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Teachers change the world – Janie Livermore

Tue 15 October 2019 - 15:15

By Janie Livermore in Teacher Training

My mum inspired me to become a teacher. She has worked in primary schools since I can remember, and growing up, I would go to her class and help her out when I could; I loved the fact that no two days were the same. Also, I have a lot of lovely memories of my time in primary school with my mum working there and my dad being heavily involved. Every member of my immediate family have worked in education, and I guess it was natural for me to do the same.

I came back from travelling for 2 years thinking I have missed the boat in applying for any type of teacher training course when my mum spotted an advert in the local newspaper. I applied straight away and got offered an interview a few days later. The interview was at a local primary school, and we had to take a literacy and maths test, take in a book suited for the year group allocated and read to a class, as well as preparing a presentation about ourselves and an interview with the course director and the head teacher. The...

If at first – Hayley Ebdon

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:50

By Hayley Ebdon in Teacher Training

A PGCE wasn’t always the way that I had intended to complete my ITT. For the 2014/15 academic year, I had applied for one PGCE course, and two School Direct (salaried) programmes. Unfortunately, all of my applications were unsuccessful – I didn’t even get as far as an interview for the PGCE at this stage. I was very nervous about the whole process and the interviews were really tough – one had a panel of six head teachers interviewing! The feedback from the interviews was that I needed more experience in a school – due to working full-time, I’d only really done the two weeks minimum experience required for application.
 
I had five years’ working experience in a private nursery, moving from a student to a nursery nurse, to assistant manager, to nursery manager, but this obviously wasn’t enough. I’d worked full-time whilst studying part-time (one night per week) for my degree, moving from a foundation degree to a BA (Hons) Top-up, where I finished with First...

Can you get financial help from grants, scholarships and bursaries?

Thu 10 January 2019 - 16:26

By money.co.uk in Money

You have to pay student loans back with interest after you graduate, but there are several other ways to help you pay for university that do not need to be paid back.

Universities offer help to support students with financial difficulties, to award achievements or to attract gifted students.

You can’t get Maintenance Grants or Special Support Grants when you start uni any more, but you can get financial support in the following ways:

Scholarships are awarded based on your academic achievements or abilities. They...

How to find a job

Thu 10 January 2019 - 16:18

By money.co.uk in Money

There are lots of resources on the internet that can help you find a job, successfully apply for it and perfect your interview technique.

• UCAS’ careers guides cover everything from writing your CV to how to get into specific industries.
• The BBC website features videos to help you prepare for finding a job.

What industry should you work in?
Your degree could help you get a job in particular industries. For example, a maths degree could make it easier to get a job in...

What is sixth form like?

Thu 6 June 2019 - 14:31

By Charlotte Stevenson in Applicant

When I faced university, the new challenges and new aspects of an entirely new place took over and some how my brain completely erased the memories of only two years earlier, when I had been beginning sixth form with much the same feelings. It is strange to look back now and think that for both of these experiences, I must have been experiencing very similar things. But the thing is, when everyone around you is adjusting to the new situation as well it is often quite easy to adjust - and if not easy, it just happens so quickly that before you know it, your A levels are over and you're moving on to the next stage in your academic training. 
 
Manchester was definitely a fantastic city to study in. In fact, studying here meant having access to many interesting and valuable resources - from the John Rylands' library to the museum of natural history, or even the foreign language centres, and especially the central library with it's floor of musical...

How to cut the cost of bills and insurance at uni

Mon 28 January 2019 - 14:55

By money.co.uk in Money

If you can cut the cost of the dull things in life, you’ll have more money to spend on exciting things.

It’s worth spending a few minutes shopping around for cheaper utilities and insurance if it will save you enough for a night out. Here’s how:

Paying bills
Halls of residence and some student houses include most of your bills in your rent, but if you live in private accommodation that you share with others you will need to share the bills too.

To make it fair you could use a service like Split the Bills. Everyone in...

Cure the debt hangover from your student days

Wed 7 November 2018 - 16:31

By money.co.uk in Money

As the heady days of student life become consigned to the realm of nostalgia, it’s time to pick up the tab.
 
Reality might begin to bite when you find yourself landed in thousands of pounds worth of debt, money flowing out of your account that you cannot keep track of, and a credit history tarred from years of abusing credit.
 
However, there are some quick and easy steps you can take to get your finances back on track.

Clean up your overdraft act
While your overdraft may have seemed like your best friend during your student days, now you are no longer studying it is likely to be more of a curse, particularly if it...

Preparing for Exams

Thu 10 January 2019 - 16:27

By Anna J in Applicant

Hello!
 
I hope you're okay and not too stressed with exams and revision etc. I've done 2 exams so far this year and so I thought I'd share my top tips on how I prepare the day of my exam.

Morning and afternoon exams are obviously very different, and I know that everyone has one they prefer. Personally, I like morning exams much better because I feel fresher and more energised in the morning and so I'm able to concentrate for longer - most of the time anyway!!

So here is what I do on the day of the exam to help me feel prepared and calm.
 
1) Confidence
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most self-confident person in the world. My motto for confidence is "fake it till you make it" and that works pretty well most of the time!
For both my exams so far, I've woken up early before college so I can...

Seven ways to kick-start your studies

Thu 10 January 2019 - 16:27

By National Extension College in Applicant

In a few months’ time, a million young people in the UK will be immersing themselves for the first time in the hurly-burly of undergraduate life on a university campus. At the same time, online and distance learning students will start studying in the peace and quiet of their own home. Two very different experiences, but they both have something important in common. As well as getting to grips with their chosen subject, they have to learn how to take responsibility for how and when they study.

...

What's it like at a music conservatoire?

Tue 22 October 2019 - 14:41

By Charlotte Stevenson in UCAS advice

If you’re thinking of studying at a conservatoire there are many things to consider before you apply. advice to get you started but in this blog post we get an inside look at applying to a conservatoire and of conservatoire life from Charlotte Stevenson, who studies at Leeds College of Music.

What has been the most enriching part of studying at a conservatoire?

Being able to access resources that allowed me...

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