Our wonderful government has been saying for ages that we have a shortage of Design and Technology teachers in our Secondary schools, in fact they have been advertising incentives to get more teachers. HOWEVER - it really makes me want to spit when people like me cannot get into teaching!!!!!!!!!!
I would love to be able to work in a school teaching textiles - I would even happily do the Food technology bit too (I do like my food - mostly vegetarian though!! With the occasional added chunks of cheese or chocolate).... sorry got carried away drooling there. Back to my gripe...... I phoned the TDA (Training and Development Agency) for Schools today to ask how I could offer my vast array of skills in teaching. The young man came back to me with 'sorry you will have to get a degree - regulations and all that'. My City and Guilds qualifications and many many years of textile, dress making etc skills/experience count for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
I'm one more teacher turned away by our wise and caring government.
Get a degree I hear you cry but sadly I am too old and too poor to get a degree now - three years and I will be well over the hill in education terms let alone having got the degree I'd have to do another 1 year course to teach. (Too poor as I need an income - house, family commitments etc - can't just give up the day job to go to Uni- or at least not right now).
If only I could win on the lottery - perhaps I should ask our wise and caring government for a lottery grant to go to Uni to then be able to teach?????
2 comments:
Anna, as a D+T teacher of some 10 years, have you thought about going direct to your local PGCE uni.They might be able to count the work as prior aquired learning, or suggest a suitable course that coud bridge the gap.
I have to say that I have never seen the shortage mylf, there is massive competition for jobs here in wales.
Have you thought about doing the SKIP course? You do your teacher training at a school and get paid... admittedly quite a pittance. Or else you could become an Higher Learning teaching assisatant, which again is "on the job" training. Or an Art technician. There are not that many schools offering textiles as a subject, except at KS3 as a part of the Technology roundabout. All very science based rather than arty.
BestWishes
Maggie
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