[RHCP]

I've been working in schools for the last 6-7 years as an IT technician, and I'm now thinking about becoming an IT teacher. I've always thought that i didn't want to become a teacher, but recently I've really been considering it.

Are there any teachers out there that could tell me any pitfalls before I embark on this life changing event.

Or anybody in a similar position thinking about going in to teaching.

Also, does anyone know about the Graduate Teacher Program (GTP).

[Von Ryan]

A very good friend spend 20 years as a Engineer, then did a degree via the Open University. He then did a year at a teacher training college and is now a chemistry teacher. He says it's great, he can't understand why all these teachers moan about being over worked. He get more time off to spend with his children, though his wife now finds him more DIY jobs during the summer.

[RHCP]

I know, teachers are on to a cushy number, 3 months off a year!!!

And they have the nerve to complain.

There are really some terrible teachers in my school, thats what made me think, if they can do it - why can't I!!!

[Dan M]

Originally Posted by RHCP

I know, teachers are on to a cushy number, 3 months off a year!!!

If that is what you think teaching is about think again. I've worked many of my so called 3 months holiday. Out of the door for 7, back home for gone 5. Marking, planning, prep some nights and over the weekend. Dealing with groups of youths that most other agencies can't deal with, e.g. Police, Social Services. Pay that is OK but in industry i could earn more.

BUT - i enjoy my job most days. Shaping ideas and helping to prepare pupils for adult life. Anyone who thinks its an easy job, should speak to any good teacher. Although i do know staff that put in the bare minimum, but that applies to all jobs, including IT techies

[RHCP]

Originally Posted by Dan M

I've worked many of my so called 3 months holiday.

Doing what??

I get in to work for 8am well before most teachers, i leave a 3.30pm and the car park is mostly empty.

What subject do you teach for all this planning?

[pixelated]

Frankly, having taught for a little while in a secondary school (admittedly only 3 classes the rest of the time I spent developing materials and network admin stuff), it isn't so hard. I was teaching 14-15 year olds that included planning, prepping, etc.

Easy? No. As bad as some teachers make out? Not nearly. And to be fair, where I taught, most teachers shared this same mindset. The heads of year were more pressed and over worked and admittedly got more stressed.

As I said, only 3 classes and taught for about 3 hours a day... but I got a pretty good idea of it. And it's a nice thing to do in my opinion. I taught Cisco networking.

[GBDG1]

Read "It's your time you're wasting" - Frank Chalk.

From Amazon

'Ask me my three main priorities for government, and I tell you: Education, education, education.' Those were the bold words of Tony Blair, before he became Prime Minister. A decade on, has he succeeded in making our schools the envy of the world? For FRANK CHALK, there's only one answer. Chalk has spent his adult life in the modern education system, so - unlike the Prime Minister - he knows what he's talking about. He is an ordinary teacher in an ordinary British school... a school where the kids get drunk, beat up the teachers and take drugs - when they can be bothered to turn up. 'IT’S YOUR TIME YOU'RE WASTING' is the blackly humorous diary of a year in his working life. Chalk confiscates porn, booze and trainers, fends off angry parents and worries about the few conscientious pupils he comes across, recording his experiences in a dry and very readable manner. He offers top tips for dealing with unruly children, muses on the shortcomings of the staff (including his own) and even spots the occasional spark of hope amid all the despair. His book will horrify (and amuse) millions of parents and will become a must-read for many of the country‘s 400,000 teachers.

[Singh400]

Originally Posted by Stuart Kirby

Frankly, having taught for a little while in a secondary school (admittedly only 3 classes the rest of the time I spent developing materials and network admin stuff), it isn't so hard. I was teaching 14-15 year olds that included planning, prepping, etc.

Easy? No. As bad as some teachers make out? Not nearly. And to be fair, where I taught, most teachers shared this same mindset. The heads of year were more pressed and over worked and admittedly got more stressed.

As I said, only 3 classes and taught for about 3 hours a day... but I got a pretty good idea of it. And it's a nice thing to do in my opinion. I taught Cisco networking.

You don't have a brother do you? I've got a teacher, who teaches Cisco and is called Mr. N. Kirby. But its down in the West Midlands.

As for teaching, I never though I would consider it as a job, but I'm looking at career options and the more I think about it the more it makes sense. I'm only 19 though, gonna do a few other things first.

