Over the last couple of weeks, the question I have been asked the most is why farming? …especially as I was so dedicated on becoming a PE teacher. Well I guess there are a couple of reasons and I have always believed "Things happen for a reason!”
The various routes into teacher training have changed over the last couple of years. The traditional PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) is the most widely recognised and involves being based at a University as well as going on school placements throughout the year. However, more recently a scheme has been introduced where you are employed by a school and they train you with the intention of employing you at the end of the year. This option appealed to me the most, however very few schools (or schools that I was interested in) offered this. So I started looking at the PCGE route. Bath’s PGCE was a renowned course, yet it got scrapped the year I was expected to start due to not coinciding with the University’s core aims. At the same time, the government stopped any financial incentives for PE teacher training as there are too many PE teachers for the number of job vacancies, therefore leaving a lot of unemployed newly qualified staff. These 3 key things made my decision very easy!
Of course these reasons aren’t the only things that made me choose farming as it almost sounds like a last resort…. this is definitely not the case! Farming is a passion, and with it comes a lifestyle. If you work hard, you will reap the benefits. This has always been my work ethic and I feel with teaching you do not always see/receive the benefits. Within the private teaching sector, it is long working hours and Saturday sports fixtures means that you need to dedicate all your time to the school. Whist I loved this on my placement year, I can imagine that year after year this may become repetitive and so the enthusiasm and motivation will eventually run out. I also believe that school sport is not what is use to be. New health and safety and child protection legislations has made in almost impossible to be that fun, proactive teacher that you always remember as a child and progressing up the ladder in a school means less teaching time with the students and more administrative work…an aspect that doesn’t appeal to me.
As I looked more into teaching, it was becoming a less attractive option and a lifestyle that could not match what was waiting at home…
The various routes into teacher training have changed over the last couple of years. The traditional PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) is the most widely recognised and involves being based at a University as well as going on school placements throughout the year. However, more recently a scheme has been introduced where you are employed by a school and they train you with the intention of employing you at the end of the year. This option appealed to me the most, however very few schools (or schools that I was interested in) offered this. So I started looking at the PCGE route. Bath’s PGCE was a renowned course, yet it got scrapped the year I was expected to start due to not coinciding with the University’s core aims. At the same time, the government stopped any financial incentives for PE teacher training as there are too many PE teachers for the number of job vacancies, therefore leaving a lot of unemployed newly qualified staff. These 3 key things made my decision very easy!
Of course these reasons aren’t the only things that made me choose farming as it almost sounds like a last resort…. this is definitely not the case! Farming is a passion, and with it comes a lifestyle. If you work hard, you will reap the benefits. This has always been my work ethic and I feel with teaching you do not always see/receive the benefits. Within the private teaching sector, it is long working hours and Saturday sports fixtures means that you need to dedicate all your time to the school. Whist I loved this on my placement year, I can imagine that year after year this may become repetitive and so the enthusiasm and motivation will eventually run out. I also believe that school sport is not what is use to be. New health and safety and child protection legislations has made in almost impossible to be that fun, proactive teacher that you always remember as a child and progressing up the ladder in a school means less teaching time with the students and more administrative work…an aspect that doesn’t appeal to me.
As I looked more into teaching, it was becoming a less attractive option and a lifestyle that could not match what was waiting at home…