it through should start to make you realise that this is NOT an easy course to undertake and they are keen to help you through, if you are willing to give it your all.

School-based training (less like uni, more like an intense placement)

2. SchoolDirect

The major selling point of this programme is that you enter a school in your first few weeks and you get paid: Either a bursary of up to £20,000 as a graduate, or paid as an 'unqualified teacher' between £16000-£31000 (2013-2014 figures) if you have about three years of experience out of uni. Still on the finance, SchoolsDirect also offer a further 25 percent on top if you train at a school with >35% free meals participation.

A friend who recently started this used the word 'knackering' in a recent text. I think it's probably a lot more 'in-at-the-deep-end', but if you're looking to get stuck in straight away and don't relish the idea of being surrounded by 22 year old graduates (or, horrifyingly, 21 year old graduates, urgh) then I think this is probably a better route.

There is less easy-access information on SchoolDirect, such as the exact programme and that's because it's run Directly by the School (you can see where they got the name), so exactly how much time is spent in the classroom and how much time studying depends on the school. Fundamentally, you're in a class from day one but with a lot of support and guidance from another teacher in the classroom, who then fades out as you get more confident.

3. TeachFirst

So, I'm still on the fence here - are they a charity or an agency with a really good sales pitch?
In one sentence, this is a two year programme where you leave as a qualified teacher after teaching in a 'challenging school' with leadership training and possibly even a Masters.

Within minutes of approaching the TeachFirst representatives at my recent career fayre, I was bombarded with pitch perfect stats and graphs on the correlation between parental income and offspring's achievement, phrases like 'it takes more than two years to change society' and 'change their life and change yours'. It felt like somewhere between the KONY 2012 campaign and an ad for innocent smoothies, with it's slick but down-to-earth marketing and it's definitely-not-shiny-but-printed-on-recycled-paper brochure.

The nitty-gritty...
There's a six-week Summer Institute where you start learning the basics and then you spend the next year in the class for four days a week and train on the fifth day. You end that academic year with your PGCE but that's just half way. The summer between years one and two involves a placement intended to develop your leadership skills and give you new experiences. The second year involves more teaching and the opportunity to do a Masters qualifications geared towards teaching or education.

This all sounds pretty good to be honest, I've heard it's tough, but rewarding IF it's what you want to do. I think it's interesting that around 50% of the intake leave teaching, whilst the others are billed as continuing 'ambassadors' for TeachFirst. What this means in practice is that whilst the drop-out rate during the course is just around 10%, there are a lot of people doing it because it's a good back up for the future, not because they want to change the face of teaching, which is fine, I think it's just worth knowing.

The schools have to pay TeachFirst for you, they have to get a teacher to cover the day when you are still training and there is a certain attitude amongst (some of) the 'old-school' that you are jumped up little gits who, after 6 weeks of training, think they can rival the 'proper teachers'...That said, behind the bumph and brochures, there's seems to be a decent message and an excellent, if hardcore, training programme here. I've written more on TeachFirst simply due to the fact that their extensive marketing make them easy to research.

N.B. For all of the above you can apply for a student loan, or you can look into scholarships via societies such as the RSC, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

The Teaching Line on 0800 389 2500 was also really helpful answering all my queries when the websites were confusing and I'd recommend giving them a call. They are also on hand to answer questions about strengthening your application for the different courses and the application forms themselves. It's a free resource, so use it!

*I'm ignoring the fact that you don't actually require any teacher's training to teach in private schools - I think you'd have to be mental to try and do this job without training and I'm very pro-state school, so there. Make of that what you will.

** In the interest of time and space, I'll cover STEMNET, teaching fellowships and generic 'outreach' elsewhere, give me a break, it's early days and my posts are already far too long!