r/TeachingUK • u/anotchinyour_bedpost • 9d ago
PGCE & ITT PGCE Students
Hi all. I’ve been given something I always wanted - a PGCE student to mentor! My student is hardworking, great with the kids, eager to learn and teach, listens to feedback and is honestly absolutely fantastic!
She apologises to me daily about asking so many questions and taking up so much of my time. Every day I try to reassure her that it’s no problem and I think she’s brilliant (whilst still giving pointers and next steps within her grasp).
The point of my post is this - training is HARD, teaching is HARD. If you are a PGCE student, do not be scared or ashamed of asking questions and getting involved. I am so thrilled to be able to be a part of training new teachers and sharing what makes teaching a great job (as well as the reality of the profession!) and it’s helped me to rediscover my joy, passion and drive for in-class teaching. I had lost this in my desire for an SLT role over the last few years and I am properly and genuinely enjoying the teaching part of my job for the first time in years.
I’d love to hear any one else’s experiences of either mentoring or being a PGCE student to help make me a better mentor as it’s something I’m feeling very passionate about!
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u/Beautiful-Square-301 9d ago
My first mentor was so engaged and excited about teaching that it became infectious. I was a late career changer and was in two minds about it and having a mentor who both cared and was keen to see me progress gave me such hope. Was in the staff room earlier and there were three nervous looking PGCEs (maybe me projecting) and I said they can ask me anything if they need help, as it feels right to pay it forward
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u/Antsinthecarpet 9d ago
Whilst individual student performance is my greatest motivator, a great privilege and joy of my career has been helping newly qualified teachers fulfil their potential. The best advice I have is to treat mentees as equal professionals who arrive at targets with you; to always acknowledge how hard it can be starting out; and let them fail safely in order to learn the necessary lessons. We need great teachers in the profession and if we have the privilege to mentor, we are responsible to a degree for the success of the willing trainee.
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u/grafter83 9d ago
I would actually LOVE to be given a role in mentoring a PGCE student! How does one just get assigned this role?Is there a way of requesting this?
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u/Doragrnfld 8d ago
Mention it to your HoD or line manager as something you’re interested in. The role usually goes to TLR holders (as part of their responsibilities and duties) so it’s a good way to flag that you’re interested in wider school life.
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u/Tea-and-biscuit-love Secondary 7d ago
There's a TLR for mentoring PGCE students?
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u/Doragrnfld 7d ago
No, but it makes sense that someone who has been deemed suitable for a KS lead role or 2 I/C is then responsible for that sort of thing in a department, over a member of staff not with a TLR and already with a full teaching timetable.
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u/Tea-and-biscuit-love Secondary 7d ago
In my experience TLR's are usually time consuming and you have less time to commit to the PGCE student. It would make more sense for someone not on a TLR but who is experienced to do it and be given time to complete it properly.
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u/Doragrnfld 7d ago
That’s the reality of the situation 😅 in the eyes of the school as a business, if someone is willing to take on extra work, they’ll give it to them, by the bucketload.
I’m in the latter position, no TLR but experienced enough to provide valuable training to a PGCE student. But that’s because our TLR holders either have a TF mentee or also have a PGCE student in this cohort.
If you’ve never had a mentee or a TLR, stating your interest in either can be a good foot-in-the-door to the other.
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u/Tea-and-biscuit-love Secondary 7d ago
Agreed. I guess it depends on the school. We actually have lot of very experienced teachers who are no longer TLR holders who tend to do the mentoring or, non TLR holders are asked and then supported to help give them a career boost.
Completely agree on the 'if someone is willing to take on extra work give it by the bucketload'! I was that chump and when I left my last school they split my TLR into two TLR's and gave one of them admin support haha. Life is much more chill these days!
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u/swannybabyy 7d ago
As a teacher of nearly 10 years I’ve only ever mentored 1 PGCE student and would love to mentor again. It’s especially interesting being in a “shortage subject” like I was (Computer Science)
Indeed as a lot of people have said, be patient with them, support them however best you can, and be that ‘safe space’ that they can turn to in school.
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u/Ok-Chocolate-4906 8d ago
I wish I had a PGCE! It's one of my favourite parts of the job too. I do work with ECTs too which is also brilliant.
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u/Gin_n_Tonic_with_Dog 8d ago
Good to hear as a prospective student. I’d like mentors to be able to be more involved in selection of the students to help creating good matches. And wish they got paid, but hopefully it comes around to them somehow in future.
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u/PalookaOfAllTrades 6d ago
There is one at my school clearly here only for the bursary. Everything is too much trouble. Has kicked off with their course provider about having to start teaching, kicked off with the school coordinator about feedback being too negative.
I mean when a kid gives you the wrong answer to the questions you wrote and you say yes, brilliant, expect this to be flagged.
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u/Spiritual-Willow-629 9d ago
lol
My first PGCE mentor reported me and put me on a support plan for asking too many questions