Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

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Johann.R
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:48 pm

Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

Post by Johann.R »

HI all

I do apologize if this has been asked before.
Me and my wife have been teaching for a while as ESL teachers, I am coming up on 2 years of experience and she 4.
We are both native South Africans.
My teaching experience is a mix of Mathematics, Science and English for secondary students grade 6-9, she has taught English at all age groups, from kids to adults.
We both have a bachelor's degree. Me - BCom Economics Sciences. Her - BA Humanities
We have been looking to get jobs at international schools and have seen two types of requirements, teaching license and PGCE.

We are currently employed in Vietnam and have been looking to study further online. I have found a University in my country that does offer PGCE online and then some UK based universities that also offer the course online . I have also found teach now from Moreland University that provides a teaching license.

So my questions is as follows, assuming we want to only teach in the ESL sphere, which one would be the better route to take? A follow up question would also be that which one gives me the most options for if I want to move out of the ESL sphere?

Note: I am quite new to all of this and am just looking for some direction so that I do not waste time on unnecessary courses.
muinteoir
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:50 am

Re: Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

Post by muinteoir »

I only did a PGCE (through Distance Learning via a UK university) and found employment in Europe immediately after graduating. I looked at hundreds of job posts and many only ask for a PGCE. There are plenty which ask for QTS but you definitely have options with just the PGCE. I only looked in Europe so perhaps the situation is different elsewhere.
I don't have QTS (the teaching licence for British schools) but the University of Sunderland (and 5 other UK unis) now offer a PGCE with iQTS which can be converted to QTS. It is expensive but I think for one year of study it opens up a lot of options. I am fairly new to education and don't know anything about Teach Now, but I wish the iQTS was an option when I was training, I definitely would have gone for it. More information: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/help/study ... e-iqts-dl/
Johann.R
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:48 pm

Re: Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

Post by Johann.R »

So my questions is as follows, assuming we want to only teach in the ESL sphere, which one would be the better route to take? A follow up question would also be that which one gives me the most options for if I want to move out of the ESL sphere?

To clarify, When I am talking about ESL sphere I am talking about international schools in ASIA in general, sorry for the confusion.
Johann.R
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:48 pm

Re: Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

Post by Johann.R »

muinteoir wrote:
> I only did a PGCE (through Distance Learning via a UK university) and found
> employment in Europe immediately after graduating. I looked at hundreds of
> job posts and many only ask for a PGCE. There are plenty which ask for QTS
> but you definitely have options with just the PGCE. I only looked in Europe
> so perhaps the situation is different elsewhere.
> I don't have QTS (the teaching licence for British schools) but the
> University of Sunderland (and 5 other UK unis) now offer a PGCE with iQTS
> which can be converted to QTS. It is expensive but I think for one year of
> study it opens up a lot of options. I am fairly new to education and don't
> know anything about Teach Now, but I wish the iQTS was an option when I was
> training, I definitely would have gone for it. More information:
> https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/help/study ... e-iqts-dl/

Thanks I will check it out.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Its actually been asked a lot.

A little background on terms. In IE the types of documents include: certificates, qualifications, credentials, and licenses. Certificate are pieces of paper that document some claim or statement of the provider. A qualification is a certificate that at a certain time and place the bearer completed a set of requirements against a standard successfully. Degrees are qualifications as are various certificate programs offered by Unis that are less than a degree such as a PGCE. Credentials are recognition by an organizational body that admit and acknowledge and individual as a member of the (edu) profession. QTS is a credential, registration in various countries such as AUS (and S.Africa) are credentials as are state DOE documents in the US and Provincial documents in CAN. Licenses are authorization by a regulating authority for the individual to provide instructional services in regulated (public/maintained) K12/KS institutions.
A PGCE is a (academic) qualification. Its equivalent to a year of graduate study at the Masters level with an emphasis on the practitioner dimension in the scholar/practitioner model. To obtain a credential such as QTS you need to complete an EPP/ITT (Educator Preparation Program/Initial Teacher Training) program. In times long past the EPP/ITT program was a very internal and entwined part of PGCE program, so much so that the two became synonymous with one another. Presently thats not the case. Various Unis have created academic PGCE programs such as PGCEi that do not incorporate an EPP/ITT program and do not result in the eligibility for QTS. Recently, Unis have dropped the "i" part of PGCEi to escape the stigma that comes with PGCEi programs. That doesnt mean they are bad, many ITs are using PGCE qualifications without a credential to work in IE. What this means is that while many ISs (especially third tier ISs) are perfectly happy with a PGCE or its equivalent many of them equate a PGCE with QTS and assume if you have one you have the other (even though both can exist independently of the other). Make no mistake though a PGCE or a M.Ed or anything else is not a substitute for a credential. This is what ISs really mean when they state possession of a teaching license. Its more difficult to envision a scenario in the US system where a credential doesnt equal a license (PA is an example, some Charter DS credentials are another), but England provides a readily demonstrable comparison. You enroll in a Uni PGCE program complete the program which includes as part an ITT program with QTS as an ECT and after 2 years are unfortunately unsuccessful at Induction. The PGCE is a qualification, QTS is the credential and despite being unsuccessful you still keep your QTS but you are subject to a barring order that prohibits you from providing instructional services in a regulated institution, making you unlicensed.