@Dan M: Wish all teachers were like you then, most the ones I had just couldn't be arsed. This was in the top sets aswell. Good, enthusiastic teachers are like gold dust.

The teachers you always remember are always the good ones.

[RHCP]

Well my application has gone in to the GTTR.

I'm having to sit my Maths and English GCSE's because they won't accept the exams that i've done in the past.

Loads of revising for me, I'm reading Romeo and Juliet at the minute.

Maths is solid, how do these kids sit all these exams at their age?

I just wanted to get drunk when I was young.

[jenic]

Originally Posted by RHCP

Well my application has gone in to the GTTR.

I'm having to sit my Maths and English GCSE's because they won't accept the exams that i've done in the past.

Loads of revising for me, I'm reading Romeo and Juliet at the minute.

Maths is solid, how do these kids sit all these exams at their age?

I just wanted to get drunk when I was young.

Maths is easy, if your doing a higher paper you only need 20% to get a C!

Easiest exam board is AQA for Maths and English, i should know i did them last year. With little revision i got an A* in maths and with no work or revision except in class i got 2 B's in English.

And they say exams are too easy @ GCSE

[Miyazaki]

I sat my GCSE maths in 1996 and thought it was rock solid. Hardest exam I ever sat.

[RHCP]

I'm doing the OCR exam.

Only 20% sounds good. It does look hard, I've got to sit all 4 maths exams in June because I missed my first two at the start of the month.

[t-force]

Originally Posted by Games Guru

I sat my GCSE maths in 1996 and thought it was rock solid. Hardest exam I ever sat.

I also sat my Maths GCSE in 1996 and thought it was ridiculously easy. Mind you, I'd been working through old GCSE and then O-Level papers, so the change in difficulty from papers that were nearly twenty years old to the 1996 was was plain to see!

I also did AO Additional Maths at the time - now THAT was a toughie!!

[RHCP]

OH MY GOD!!

I've got an interview at University for the PGCE in ICT, what will i wear!!!!

I have to do a presentation, sit a literacy exam and have an interview on my thoughts of ICT in the national curriculum.

Wow, this is actually happening, scary stuff!

[hot-fuzz]

My missus has done the GTP thing.
She broke away from doing Scientific Research into Heart Disease as a Dr at Birmingham University and hasnt looked back.
She loves it.
If you want, PM me and i can get her to write to you everything you need to know (she is very clever .... well she married me didnt she )

[Miyazaki]

RCHP, if you can, do the GTP instead of the PGCE. Most of what you learn in the PCGE is completely pointless, the GTP is actually worthwhile.

[RHCP]

Originally Posted by Games Guru

RCHP, if you can, do the GTP instead of the PGCE. Most of what you learn in the PCGE is completely pointless, the GTP is actually worthwhile.

Yep, i know a lot of it it pointless. I think all the places ran out for Merseyside for GTP. I was also told that schools prefer you to go down the traditional route of getting a PGCE, though i think the person i asked was talking rubbish.

I'll have another look at the GTP.

[Steven]

Back in high school (won't say which, otherwise the Manchester members will be making chav jokes lol), all the teachers used to say they do 4-5 hours marking at home on top of the 7-5 job in between telling every one off for not working. OK, they're not marking all the time, but its not like its feet up+cigar during term time and the summer hols are a continuation. OK, people aren't quite saying that, but it irks me when people go on about the time off. I was a right at school even though all the teachers, save 1 or 2 genuinely cared. Thus I would never go into teaching myself! I wish the best of luck to any one who does. My respect

And GCSEs are easy. With no revision I got decent grades. If I did revise, I would have done better

[RHCP]

I'm very good friends with all the ICT teachers in my school, and not one of them does anything else when they go home. They get nearly a lesson off per day to do any marking, or they can do it while the class is working.

I think teaching English or Maths would be hard, but ICT seems a lot easier as most of your work is already prepared and you're just talking the kids through steps of making a business card, etc

I've been observing classes all week, I really don't think that it is as hard as some teachers make out.

AND the holidays are fantastic.

To be honest i think the teachers are on to a good screw and don't want to let on to other people how good it is

[pjclark1]

Teaching ICT in class is a doddle, the kids all like computers, but marking coursework is very hard (especially database CW).
Teaching Maths in class is a nightmare, the kids all hate it, but marking is easy.
Teaching English in class is OK, the kids don't mind it, but marking is hard.

