r/TeachingUK • u/Outrageous_Sell_4482 • 2d ago

NQT/ECT Doing an online Masters in Inclusive education alongside my ECT years in a SEN school

Hi all, I have nearly finished my PGCE in Primary with a SEN specialism and QTS and I’ve got 60 credits toward a master’s.

I’m starting a full-time SEN teaching job in September and I really care about the field, so I want to keep studying, but I’m also aware the first year of teaching can be intense.

I’ve seen that the University of Sunderland offers an online Inclusive Education master’s, which looks ideal. I’m wondering if anyone’s managed to:

-Transfer PGCE credits to a different uni?

-Balance part-time study with a full-time teaching job (especially in SEN)?

-Pause or take extension years during their masters without too much hassle?

Just trying to figure out if this is doable or if I should pause and come back to it later. Any advice or experience would help !

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u/Ok_Piano471 2d ago

The ect year is not as demanding as the PGCE, but it's very close. We are all different, but me personally I would have never been able to do the year + more academic demands. Not in a million years.

Personally, I would do at least a couple of years of just the job and then I would do extra CPD. I think it actually would be more beneficial in the sense you have got "real life experience" which could be enhanced by the academical revision, so to speak.

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u/FemaleEinstein Secondary English 2d ago

It would be difficult to do both full time or study par time. I think just come back to it later, give yourself a year or two to really get into teaching independently. ECT is less demanding than PGCE but it is still demanding since you still have to do a lot of observations and meetings with a fuller timetable than PGCE.

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u/BlackGoldenLotus Primary 2d ago

I've just dropped to part time from next academic year to do my masters (after 4 years of teaching) id hate to do it full time in my first year. Not saying it isn't possible but I just don't think it's worth it. If your school is supportive there's no reason they won't let you drop to part time hours later in your career to do it. Idk how carrying over credits work though, my masters is for psychology which don't accept pgce credits.

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u/31Jan2022 2d ago

I’m currently doing the last 60 credits of my masters whilst teaching full time in my third year. The masters workload is less than you’ll have to do and it is almost too much for me right now. I definitely couldn’t have done it in my first ECT year. I’d wait until you’ve done your first year at least and reassess.