Help from any Teachers out there

[AliBaby]

Honestly, a bachelor of Education is hard work if you are working full time and looking after a child. You will have a prac to complete (sometimes 1 prac ranging from 10 days up to 4 weeks at a time) which is pretty much full time work at a school. I managed to do one prac over my degree when I was working fulltime but I was 21, had no kids and had a job that was flexible enough that I could work evenings and weekends to make sure I completed my 38hour week there. You also have lesson prep to do which is hard.

I am not saying it is impossible but it is something that you should consider before enrolling and paying all those uni fees.

No idea what the pay is like for a teachers aide but they get paid by the hours that they work and that can change all the time depending on students coming and going to the school, diagnosis of students changing and therefore changes to funding.

[Miss H]

I have been looking at becoming an Education Assistant as I just cannot afford the Uni fees. State schools pay between $31000 to $37000 pro rata for EA's. Cleaners and School Officers get paid more!

[Freya]

Have you thought about doing it by correspondence? Ive just enrolled to do my B.Ed (primary) through Open Universities. Their study load is 1 subject a study period = part time or 2 subjects a study period = full time. You have 10yrs to finish the degree. They offer FEE-HELP which is like HECS-HELP. You do it completely online in your own time. The Uni that does the teaching degree is Curtin in WA which I see is where your from. They help organise your placements in your home city which are in Year 1 2x 5 day placements and in Years 2-4 3wk/3wk/10wk placements respectively. Head to their website and have a look; can always ring them and have a chat about your options, they are lovely and helpful at the helpline.

[GlitterMum]

Freya I love you
I will def look into it
Thank you so much ladies for your help. I suspected that an EA doesnt pay much
Bugger.

Freya is it Edith Cowan that do it via correspondence???

Do you know the website????

[Miss H]

Freya is it Edith Cowan that do it via correspondence???

Do you know the website????

Open University does it via correspondence. They are linked with Curtin in WA. Website is www.open.edu.au.

[GlitterMum]

Thank you so much Miss H
You are awesome

Can I just ask, has anyone become an EA and then completed their Uni Degree???

For some reason I just keep going back to that way.....
Only for the simple reason I hate my job and dont want to have to keep doing this for the next 4 years.
At least if I was an EA I could be in the industry I strive to be in lol

Does that make sense????

[Miss H]

Yes, that makes sense. I am wanting to do it that way too. Will be interested if anyone else has done that.

[JLeigh29]

Just wanted to say good luck in persuing your dream. You've had some good advice here by the sounds of it. A teaching degree is a huge committment and pracs are a big responsibility (as a prac teacher we expected our students to put in a fair bit of time outside school hours to plan etc). I had a prac student last year who'd just started her degree externally after having a child. She also worked part time. She said the uni was pretty flexible. Do you qualify for Centrelink assistance? There is the equivalent of Youth Allowance for adult learners I heard, though I know nothing about it.

[GlitterMum]

ooh Julie, Thanks hun. I am 200% dedicated and I have a very supportive partner. I will def suss out the centrelink option. I am not sure