Teaching Archaeology

[toots]

Afternoon. My problem is a common one apparently but I'm sure there is a way round...can anyone help?
I've got a degree and masters in Archaeology and have would like to end up teaching A-Level archaeology in a sixth form college. To this end I have abandoned life as a digger and now work in a rather down-trodden secondary school as a cover supervisor (which means I look after classes when the teacher's off). So my next step is to train as a teacher. I don't need Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teach in a college but pay and conditions are much better if I have it and I've got the fall back of secondary school if it all goes wrong. So...to get QTS I need to do I PGCE. The obvious option is back to Uni but nowhere is keen to take me on to a History course because I don't have a relevant degree (?!?!?!). Now, I know there are differences between history and arch, but, come on! Back to Uni is not a great option anyway as I am still paying for the MA.
So, next option, train on the job. This would be ideal as I would be earning as I train...but the nearest college which does A-Levels is 90 mins away (I live in Carlisle by the way, it's not that remote!). So it appears I can only train in the school I'm already in, but this place has a very low uptake of A-levels so I'm never going to get where I want to go while I'm here.

So, I suppose I'm asking for advice on how to get into teaching with an archeaology degree. It seems like a fairly obvious career choice to me but there is no obvious way to get there...does anybody know?

[troll]

Greetings Toots.Sounds ridiculous.Not a relevant degree?How absurd! If as you say-uni and yet more debt is not a viable option...
You could register with the Workers Educational Association (WEA) as a tutor and run courses for them.The work is paid and they have local/regional concerns.Not ideal I know but it will provide verifiable experience of structured teaching for a start.Hope this helps:D

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[troll]

Greetings Toots.Sounds ridiculous.Not a relevant degree?How absurd! If as you say-uni and yet more debt is not a viable option...
You could register with the Workers Educational Association (WEA) as a tutor and run courses for them.The work is paid and they have local/regional concerns.Not ideal I know but it will provide verifiable experience of structured teaching for a start.Hope this helps:D

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[i_love_rocks]

Have you asked the Open University whether they would accept you on a PGCE?
http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C55

[i_love_rocks]

Have you asked the Open University whether they would accept you on a PGCE?
http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C55

[troll]

You could always go abroad, beat the living crap out of someone,get nicked, come back to the UK and get instant clearance to work with children and vulnerable groups.....;)

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[troll]

You could always go abroad, beat the living crap out of someone,get nicked, come back to the UK and get instant clearance to work with children and vulnerable groups.....;)

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[Tomb fiddler]

I am actually an A level Archaeology lecturer in a college. It is a great subject to teach but you have to be realistic. There are some colleges in the country which have lots of Archaeology students but the majority have less than 10 students. To guarentee my job I have to teach archaeology, geology, environmental science and geography to make sure that I do not get made re-dundant. To stay in a college environment you will have to say yes to any work that is given to you if you want to specifically teach archaeology. However, there are lots of positives including long holidays and generally easy kids to teach. So you need to be prepared to teach other subjects. This is extremely solid advice - unless you get luck and have 30 archaeology students in a college and you only teach this one subject.

[Tomb fiddler]

I am actually an A level Archaeology lecturer in a college. It is a great subject to teach but you have to be realistic. There are some colleges in the country which have lots of Archaeology students but the majority have less than 10 students. To guarentee my job I have to teach archaeology, geology, environmental science and geography to make sure that I do not get made re-dundant. To stay in a college environment you will have to say yes to any work that is given to you if you want to specifically teach archaeology. However, there are lots of positives including long holidays and generally easy kids to teach. So you need to be prepared to teach other subjects. This is extremely solid advice - unless you get luck and have 30 archaeology students in a college and you only teach this one subject.

[1man1desk]

Not what you will want to hear, I know, but I really don't think you should be contemplating a teaching career if you don't want to carry out the necessary professional training.

OU sounds like a good option if they do a relevant PGCE, otherwise keep plugging away at the teacher training colleges - try to show them how your degree(s) are relevant.

1man1desk

to let, fully furnished

[toots]

I didn't mean to imply I don't want to do the training...teaching is a job you simply cannot do without training. My problem is that I can't find a course which will accept me with an archaeology degree. I understand that archaeology would be a secondary subject and I would have to teach something more mainstream like history, but all the course providers I have spoken to won't accept my qualifications (OU doesn't offer a history PGCE). I was just hoping someone already in the job would be able to tell me how they got there.

[Tomb fiddler]

quote:Originally posted by toots

I didn't mean to imply I don't want to do the training...teaching is a job you simply cannot do without training. My problem is that I can't find a course which will accept me with an archaeology degree. I understand that archaeology would be a secondary subject and I would have to teach something more mainstream like history, but all the course providers I have spoken to won't accept my qualifications (OU doesn't offer a history PGCE). I was just hoping someone already in the job would be able to tell me how they got there.

[Tomb fiddler]

Hi Toots - Just so you know - it is possible to be employed in an FE college without a qualification. When you sign the contract you are also signing to say that you will get your Post-16 PGCE qualification within 3 years. I find teaching Archaeology extremely rewarding and I also enjoy teaching the other earth sciences (you may go for history!) Just a tip - at our place the students find WW2 history boring eg Hitler etc and always ask id we could do e.g. Medievil history. The AS level is really interesting with pre, syn, and post excavation techniques and religion and ritual. The A2 is really boring especially the Material Culture section but the society bit is OK and the coursework. Students who take Archaeology are really keen and a pleasure to teach. If you have a forward thinking boss he may let you set up a Foundation Degree in Archaeology (i.e.the first bit of a normal degree in a college). I really enjoy it. We get 14 weeks a year holiday - when university lecturers are still expected to work. You may have to do some part time work before they take you on full time. You must say yes to anything that is offered.

[sarahlouise]

HI toots
Ok not sure if anyone else has said this but the CBA has worked long and hard on this one. The universities should read their guidelines they can not discriminate against you for having an archaeology degree but unfortunately they do. The outreach/education officer for CBA Don Henson is really cool and approachable and might be able to advise you about accesible degrees.