Week 3 Research Schedule

Day/Date	What I Plan To Have Done On This Day:
Monday 9th of October	Research into the details of a teaching job (i.e. pay, holidays etc.)
Tuesday 10th of October	Research into the national curriculum for drama.
Wednesday 11th of October	Research into the various unions for teachers and why it’s important to join one.
Thursday 12th of October	Research into what makes a good/successful teacher.
Friday 13th of October	Email to my mentor – Jonathan Millican to update him with my progress with my ARPS project.
Saturday 14th of October	Collecting my DBS and arranging to go into Heworth Grange Comprehensive School to organise work experience for a later date.
Sunday 15th of October	Complete week 4’s research schedule.

Where Can A Teaching Degree Take Me?

The possibilities of getting a job with a teacher training degree are endless. Not only does it open you up to travelling the country (or the world) working in schools, but there is a plethora of other job opportunities available too. In my research, I found the (PROSPECTS, 2016) website, with some of the other varying jobs available to me with a teacher training degree, some of these jobs include; careers advisor, child psychotherapist, counselor, family support worker, museum education officer, play therapist and also the opportunity for me to open my own theatre group. Each of these job availabilities are entirely different to each other and allows me to still work with young people. It is refreshing and reassuring to know that getting a teaching degree does not limit my potential, but widens it. It is important to take note of the varying aspects of where a certain degree can take you, to secure any doubt you may develop in years to come, of your happiness in the workplace.

The benefits of teaching (apart from the obvious rewarding feeling of knowing your inspiring or helping a child to grow and learn) are plentiful and offer a highly comfortable and satisfying lifestyle. Most teaching jobs offer competitive wages, as schools have a lot more control over how their staff are paid, meaning that the better you perform, the more you earn. A typical teachers wages range from £20,000 to £40,000 per year. Teachers are also benefitted by generous pensions and up to 13 weeks of paid holidays (as well as national holidays off too). From my findings from (Get Into Teaching, 2017), I also learned that ‘95% of newly qualified teachers were employed in a teaching role within six weeks of completing training’ and ‘Nearly 70% of newly qualified teachers are still in the profession after five years’. There are also a lot of promotion opportunities within schools, such as leadership, becoming a head of department, pastoral care (becoming a form tutor or a head of year). When job searching for teaching jobs, various were being made available in my local area (Gateshead/Newcastle), especially in local newspapers such as the The Chronicle, (Jobs, 2017) within the job sections, which is delightful to find that there is not a lack of work in the industry I aim to head into.

Final Decision Of My Chosen Pathway Into A Teaching Degree & Where I Want To Apply For.

My final decision of which pathway I’ve chosen to take into a teaching degree is the School Direct program. Originally I preferred the idea of a University led degree after already spending three years in a full time University degree, but after researching into the four main pathways, the Schools Direct program seemed like a lot more desirable route to take into getting my QTS and PGCE. Through the schools direct program, you learn on the job, in the schools from day one, rather than being in lectures and then being sent to work experience. Although you still get lectures and university time, I like the idea of being in a classroom environment and constantly receiving the experience, which will help me develop the confidence I need to be a teacher.

While searching on (UCAS, 2017) for which School Direct teacher-training degrees were available to me near my local area (Gateshead/Newcastle), I came across four which each appeal to me for different reasons and aspects of their proposals. After weighing out the pros and cons of each, I have decided on the three programs, which I will be applying to, which are; St Thomas More Catholic School (for Drama), The 3 Rivers Teaching School Alliance (for Drama) and The Hermitage Academy School Direct (for Drama). I have chosen these three particular programs because I feel most comfortable with the morals and the school‘s ethos, as well as feeling like I’d settle into these 3 schools naturally.

Research Into The Various Pathways Into A Teaching Degree.

What Do I Need/Need To Do To Become A Secondary School Drama Teacher?

To become a secondary school teacher you are required to possess a QTS (a qualified teacher status. Additionally you can also be awarded with either a PGCE (postgraduate certificate of education) or a PGDE (postgraduate diploma of education). They are not thought to be an essential for getting into teaching but can be useful in future, so more often that not, you will be recommend to achieve either a PGCE or a PGDE. (UCAS, 2017) suggests that the only difference between the two is that usually with the PGDE, you’re rewarded 60 or more points to go towards a master’s degree. To attain either a QTS or PGCE/PGDE you can either complete a teacher training degree (unless the provider says otherwise) or do separate courses specially designed for the attainment of either titles. Once you have acquired (both of) these, you are legally and officially fit for teaching. However according to (Kempe, 2006), possessing a particular set of skills is also very important to allow you to successfully assert yourself in a classroom, communicate with staff and pupils, as well as confidently project yourself and your teachings out to a class of students on a daily basis.

Week 2 Research Schedule

Day/Date	What I Plan To Have Done On This Day:
Monday 2nd of October	Hand in project proposal plan (deadline date) and start work experience.
Tuesday 3rd of October	Research into how to apply for a teacher training degree and what I need to do.
Wednesday 4th of October	Research into the academic and non-academic qualifications I need to acquire to become a secondary school teacher.
Thursday 5th of October	Research into the various pathways of getting into a teacher training degree.
Friday 6th of October	Meeting with my mentor – Jonathan Millican at 10.30am, as well as my audition for my final year drama piece, ‘Lysistrata’.
Saturday 7th of October	Making a final decision into the pathway I’ve decided to take into a teacher training degree.
Sunday 8th of October	Research into where a teaching degree can take me. Complete week 3’s research schedule.