r/PGCE

It’s a long story, but generally I feel like my placement experience hasn’t been ideal.

I have a more supportive tutor and mentor for this year but I’m recognising there’s a bit of irony in the way we are assessed - on the quality of our lesson planning and delivery, how we accommodate neurodivergent learners….

But for those of us who are trainee teachers, if we are neurodivergent and struggling, there’s not much accommodation made at all.

You’re expected and encouraged to just go with the flow of everyone else. If you struggle, the support provided feels rushed and surface-level.

Nobody has any time for a struggling trainee. I genuinely think some people would rather see us quietly drop out, than put in the extra effort to help us succeed.

It just doesn’t feel very humane or consistent, is all I’m trying to say.

Do they think neurodivergence disappears when we become adult employees, or something? …… If this is how neurodivergent adults are treated then I’m not feeling very optimistic about my students’ futures in the workplace.

Just needed to get this out of my system. I’m not sure if this is the right career for me after all, even though I like what I do for the students.

Edit: thanks everyone for the feedback. Obviously I have complicated and impassioned feelings about teaching. I adore making a difference to lives of students, it gives me so much purpose. But I also know that some professional environments just may not suit my way of processing the world.

Hello, I'm am international student on a study visa that expires in August 2027. My current placement has broken down because of an abusive mentor who retaliated against me for bringing up issues about him to my placement provider.

What will happen if they can't find me an alternate placement A? My placement B starts in January, and I will have lost the entire November and December month if no alternate placement is found.

I counted the days and even if I stay until the end of July at placement B, I will still be missing 5 days, plus any where I'll be off sick etc.

Do I technically have the possibility of extending my student visa to do a third placement next year? It seems like it would be so difficult, and I haven't heard of anyone else doing it.

I’m being told by my training provider that I need to plan maths lessons however the school use a specific scheme that has every lesson planned out.

I often setup the classroom in the morning as I arrive 30 minutes before my mentor(s) and the computer is very slow, trimming of worksheets needs doing etc. all of the planning for maths is done by one teacher and every lesson up until Christmas is planned.

The problem is the school barely gets through lessons and topics due to the constant low level disruption and having to manage incredibly disruptive behaviour from SEND pupils.

Should I just teach the lessons that my mentors use in order to keep consistency and pace or push my mentors to use lesson plans and PowerPoints I have created?

I’m currently studying my PGCE part time while working full time in an FE college; I feel so lucky to have been able to take this paid route into teaching after so many financial barriers before!

I’ve just started year 2, and when I reached out to my mentor two weeks ago to try book in our first observation, he said he couldn’t take it on this year because of his personal circumstances.

Okay. Fine. People gotta be having their lives.

But DUDE. Did you have to wait until I’d literally started the course back up again to tell me?? No warning that I’d need to find a new mentor??

THANKFULLY my luck has not run out. I vented about this whole shit show to my work friend (turned real life friend), who also teaches the same subject as I do. She immediately offered to fill the role, despite also mentoring another staff member this year.

Honesty, at this point in my training, the mentor role is more of a formality - I know what I am doing, have been teaching for years without a formal qualification, and am given almost complete autonomy over my teaching and resources because it is clear I don’t need babysitting with it. I only really need the mentor as a name on a form, and for a single lesson observation to go into my portfolio for this year.

But I am SO GRATEFUL that this potential headache has been avoided, and that my mentor for this year is going to be someone whose opinion I genuinely value, who is an excellent teacher, and who has already been giving me so much support and confidence.

​

I've been thinking about getting a Bachelor of Fine arts but after learning that art fields doesn't have many jobs. I figured i need a backup plan.

So my backup plan is to subject teacher in secondary school in UK. Eg like (History, Pol Science,English or Geography etc.)

Does being teacher require another degree to become one

Hi everyone,

I am looking to apply to a maths pgce, but I don’t have an a-level in maths and my degree was law related. Would I likely be eligible for the likely 2027/28 bursary as the requirements are 50% of the degree in a relevant subject?

