Can I Retrain as a Physics Teacher Near Derby?

[EMFsmith]

Heyup everyone,

Ive been looking into retraining as a teacher, GCSE and possibly A level physics is the level I would love to teach at.

Ive been told I would be great at this as I really like to get people excited about learning and really try to engage people at whatever level makes them feel comfortable, I've always wanted to teach but life has led me on a different path so far.

But I am 23! I have plenty of time and plenty of entheusiasm to achieve this! There's only 1 thing in my way right now and that's work. I need to work to live (Aint life a B**ch), so I need to find some way of completing a Degree around this.

My main point is, is this possible, and if so does anyone know of a university near me that could provide this (Near me being within 30 Miles of Derby, England)?

This is a lifetime ambition for me, and now I have matured (People who know me would die with laughter at hearing this, but I am talking academically here) I want to really go for this and try to give some of the inspiration I lost out on as a child.

Any help would be greatly appreciated here folks.

 

[xxChrisxx]

A teaching qualification (PGCE) isn't something you can go part time as far as I'm aware, as you've got to spend time in a classroom and uni. It's unpaid, and will cost you.

An option for you to look into is a GTP (graguate teacher programme), which is more 'learning on the job', you do get paid as far as I'm aware but you are also unlikely to get on a course unless you have already got some experience, a classroom assistant sort of thing.


If it's really what you want to do, save up, jack your job in and go for it.

 

[EMFsmith]

Yeah the teaching side of things (after a qualification in physics), I would be more than happy to take a low paid assistant teachers role or something like that, I could save between now and then to allow for this, it was more the degree side of things I was wondering about, If this could be achieved through part time study.

 

[muppet]

As there's a massive shortage of physics teachers, you can get a 9 grand bursary on top of some other student finance, for what that's worth. Have a look around http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/subject-information-enhancement/teach-physics/funding-pay-benefits.aspx for the money side of things and http://search.gttr.ac.uk/cgi-bin/hs.../gttr_search.hjx;start=gttr_search.HsForm.run to have a look for courses that might suit you.

 

[EMFsmith]

Thanks Muppet, I've already been looking at the tda website, I haven't seen the other one before though.
I don't hold a degree right now so really I think the only way for me to achieve my goal is to save up, then bite the bullet and jack my job.
I honestly can't understand the shortage in england, physics is THE most interesting and mind blowing subject children take at school, but somehow teachers aren't getting this across! I know mine certainly didn't and I want to do my bit to sort this out!

 

[xxChrisxx]

If you've not got a degree in anything, then I'm afraid you are a bit out of luck wanting to teach A level. PGCE and GTP are degree conversions.

So it'll be a full 3 year teaching course, a BEd.

 

[EMFsmith]

Yeah sorry I realized I wasn't very clear with my first post, I was on about doing degree first THEN teacher training, but does a BEd allow you to teach physics at GCSE level without a Bsc in physics?

 

[EMFsmith]

No need to answer that one, found everything I need to know on the tda website, cheers chris

"Course content may vary according to the university or college providing it, but all BEd graduates receive qualified teacher status (QTS) in addition to their degree."