Diary of a Trainee Teacher

Oh my god! I had no idea that we had so much stuff. We’ve lived in a two bedroom flat for the last two years and we are having an absolute nightmare trying to pack it all! We’ve hired a van, but we’re not entirely sure it will all fit, even with a car as well. I’m starting to understand why moving house has such a reputation for being extremely stressful.

So sorry, I know it’s been two weeks since my last blog entry, but I was very busy with my French course (plus, I spent every day doing french grammar, it doesn’t make for interesting reading) and the practicalities of moving house. I really enjoyed the course, I met some lovely people, and most importantly, I feel confident enough to teach French to quite a high level. To be honest I remember more French than German right now.

I move at the end of the week, I’m really looking forward to it. Our new house is fantastic, I can’t wait to get on with it. Our current home is a combination of mess and neatly packed boxes and we’re running out of food on purpose. Meals are fairly uninspiring, as you can imagine.

I’m planning on doing some reading this week, my reading list is scary – not that anyone ever actually reads the books on the reading list in advance, but I’m sure this will inspire a few blog entries, so hopefully I’ll be a little less absent in the immediate future.

Right! To do list progress!

Today I managed to get my request for a certificate of good conduct signed, stamped and in the post. It’s cost cheques for £12 and £10.30 as well as 72p postage. Just have to wait for it to arrive now.

I’ve got my application for (another) student loan in to be assessed, including all the necessary beaurocracy, and I’ve informed my bank that I’ll be a student again and will need the overdraft facility for another year. More waiting.

I’ve emailed a primary school (actually my old one) to organise the obligatory week’s observation. Apparently we need to get a grounding in primary education to prepare us for secondary teaching. They’ve already, kind of, agreed to it so I just need to formalise it. Still waiting.

My OH (Let’s call him Mr Meanor, to fit in with the trend) has an interview (the final part of the interview process for a job he applied for a couple of months ago) and it’s in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

We’ve started contacting letting agencies ‘up north’ looking for somewhere appropriate to live. It’s rather exciting actually. I get to be strict about my requirements for a big kitchen diner, gas hobs and spare bedroom big enough for me to turn into an office.

I’ve started working through the textbooks for my French course, should be fine. I’m also seriously considering a short holiday in Germany in August. Hopefully this should help me get my languages balanced out.

I still need to go look at some properties, cancel gym membership and the rental on our current place and get all financial and paperwork based loose ends tied up, not to mention the practicalities of moving, but I’m on track so far.

Life almost reorganised.

Good news – I received a letter accepting me onto the French booster course in August. This is good news because it means I can meet the conditions of my offer. It is bad news because it means three weeks of intensive french and adding two textbooks to my already large collection of french grammar books. 

Also, my other half has an aptitude test next week. It’s the first stage of an interview process for a good and reasonably well paid job. We’ll need the extra income while I’m training, and wile I’m looking for work after the end of the course. Fingers crossed! 

There we go, I promised I’d be sunnier!

Another situation update – I’m now officially checked and cleared. I am not a criminal! By this I mean of course that I got my enhanced disclosure CRB check back. However – I still need proof of good behaviour in Germany, to pass the French course (and I don’t know if I’m even on it yet) and to sort out a student loan. 

Just to make matters more annoying, I received a letter calling me for jury service, in early July, exactly when I’m not really available to be away from work as it’s my last month. I’m going to try and get excused, on the basis that I’m not really free in July and getting it postponed would be impossible due to the course. Oh, and it was sent to my parents house, I haven’t lived in that part of the country for several years and I shouldn’t even be registered at that address, so I’m not really available for jury service there anyway! Grr!

I seem to be ranting a lot, I do apologise. I’ll try and be sunnier in future, promise!

My university have contacted me, to ’suggest’ that I get evidence of good behaviour in Germany as I lived there for 8 months and the CRB check won’t cover it. This can take the form of a letter from my employer or a certificate of good behaviour from the authorities. To get this, I need to complete a form with basic identifying details on it, I then need to get this stamped by an embassy, consulate (£15), notary public (unknown charge) or public authority (whatever that really means) as proof that I am who I say I am and then send this, plus 13 euro to Germany to get this document! It’s going to cost me about £30 quid once postage and any bank charges are taken into account, just to prove I was well behaved, add this to the original CRB charge and I think I have a right to be a little bit peeved. I know it’s necessary to check I’m not a child-molester, but really….. this seems a little over the top to me. 

As in jumping through them – there are so many!!!!!

Since I got home yesterday I’ve filled in a CRB check form, as I have to be vetted and paid £36 for the privilege, completed a health questionnaire and a formal acceptance form. I’ve also begun my application form for funding. I’ve done it online, and it needs checking, but it’s basically complete. 

All there is to do now is to get contact with a provider of a French booster course… it would be easier if they actually responded to my emails. 

Right, now that the elation of being successful is over with it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty of moving to a new part of the country, acquiring funding and meeting the conditions of my offer.

It’s too early to make arrangements to move at the moment, though my Other Half has applied for a graduate job so do cross your fingers for him too won’t you? I’ve started looking at rental properties, and I’m heartened to find that we’ll be able to afford a much nicer place than we have at the moment on the same money.

As for meeting the conditions of my offer… That would be French. I’ve started a Language Centre course, which will help and I’ve asked about a subject knowledge booster course in the summer. Hopefully I’ll get some information about that soon. Otherwise my parents are bringing my old books from A Level when they come to visit in a week or so, perhaps I’ll find something useful in there. 

The big issue is the Student Loan Company. I have plenty of experience of applying for loans, and a similar amount of experience of getting well and truly fed up with them! I must admit I’ve been putting off beginning the application process, it’s a highly annoying and long winded process and I’m not looking forward to it. I suppose I’d better get on with it soon though. As an independent student and a MFL student I should be better off than most students, getting the full loan, help with fees and a £9000 bursary. As it’s tax free I won’t be much worse off than I am at the moment. Got to jump through some hoops to get it though. I’ll keep you updated. 

After checking GTTR track for the umpteenth time it finally changed – I’m in! I have a conditional offer to do a PGCE teaching German with French at the University of Leeds. I assume the condition is that I improve my French to something that resembles A level standard as discussed at the interview!

I’m very excited and can’t seem to settle. I feel like a great big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. The people at work think I’m a loony, but I really don’t care.

I’m starting to worry about my sanity. I spent all Saturday morning stressing about the post – there was none – and today I’m checking the online tracking system compulsively (approximately every 30 minutes, sometimes less). I know that there’s still time, but I’m feeling kind of aimless, like I don’t know what to do with myself. Once I have an offer there’s loads to do, student loan, house hunting, not to mention learning my second language but until an offer materialises I simply have to wait.