Hi!
I've been thinking of getting a PGCE lately.
My main concern is that I expect the private school market to be even more biased towards native teachers than the entry-level positions I've been working in so far. At least when teaching EFL is concerned.

My degree is in art (sculpture), so this is the only subject I can teach outside of English.

My other problem is that I'd like to work in Japan or China. The former looks very close to impossible in my case, as even the private school sector seems to be oversaturated. I don't even know if the schools recognise a PGCE or look for other credentials/certifications.

I'm not sure what the situation is with work in China for someone like myself either.

I know the post is only partially related, as this sub is for people wanting to teach in the UK, not abroad. Hope the mods will have mercy on me.

I would greatly appreciate some insight and advice!

All the best!

Hi everyone, I am currently studying BSc Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and aiming for a very high first class. I'm currently only in second year with an average of 83.7% in my first year.

Unfortunately for A levels i got ccd in chem, maths and bio respectively, which was a massive let down. I am planning on getting a masters in Chemistry at a Russel group uni, not that i think it matter and then hopefully apply to a secondary PGCE in Chemistry at a Russel group uni too.

I just wanted to ask if i wanted to work at a grammar school as a chemistry teacher would that be possible or is that heard of, as I am extremely worried my A level grades will haunt me and effect me.

Any input and stories would be much appreciated and if any teacher works at a grammar school or knows someone and got bad a level grades please do let me know.

Thank you

I know that the deadline is September of 2027 but I mean practically because courses fill up and it’s a first come first serve basis. I’m just a bit worried because I won’t be able to apply until about two weeks into the application period because I have to wait for some documents to arrive. Maybe I’m worrying too much? I’m just very anxious to be accepted somewhere because I desperately want to be able to start working soon so I can be independent.

Hi everyone!
I’m planning to apply for a Primary PGCE for the 2027 intake, with applications opening this October. I’m an international applicant and I’m currently trying to prepare as much as possible before submitting my application and hopefully attending interviews.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has recently gone through the Primary PGCE application/interview process.
A few things I’d particularly love advice on:
What was your PGCE interview like and what questions were you asked?
How much knowledge of the National Curriculum, safeguarding, SEND and current issues in education were you expected to have?
Did you have to prepare or deliver a mini lesson/presentation/activity?
Were there any written, English or maths tasks?
What do you think interviewers are mainly looking for in a strong candidate?
Is there anything you wish you had prepared or researched before your interview?
Any resources/websites/videos that really helped you prepare?
I already have experience working with children, including as a tuition assistant with Year 3/4 children, teaching dance/drama and volunteering in a primary-school setting, but I want to make sure I’m properly prepared for the teacher-training interview rather than just memorising answers.
Anyone who interviewed at universities in/around London, but advice from anyone who has completed a Primary PGCE interview would be really helpful.
Thank you! Any tips, experiences, or even examples of questions you were asked would be massively appreciated. 😊

Hi everyone, I am currently a second year uni student studying BSc Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and really want to do a PGCE Secondary Chemistry at UoM. However for A levels I got CCD in Chemistry, Maths and Biology respectively, and UoM say they usually require 2 Bs, or a C if you have a masters or a PHD. My first year results were the following:

97.4%, 92.6%, 89.8%, 87.6%, 85.4%, 78.0%, 75.5%, and 63.6%. so an average of 83.7% and i am aiming for a high first class degree.

I am unsure If I should do a masters or apply straight for the PGCE as perhaps my module marks override the A level requirements.

And if I do a masters straight after my undergrad can i apply to the PGCE straight away, as I would require the masters but I am unsure if i get my results before I apply.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I feel completely lost and don't know what to do.

Any advice from anyone that has done a PGCE at The University of Manchester with not so good a level grades would be greatly appreciated, but any advice in general would be nice.

Thank you

Following on my recent post about doing a pgce from home (thank you everyone for the feedback! It was very helpful), are there any good resources or websites outside of Reddit that would be useful for talking with teachers (both current and former) /pgce students. I’m trying to get as much information as possible as I’m very aware of how involved the PGCE training is, and being able to bounce questions off people would be very helpful.