[Monty Burns]

Hey Guys

my girlfriend and I are English but living in Germany. She would like to study to get into childcare, maybe something like Primary School Teacher or similar. The idea is that she covers as much as she can via "study-by-mail" or over the net and then when we eventually do go back to the UK, maybe a short top-up or conversion course.

The problem we have found is that ANY course she has found requires classroom time and thats something she can't do from here in Germany - its a hell of a commute!

Would any of you know or recommend any mail/internet methods of study that could help her along the way to a teaching qualification?


She currently has a degree in English and Publishing/media.


Thanks in advance for ANY ideas!!!!!!

[Miyazaki]

There are two routes into teaching for graduates, the GTP or PGCE. Both require school time, the PGCE, which is what I am currently studying is 120 days in a school, with 60 days at college, and the GTP is a permenant school-based training programme.

Your best bet is to get in touch with English schools in Germany, there are a few. mainly on RAF bases and see if they will take her for a GTP programme.

As far as I know there is no way to study remotely, perhaps in the mean time she could buy herself some core texts and familiarise herself with some methodology and/or subject knowledge. Here are a few excellent books:

Reflective Teaching: Andrew Pollard
Teaching Today: Geoff Petty
Getting The Buggers To Behave: Sue Cowley

It is also essential to buy the Achieving QTS books, of which there is about 12 at the primary level.

Also go on the standards.dfes.gov.uk website for some excellent research and resources as well as teachernet

[T0MAT01]

Originally Posted by Monty Burns

She would like to study to get into childcare, maybe something like Primary School Teacher or similar.

Just to warn you that there's loads of people thinking the same thing, I know someone who is a Primary School Teacher and it took her 2 years to get a job after qualifying for it.

She kept going to interviews where there were over 200 applicants!!!
She eventually ended up in one of the Schools where she had worked on placement for her course, so they already knew her ability otherwise she may well still be job hunting.

[Monty Burns]

Ouch!

Thanks for the very fast and excellent replies guys! I will bring these to her attention.

[pjclark1]

Most primary schools are desperate to recruit male teachers.

The whole point in learning to be a teacher is work in the classroom,
the paperwork part of the courses are pretty pointless and full of mindless drivel.

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by pjclark1

...The whole point in learning to be a teacher is work in the classroom,
the paperwork part of the courses are pretty pointless and full of mindless drivel.

YEah but like most mindless drivel im sure it has its uses or it would not be there

The idea was to get the paperwork side done remote and then when we are back in the UK jump straight into the practicle lessons.

[JonMace]

Originally Posted by Monty Burns

YEah but like most mindless drivel im sure it has its uses or it would not be there

The idea was to get the paperwork side done remote and then when we are back in the UK jump straight into the practicle lessons.

As previous posters have stated it cannot be done this way. It is a years coarse which must be done in full.

By all means work can done in preparation, but it does not mean that the duration of the coarse can be reduced.