ICT, easy time in class but lots of marking. Go for it.
25k a year for 30 hours a week, 40 weeks a year is not too shabby, if you can stand it.

[Steven]

Oh, ICT? That's different then



No, I joke. My ICT teacher for GCSEs regularly stayed along with all of us 2 hours after class doing the coursework. We did the coursework that is. Not the teacher. Honest

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by RHCP

I was also told that schools prefer you to go down the traditional route of getting a PGCE, though i think the person i asked was talking rubbish.

Whoever said that is talking rubbish. Schools look to see if you have qualified teacher status, which is a certificate you get no matter what pathway into teaching you take. They judge you on your teaching ability at interview, not who your ITT provider was

Despite that a large majority of GTP students get a job at the school they are training at, as the school provides the training, not an educational institution.

[RHCP]

Originally Posted by Games Guru

Despite that a large majority of GTP students get a job at the school they are training at, as the school provides the training, not an educational institution.

I don't think there any places left for the GTP, there are only 14 places available and according to their website they seem to have gone. I'll ring them on Monday to find out.

I would rather do the GTP as I don't want to do any more than I have to.

I think the only positive point about the PGCE over the GTP is the experience in two schools rather than just the one. Saying that If I could do the GTP I would.

[RHCP]

I've got my interview on Wednesday.

I've got to do a presentation, a literacy test and my interview.

My handwriting is bad so i'm worried about my literacy test

[WelshBluebird]

Originally Posted by RHCP

I've got my interview on Wednesday.

I've got to do a presentation, a literacy test and my interview.

My handwriting is bad so i'm worried about my literacy test

handwriting shouldn't be too much of an issue - my ICT teachers writing last year was worse than mine (and thats saying somethng lol).

As a 6th form student, I'm not a teacher, but for those saying teaching is easy, I beg to differ. A lot of our teachers are working all day (often through most of lunch), and the amount of work they have to mark is crazy. Since in 6th form, our teachers usually talk to us like other adults, and from what we've been told, some subjects have a crazy amount of work to mark.

If your teaching GCSE or A level, is even worse in our school, as nearly all the teachers who do teach them, have after school classes for the pupils (which I at least really appreciate, as without them I wouldn't have been able to finish my ICT Coursework last year)

Lower school ICT isn't that bad, but the amount of work we done for GCSE's that our teacher had to mark, I would not like to have to do that. And from friends I've talked to, the AS and A level courses have even more work that the teacher needs to mark. Although I suppose it depends on the exam board (we do WJEC cos we're in wales, so the school your working for wouldn't be doing that).

I hope it works out for you though, and just be yourself, but try not to be boring. (year 7 and 8 ICT was terrible, because we had a teacher who was nearly retiring, and who really couldn't care, and was probably the worst and most boring teacher I've ever had).

[RHCP]

While on Holiday in Rome i got a phone call to say that Liverpool Hope University have offered me a place on their PGCE ICT course, fantastic!

I just have to pass my GCSE's now

How much is personal tuition in Maths and English?

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by RHCP

While on Holiday in Rome i got a phone call to say that Liverpool Hope University have offered me a place on their PGCE ICT course, fantastic!

Good trip then?

[RHCP]

Honestly, yes!

The best week of my life!

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by RHCP

While on Holiday in Rome i got a phone call to say that Liverpool Hope University have offered me a place on their PGCE ICT course, fantastic!

I just have to pass my GCSE's now

How much is personal tuition in Maths and English?

Well I could earn £21 per hour as a tutor over the summer which is run through the school I work at. Presumably it is run to make the school money so I imagine they must charge adults who want the GCSEs anywhere between £25 to £40 per hour of tuition.

I suppose if you were to go private, either through a third party business or just to an independent person it wouls be a bit less.

Not cheap at any rate, presumably you are over the age of 19?

[RHCP]

Just a bit of an update:

I have just finished my maths gcse exam, i only needed 44% i think i got about 90%. I did take all last week of work to revise that and my 2 english exams which are tomorrow and thursday. So it wasn't easy, I just worked really hard.

Looks like UNI here I come

I just hope my English is on par with my maths. Unlike the maths exam, I won't be able to predict my score in English