Job Discussion Forums

Splitting Hairs · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 99

Hope you all had a great break
Just heard through a friend that there is another PGCE on offer in Dubai on top of the one offered by University of Sunderland. They say on their website that the course will start after Eid. There are a lot of business people who recently lost jobs applying to do teacher training in order to find teaching jobs. If you get the course you take 60 credits onto their MA course.
I have noticed that the PPP in Abu Dhabi and Cert at HCT all recognize a PGCE.
Here is the link
www.stafford.ae
contact [email protected]

BigGuy · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 34

Hey, wait a minute. I thought Stafford Associates were the outfit offering the U of Sunderland PGCE.

By the way, is it a Post Graduate Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education? If so, what's the difference?

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

Stafford Associates facilitate the delivery of course for various overseas academic institutes by providing classrooms, admin etc. They do not deliver the courses.

Splitting Hairs · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 99

McGrudys still offers the PDCE - which is a diploma based qualification whereas Stafford Offer the PGCE which is harder and more demanding. The tutors for University Sunderland have moved over to the PGCEi and there are new tutors for the McGrudy's course.

boxcarwilly · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 85

When taking the PGCE, one needs to be very careful which one you are taking. PGCE can stand for either Professional Graduate Certificate in Education or Post Graduate Certificate in Education. The former is an "H" level course and the latter is an "M" level (Master's) course. Near as I can tell they both cost the the same price. The Post Graduate is the more valuable certificate. How these schools can market different levels in the same acronym is I think deceptive. I realize there is a new course with an "i" after the PGCE. A number of people who took the McGrudy's couse thought they were taking the Post Graduate but they were not. Very disappointing. Perhaps the "H" level is less demanding for non-native speakers, but still the folks who offer these courses need to be more specific about what they are offering. It's like those english schools that have the name Oxford in their name but have no connection to THE Oxford whatsoever. But to be duped at the PGCE level is taking deception to a new level. It's always about the money and not the ethics.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Just curious... if "M" is Master's level... what is "H"?

VS

Pikgitina · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 420 Location: KSA

Honours?

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

A PGCE is a post graduate teaching qualification, the only one recognised by the Education authorities in England and Wales for people wishing to teach in the State system. So, if you have a BA or BSc in geography, for example, and you want to teach geography in a State school, you need a PGCE in geography, unless your degree is B Ed(Geography). It isn't Masters level, it's a practical and theoretical teaching course over a year. For around 20 years now, it has also been possible to do a PGCE in HE or FE or Adult Ed but this won't allow you to teach in schools.
Most degrees in England and Wales now are Honours degrees if you fulfil all requirements of the course.
How Magrudy's can offer a teaching qualification, I don't know but I'm fairly sure it wouldn't be recognised in the United Kingdom as all qualified teachers have State registration through an approved university or training college. HCT has just begun to realise that teacher training is useful, more so than a higher level academic qualification so perhaps Magrudy's sees an opening there and hopes that no one knows the difference.

Dedicated · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 972 Location: UK

There have been some changes phased in between 2005 -2007 in the UK.
The Postgraduate Certificate of Education includes credits towards a master's degree, but in England and Wales only (NOT Scotland) a PGCE without master's credits was phased in from 2005 - 2007, which is called the Professional Graduate Certificate of Education.

The Postgrad C.E. sits on the Master's level of the framework for Higher Education Qualifications, whereas the Professional Grad. Cert of Education sits at a lower level on the Honour's level.

In Scotland, the PGCE was renamed the PGDE from 2005-2006, but identical in content to the previous PGCE.

Both the Postgraduate Certificate and the Professional Graduate Certificate are widely recognised in the UK and overseas. Both give QTS status (Qualified Teacher Status)...you also have to do skills tests in Literacy, Numeracy and IT.

Technically, PGCE is a non-degree qualification, as it is directly related to a career, so considered vocational, and therefore, does not grant any postnominals (ie. letters after your name)

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

I'm really out-of-date! Too long in the UAE.

heyteacha · Joined: 04 Apr 2010 Posts: 21

Asda · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 231

Tom Le Seelleur · Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 242

I finished my PGCE in 2006 and it did the world of good in terms of making me a much better teacher as well as help secure two good jobs.