PGCE - Secondary - PGCE Business and PGCE Business with Economics

Jack Ashington-Carter

Jack Ashington-Carter is embarking on a career in teaching after completing his PGCE Secondary, Business with Economics at the University of the Worcester.

“Last year, there were a few occasions where my wife was very unwell,” he said. “It was somewhat challenging finding the time to finish university work or lesson plans with repeated trips to the Hospital, but I found the time because of how much I enjoy the profession.”

“My long-term plans are to become a Head of Department and continue through a middle-leadership route,” he said. “I chose to study at the University of Worcester because of the phenomenal reputation it has as a teacher training provider, the locality and the programme that had been established to ensure that I could develop into an excellent teacher.”

“I found my time at the University incredibly rewarding. There was a lot of support on hand throughout the PGCE for both academic issues and personal. The Tutors at the University are wonderful and are always willing to listen. The exposure to the classroom prior to placement was very welcome and began to build confidence. The feedback from the first day in the classroom to the final day of PGCE was second to none and had a developmental focus to ensure that we kept pushing ourselves to be the best possible practitioners.”

Fatema Karim

“I feel as though my PGCE really prepared me for this year and I hope to be able to continue to improve as a teacher and go far in the profession,” said the 22-year-old. 

“I really enjoyed the visits we used to do at schools as it helped us look at a variety of institutes such as private boarding schools, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) schools and colleges,” she said. “The visits also helped me understand what type of school I would like to work in. The highlight for me was when we visited a school and were able to run an enterprise day for their Year 7s. It was amazing to see our hard work become a reality.”

“I was involved in a lot outside of my PGCE and all this became hard to juggle,” said Fatema, of Hall Green, Birmingham. “My University tutor alongside my placement schools assisted me throughout the course with this so I could prioritise my PGCE and therefore make it to the end. These skills have continued to help me into my first teaching year and I could not be more grateful or thankful for that.”

“We were also given constant reminders that the University was always there to help whether that be financially or offering mental health support which I think is really important when being a university student.”

Evelin Herbert

“Graduating after a challenging year as a teacher trainee feels uplifting,” said Evelin. “While the course was demanding and I recounted the numerous challenges during the year, I feel extremely proud to have finished and have become a trained teacher. Everyone has been extremely supportive, especially my university tutor, who helped me through everything involving personal matters. I am very thankful for her, and I believe I could not have done my training without the support I received.”

“I found my time to be scarce, but it is definitely possible to finish a teacher training, even with part time jobs or family time.” 

"While I had lived in the UK before during my bachelor course, this time I had to make my move from Budapest to Worcester completely all on my own, while being responsible for my dog. The two of us had a lovely journey exploring the city and learning new things.”

Trish Duncan

“The University of Worcester was one of the few universities that offered the chance to train to become a Business Teacher,” said Trish. “And it also came with a great reputation. So, in June 2020 I found myself having an interview to be accepted on the course.  Luckily, I got accepted, left my job and started studying like mad so I felt ready for my September start.”

“I was concerned that my hearing impairment would negatively impact my ability to become a teacher, but I was wrong. The University helped me apply for some extra funding that enabled me to get a microphone and loop system that I could use in my classroom to help me hear my pupils better.”

“My business tutor and professional studies tutor were both fantastic,” she said. “I felt very supported at all times and nothing ever felt like too small a problem to discuss. My placements were at Hanley Castle High School and Pershore High School, both of which were fantastic, and I cannot thank them enough for the training and support.”

“Graduating felt amazing – this last year has just flown by – and I’m so proud that at 39 I have started on a new path in my life that I absolutely adore. I have no regrets about changing my career.”

Imogen Youd

Imogen was living in Barcelona playing in Catalonia’s Division 2 basketball league when she decided she wanted to train to become a teacher.

“I decided I wanted to teach Business as I was volunteering in a primary school in Spain and felt very passionate about ensuring every pupil had the same opportunities in education,” said Imogen. “I chose Worcester for my PGCE as I had a previous experience here which I loved and also the reputation for teaching education is top-notch.”

“My time studying was very intense,” she said. “I was already aware that the PGCE would be very full-on but having basketball commitments alongside this, made it so that I had barely any free time at all. Lesson planning took a great deal of time for me, but I enjoyed seeing how I made a difference to pupil lives.”

Imogen is now working at a school in Twickenham and is running the Business Curriculum, alongside playing basketball for Brent Bulls in Division 2 of the national league.

“In the coming years I plan on applying for head of department/head of year roles to capitalise on my managerial experience,” she said. “I am also still playing basketball and enjoying the healthier, work-life balance.”

Alex McDonald

Alex McDonald completed his PGCE in Business with Economics and will shortly take on a role as Head of Department. His feat is all the more remarkable as he combined this with six months helping out as a medical secretary.

“I am certainly proud of myself,” said the 24-year-old, of Cheltenham. “I remember the Course Leader saying in the first week of the PGCE that teaching is like a rollercoaster, and I definitely found the PGCE full-on at times. The end goal is always in the back of your mind, and it therefore makes life much more relaxing when you know you are going to be stood in your own classroom and making a difference to your own students in the not too distant future.”

Alex added: “The PGCE course at the University of Worcester is very highly respected by schools across the country. I thoroughly enjoyed the level of support and guidance given; I would certainly classify it as a personal learning experience.  Moreover, the University and I are very much still in contact and I know that if I ever have any concerns that I can ask for support and guidance.” 

Owen

"After thoroughly enjoying economics at sixth form and then going on to study economics at University I felt that I wanted to go into teaching Economics myself.

"My passion for solely teaching economics at a sixth form level was something I was concerned about going into a secondary PGCE Business with Economics course. That being said, my passion was immediately recognised and my tutor ensured I had placement schools that had this on offer. Early on I enjoyed the Business with Economics teaching as the variety on offer meant every day was different.

"With an extremely comprehensive teacher training course including group discussions, teaching support, interview support, and more; I could not have asked for a more dedicated course tutor. This enabled me to fulfil my passion as I am now a sixth form teacher of economics at Bromsgrove School, as well as being an A level examiner.

"The opportunities go beyond just teaching however as I have been employed by various practice paper and revision companies to author practice papers and exemplar exam material, which I would not have been able to do without the experience and support from Yvonne on this PGCE course."

Kai Zhong

Kai worked as a Business and Accounting teacher in an international school in China but wanted to expand his knowledge further and decided the UK was the place to do it.

He applied for and completed a Masters’ degree in Educational Management and Leadership at the University of Southampton before applying to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the University of Worcester.

“I chose to train as a teacher at the University of Worcester because it has a great reputation,” he said. “When I had my interview with my tutor, Yvonne, it was a great feeling and she was really experienced. After that, I was convinced that I should choose the University of Worcester because I knew I could learn loads from her. And that is indeed what happened.”

Kai is returning to China where he has secured a new job working in an international school.

Read Kai’s full case study here.