[bokchok]

hi there

I have always wanted to do teaching as well which is very diff to my work and qualifications in management consulting

I am wondering about best places online to do it, what the study is like and costs - wondering basically if it would be worthwhile or manageable to do

thanks

[affectiion]

I'm finishing off my 4 year teaching degree at the moment. I have heard from teachers and principals in both the Catholic and Public system that online is not as highly regarded as actually attending uni itself.
That being said, i've also heard that many principals are not fans of the year/2 year masters degrees as at times the quality of teachers is not the same stadards as the 4 year degree.
Those are the two things I'd probably suggest you consider.
I attend ACU physically, so I can't tell you the best online place to study. The costs may be different for online study, but my HECS is charged around $2500 per semester for my degree. Again, if you do the Masters one/two year course, the charges might bedifferent.

Going back to uni is definately the bset thing I ever did, and I love teaching every day.
Schools love 'mature age' students, as we have life experience and a better appreciation for the job. It's definately a managable course, but I'd urge you to physically attend uni if it is viable for you to do so - I can't imagine trying to do this degree online as it's so very involved, and there is so much peer learning and group work.

[tenar]

I studied part time and by distance at Monash. If you are interested in learning about that let me know and I'll PM you. My experience was that people studying by distance had a very different experience to those doing the same subjects on campus.

To be honest the first thing you need to work out is what specialisms you would do (if secondary), or whether you would qualify as a primary teacher. Then work out whether there are actual jobs available in your area in those fields. It's all very well to be passionate about teaching but if you can't get an ongoing job in the next decade then the shine will well and truly have rubbed off before then.

Then think about how you could fit in the study.

I chose to study part time and by distance because I could fit that in alongside being a SAHM. I did have to arrange childcare for 10 weeks of school placements each year, but the rest I could do during the evenings and weekends. The cost was similar to the PP - worked out to about $5000/year.

[newphase]

Some distance options for ED are thru UNE, Murdoch, OUA/Curtin..

[kerryhi]

I did a Graduate Diploma of Education through Charles Darwin Uni and finished in June last year. I was offered a contract for last year by my mentor school just as my course was finishing. So I went straight from my final prac into a full time job. This year the same school has given me a full year contract.
They were not bothered by the fact my degree was online, they were impressed with the work that I completed and my classroom practices.
Now that I am working, no one would know who did which degree or did them online/on campus. I think it is a bit of a myth that schools care so much.
I worked in retail/communications before so it's totally different to the type of work I was used to! Oh, and I am OLD...lol...I was 42 when I finished my Grad Dip.
Good luck with your decision. If its what you want to do then go for it!

Kerry

[Jemstar]

I would not do my initial training as a teacher via distance ed if I could possibly help it. Teaching is one of those careers where you genuinely learn enormous amounts by training with other people. Well, you continue learning as a teacher from your peers all the time. The sharing and discussions about pedagogy, curriculum and strategy are worth their weight in gold. I've been teaching 16 years and I still learn new things on a regular basis from talking to other teachers. I would however, consider my masters via distance.

[PatG]

Make sure you take into account that you will have to do full time prac blocks.

Are you planning to do a Grad Dip or an Education degree?

[bokchok]

thanks everyone for your awesome input all good points to take in.

im still looking into the options and what I would be interested in doing and it depends on what happens with my work situation - working is not an option hence the "distance" option

there is a lot to consider that's for sure

[Atomac]

I am doing my degree in primary teaching through OUA/ Curtin and it is fantastic. You still get to have the discussions with your peers, except it is done via the computer.

[BlondieUK]

I studied part time and by distance at Monash. If you are interested in learning about that let me know and I'll PM you. My experience was that people studying by distance had a very different experience to those doing the same subjects on campus.

To be honest the first thing you need to work out is what specialisms you would do (if secondary), or whether you would qualify as a primary teacher. Then work out whether there are actual jobs available in your area in those fields. It's all very well to be passionate about teaching but if you can't get an ongoing job in the next decade then the shine will well and truly have rubbed off before then.

Agree with tenar on both these counts. I did my GradDipEd thourgh Monash, part time and distance. To be brief - we got done. But, I also know that the lecturer who was the most problematic (not giving adequate time to distance students; setting a syllabus based on her research interests rather than on focusing on training teachers etc etc) no longer works there after a myriad of complaints from students. I also know that the Ed Faculty has had quite a shake up since then. I chose to go back to Monash for a distance ed, PT Masters, and it's been great. Like tenar, PM me if you want details.

And about the jobs - if you can do your training in Maths, Science or a foreign language, then go for it. Any other subject area is going to require some pretty careful research and thinking.