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Food technology Asks...
Hi
I have just found out that thye are make food technology a compulsory subject in secondary school from 2011. This is a subject that i am interested in teaching so i was wondering whether you could find out the different routes into teaching please.
I am a graduate and currently work full time so a course which was part time would suit me better. Could you also inform me how much the training would cost and whether i would be able to get a bursary as an incentive for training in a subject that was becoming compulsory and as a result i presume there would be a shortage of trained teachers.
What we suggest...
Hello Food technology, thanks for contacting q2a.
Yes, this is part of the Government's plans to reduce obesity. They're aiming to train about 800 new food technology teachers through Initial Teacher Training over the next three years. Another 150 teachers will train through employment-based routes. Existing teachers and Higher Level Teaching Assistants are also being offered training.
The usual routes into teaching are:
- 4 year undergraduate course
- 2 or 3 year undergraduate course
- graduates on a course to teach secondary education (PGCE)
- graduates on a course to teach primary education (PGCE)
- trainees on employment-based schemes (part school-based, part study)
- graduate teacher course (school-based)
- registered teacher course (school-based)
- Teach First (school-based)
- Teaching assistants (below degree level)
As you've already got a first degree and you're working you could consider a part-time PGCE course (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) which takes 2 years to complete studying part-time. There are different ways to study for a PGCE:
- at universities and colleges throughout the UK
- through distance learning e.g. the Open University
- through school-based Initial Teacher Training but these are full-time and not all of them lead to a PGCE
If your first degree isn't in a related subject there are subject knowledge enhancement short courses which you can take that will give you more knowledge and understanding of the subject area you want to teach. These are available when you've either applied for, or started, your PGCE. They run for between 2 -12 weeks depending on the subject and they are available for Design & Technology. For example there's one at the University of Manchester for Design & Technology from 1st-31st August 2009 which will probably be for this September's intake.
Here's information about paying for your studies.
You will have to pay tuition fees and the amount of these will vary depending on your chosen institution so you'll need to contact them and ask, or you can check on their websites. Some examples are Hull University £3390 full-time, £1650 part-time; University of Manchester £3300 full-time, £1650 part-time. In addition you may be eligible for a bursary from the Teacher Development Agency. The amount varies depending on when you begin your studies and what you study. For example the bursary for Design & Technology for the academic year 2008/9 is £9000 and is non-taxable. (Food Technology is a specialist discipline within the Design and Technology field). You apply through your place of study for this. Newly-qualified teachers who take up a permanent teaching post in Design & Technology also receive a 'golden hello' of £2,500 which is taxable, unfortunately.
You can also apply for a loan to help with your living costs: the Student Loan for Maintenance. Depending on your household's financial situation you may be eligible to apply for maintenance grants which are not repayable but if you are awarded this it will reduce the amount of the Student Loan for Maintenance you can apply for. You may also be eligible for extra financial help through the Disabled Students Allowance due to your disability.
You can contact any of the following organisations for information and advice about applying for funding for Higher Education:
- Lancashire Student Services, County Hall, Fishergate Hill, Preston. PR1 8XB. Tel: 01772 530 430. Open: 8.45am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday
- Student Finance England, telephone number: 0845 300 50 90. Open: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday 9.00 am to 5.30 pm
There is also information at:
-http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm
You apply for postgraduate courses through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry's website: http://www.gttr.ac.uk/. It appears to be a very similar process to applying through UCAS for undergraduate courses. They're open for applications from September each year and it's recommended that you get your application in before the end of November if you want to be considered by your first choice college or university.
Here are some things you might like to think about:
- if you choose to study part-time over 2 years starting in the academic year 2010/11 you will have qualified after the date by which they are hoping to have these teachers in place which may affect the availability of jobs
- if you need to do a subject knowledge enhancement short course, for example the one in Manchester, could you take a month's leave all at once from your present employment?
- you will have to complete 24 weeks of your postgraduate training in schools so how will this affect your present employment?
- the scary option: leave your present employment and study full time to qualify sooner!
We found the following organisations and websites useful for our reply:
- The Training and Development Agency for Schools. They have Teaching Information Helpline: 0845 6000 991. minicom 0117 915 8161. The opening times aren't on the website so we'd assume 9am-5pm. Website: http://www.tda.gov.uk
- The Graduate Teacher Training Registry, Customer Service Unit telephone :0871 468 0 469, RNID Typetalk service 18001 0871 468 0 469. Address: GTTR, Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham. GL52 3LZ. Open Monday-Friday 8.30am-6pm. Email: enquiries@gttr.ac.uk
We hope you find what we've said in our reply helpful. Please email us again if you need to, about this or anything else. We wish you success in your studies.
Best wishes from q2a.
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.