PGCEi, CT or Teachnow?

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Jazz90
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:19 am

PGCEi, CT or Teachnow?

Post by Jazz90 »

Hi everyone !

I know that these topics are spoken about often. I’ve researched and read a lot of Q&As on this forum and others, but I’m still throughly confused !

I have a BSc Hons in Product design from Bristol uni , a CELTA and I’ve been working as an early years class teacher at an International school in Egypt since 2020.
As I don’t have a Bachelor in education or a PGCE, most schools won’t accept me. I thought PGCEi was the way to go as I’m currently not in the UK and recently got accepted to do a PGCEi this September with Sheffield uni. After doing more research, I stumbled upon Teachnow and also read that you can get a initial teaching certificate if you have enough experience. This coming June, I’ll have finished 2 years teaching full time. Does that mean I can apply for a CT straightaway without doing a teachers prep program, and eventually turn it into a QTS? I don’t plan on going back to the UK, but it would be good to have it nonetheless. iQTS doesn’t sound that promising to me. The applications for it aren’t even open yet. They just ask you to leave your details if you’re interested.

My main concern is that the PGCEi takes 60 credits off when I apply for a masters.. I feel a bit hesitant to go with Teachnow as it’s rather expensive and I’m not sure if that’ll help me in the future when I want to do a masters with a UK university. However, most schools care more about a licence than an academic certificate. I’m so confused !!! Can someone please advise me? I would most definitely appreciate it ! Thank you.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

The CT pathway isnt going to work for you the way you describe, CT will still require you to complete academic coursework in edu. They are also not likely to accept your 2 years (the minimum) experience in your current posting. You would also have to complete testing requirements.
Were you to be successful this would result in the issuance of a CT Initial credential and the TCL/TRA will not issue you QTS based on the CT Initial credential.

There is a pilot program for iQTS. It could be promising, its not likely to. A lot of it hinges on whether parliament approves transitioning iQTS to QTS, and theres a lot of resistance to that currently.

Teach Now and a PGCEi have very comparable costs. Teach Now provides you a professional edu credential. A PGCEi is half a Masters but academic qualifications are not credentials, even if they are working qualifications. At this point though leaders and recruiters in IE know what a DC credential is and now what Teach Now is. They are skills based pathways that are very light on academics, even if the DC credential checks the 'legal' edu box. That box is important, and more so the higher the tier, but its not a skip the line card.
Jazz90
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:19 am

Re: Response

Post by Jazz90 »

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question.@psyguy

Ah, I didn’t know it had to be an bachelor in education. I understand now.

That means I have 2 options.

1. Do a PGCEi and eventually go for an AOR after I get 3 years experience.
2. Do the teachnow program, take the Praxis exams, work with the US license, and eventually do a M.Ed instead of a PGCEi. That way, I get both a licence and a background in education. I know this is a very costly path but moving back to the UK to do a PGCE isn’t an option for me.

With your experience, what what you recommend ?
Jazz90
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:19 am

Re: PGCEi, CT or Teachnow?

Post by Jazz90 »

Just read your reply on the other post and was wondering if a third option be an MTEL + M.Ed ?

I’m trying to find the best route to better myself, get more opportunities and not feel like I’ve wasted time and money.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@Jazz90

It does not need to be a bachelors of education. You need to have any subject matter bachelors/first degree that is equivalent to a US 4 year bachelors/first degree, but you must also have coursework (that need not result in a degree or other qualification) in various topics of professional teaching across the framework of methodology, pedagogy, and assessment, etc. Its about 18 US credits of Uni level instruction.

There are PGCE(i) programs that incorporate AO as part of their program allowing you to obtain QTS faster about 1-2 years. The AO QTS requirements dont specify a length of experience requirement, only a minimum number of settings (2).

As I commented in another post attached to you, there is the MA Provisional (entry grade) route that is solely an assessment based pathway rather than the skills based pathway of Teach Now.

In general a credential is more valuable than an academic qualification. While you need a bachelors/first degree beyond that a credential opens up far many more opportunities than additional academic qualifications.
An advanced degree at masters level or higher is worth more than additional degrees and academic qualifications that are less than a Masters as many ISs only have formal salary bands based on Bachelors and Masters degrees. Some ISs will have bands such as Bachelors plus 15 but those ISs are much fewer than those with only Bachelors and Masters salary bands. You are far more likely to get more coin with a Masters than with some qualification that is less than a Masters.

Hypothetically, because I dont like being in the position of giving advice or making recommendations, where I to address the scenario from the position of a case study, my approach would be to do neither. The issue is simply one of not knowing what your utility and marketability is. You have a CELTA and you got a job without anything else so what is the future goal? If the goal is just getting out of the current IS and moving to a better one or moving into primary and out of EC than thats not really asking for much of an improvement. If youve shopped the current resume and gotten little interest than create an alternative resume using a different name but adding the MA Provisional credential to it and shopping that around to see if it increases your utility with a higher hit rate of interest. This approach can be expanded by creating additional alt resumes with QTS (via AO) and with a Masters degree to determine the utility of those qualifications and credentials and at no cost. Once that data is obtained you can determine what the entry costs of those approaches is worth to you.
Its more common for an IS to discount experience prior to credentialing and as your experience was in EC and you only had a CELTA they are likely going to consider your experience in the realm of ESOL and not count it. You may very well find out that unless your willing to invest substantial coin in the paths available to you any changes in opportunity are likely to be very marginal, almost trivial improvements. Your academic background is in design technology but you have no teaching experience in it and not at the secondary level, not are you credentialed and of the three categories of IT value (what an IT can do, what they have don, and special skills) what an IT has done (experience) is king. Steal meet stone, doing any of those or all of those may not change the status quo in regards to your opportunities.

Of the options presented the MA Provisional route has the lowest cost of entry at a few hundred USD, since you can test remotely without travel. You will need to obtain an NACES evaluation of your qualifications/credentials, complete the MTEL exams and then apply for the credential which should cost less than USD$500. All of the other options, Teach Now, AO, M.Ed are easily 10 times that each.
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