The best option is the one that includes a credential. Whether its registration in S.Africa, QTS in the UK, or a DOE credential from DC (the state DOE for Teach Now/Moreland. QTS currently doesnt have any PD renewal requirements but DC does which can be difficult even at an IS.

A credential will provide the most options especially when looking at options in higher tiers.

There are numerous inaccuracies in @muinteoir post. You can find a lot of opportunity with only a qualification such as a PGCE. Qualifications can be and are working qualification in a significant portion of the third tier and the third tier is very large compared to even the 2nd and first tier combined. The problem is going to be that without a credential your going to hit a ceiling relatively quickly as you move up in tiers, even the upper end of the third tier wants ITs with credentials.

iQTs isnt a thing et, despite what Sunderland is advertising. They and five other Unis are part of a pilot program for iQTS. That cohort just started this year and nobody has followed it to conclusion. It effectively combines a PGCEi with AO (Assessment Only route to QTS) but does so less effectively. The major issue is that the transition from iQTS to QTS hasnt happened yet and its dependent on Parliament changing the regulations to allow it, and that hasnt happened yet and it may not happen.

Teach Now (Moreland) is an EPP/ITT provider that after completing the program and passing the professional credentialing exams (2-3 exams) results in a DC Standard (Professional grade) credential (the same grade as QTS). Its a four year credential, that can be renewed with PD. DC is one of the few regulating authorities that credential foreign, non-US edus. You can transition the DC credential to IL which currently waives the PD requirement for edus that are not teaching in IL. Though this is set to change sometime in the future (the issue is tracking and defining what work and amount of work constitutes teaching). At one time it was relatively easy to complete the Teach Now program, get the DC credential, and use it to obtain QTS without having to do Induction. Thats pretty much gone away. You still may be able to obtain QTS with the DC credential in the future but you will be an ECT and have to complete induction, assuming the option doesnt go away entirely.

There are other options for you as well:
1) You can obtain the MA Provisional (Entry grade) credential. It does not require an EPP/ITT program. It is an assessment based route (as opposed to skills based which Teach Now/Moreland is, or an Academic route such as a Uni. PGCE). It consists of taking 2 professional credentialing exams (MTEL exams) for ESOL which you can take online. The entire process would take a few weeks and cost a few hundred USD. This is an effective lifetime credential.
The issue is that ESOL has a very poisonous history in IE. ISs do hire ITs to teach ESOL. The problem is ISs get so many applications from ETs who may have taught in something that looks like a classroom or they havent but they think their skills and experience qualify them to move from ESOL too K12/KS and these ISs get inundated with lots of applications from ETs. Thats your problem. Youre coming from the ES world with the play that adding some credential is going to legitimize your experiences and skill set as opposed to what ISs want which is K12'KS professional edus whose subject happens to be English language acquisition. It would also be negligent not to address the issue that you arent western. In IE the western means coming from US/UK/CAN/AUS. Colonial regions predominated by white ITs.
All of this amounts to a very tenuous scenario where you do not know your value. You dont have any experience that ISs are going to recognize and the bar to entry in IE is 2 years post credentialing experience in a K12/KS environment. Intern class ITs do get around that bar and enter IE without it, but ESOL just makes that harder.

There are other options such as the CT route, GTC options in the UK. Options for low cost M.Eds., etc. But this should be enough to think about for now.
Johann.R
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:48 pm

Re: Looking for advice on PGCE vs TEACH NOW

Post by Johann.R »

Thank you Psyguy for your very detailed reply.
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