First of all, to teach in the UK you will need either a PGCE or teaching experience already. My understanding (although I am primary) is that there is a strong need for secondary teachers.
Your first port of call should be reading up, I reccomend the TDA website for basic information.
Applying for the PGCE is fairly straightforward. As an international student they will want you to have had experience observing schools in the UK. If you have relatives in the UK (specifically England) I would reccomend doing some observations in schools throughout all three keystages. This will make you familiar with the differences between US schools and the UK school system. A week observing in a primary adn a week in a secondary would suffice. When I applied I hadn't yet done any observing but I had to swear up and down to the interviewer that I would and the fact that I was staying in the UK until I started the programme was a good start.
You'll also want to make yourself aware of the current issues in Secondary, so they are happy that you know what you are getting into. Things you might hear being knocked around are costs of GCSEs/A-Levels, comprehensives versus 11+ (grammar schools), teacher's pay rises, etc. A good place to start is the Times Educational Supplement which you can read online.
Another piece of advice is choose your training area wisely. A couple of things to bare in mind. First of all, if you plan on teaching in an urban location, don't train in a small village. You will encounter very different situations in both and will want that experience. The biggest thing about choosing your training area really is the networking. Many students end up getting contracts in their training school. They know you already and you know them. So don't train in one area of the country if you plan to teach in another.
Another thing is, as you haven't got visa issues, you could work as a cover supervisor prior to joining the PGCE. That's basically supply for HS but they no longer require any sort of degree (another bone of contention among secondary because effectively secondary supply (subsitute teachers) have lost their jobs as they are far more expensive then cover supervisors.
You can start to get the feel about what jobs are out there nationally through the Times Educational Supplement Keep in mind that teachers have to give a minimum of a half of term's notice, so the notices normally come out in wavesjust after a half term or end of term.
I hope this helps to cover the basics. Anymore questions, just drop me a line at kate.heley at ntlworld dot com.
First of all, to teach in the UK you will need either a PGCE or teaching experience already. My understanding (although I am primary) is that there is a strong need for secondary teachers.
Your first port of call should be reading up, I reccomend the TDA website for basic information.
Applying for the PGCE is fairly straightforward. As an international student they will want you to have had experience observing schools in the UK. If you have relatives in the UK (specifically England) I would reccomend doing some observations in schools throughout all three keystages. This will make you familiar with the differences between US schools and the UK school system. A week observing in a primary adn a week in a secondary would suffice. When I applied I hadn't yet done any observing but I had to swear up and down to the interviewer that I would and the fact that I was staying in the UK until I started the programme was a good start.
You'll also want to make yourself aware of the current issues in Secondary, so they are happy that you know what you are getting into. Things you might hear being knocked around are costs of GCSEs/A-Levels, comprehensives versus 11+ (grammar schools), teacher's pay rises, etc. A good place to start is the Times Educational Supplement which you can read online.
Another piece of advice is choose your training area wisely. A couple of things to bare in mind. First of all, if you plan on teaching in an urban location, don't train in a small village. You will encounter very different situations in both and will want that experience. The biggest thing about choosing your training area really is the networking. Many students end up getting contracts in their training school. They know you already and you know them. So don't train in one area of the country if you plan to teach in another.
Another thing is, as you haven't got visa issues, you could work as a cover supervisor prior to joining the PGCE. That's basically supply for HS but they no longer require any sort of degree (another bone of contention among secondary because effectively secondary supply (subsitute teachers) have lost their jobs as they are far more expensive then cover supervisors.
You can start to get the feel about what jobs are out there nationally through the Times Educational Supplement Keep in mind that teachers have to give a minimum of a half of term's notice, so the notices normally come out in wavesjust after a half term or end of term.
I hope this helps to cover the basics. Anymore questions, just drop me a line at kate.heley at ntlworld dot com.
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