University of Huddersfield: Teacher Training Information

Yesterday I went along to an information session about post graduate teaching courses at the University of Huddersfield where I spoke to one of the tutors that taught on the Lifelong Learning qualification.

As I was unsure about what sort of age group I would potentially like to teach in the future, the Lifelong Learning sector is less restrictive in that sense. It focuses on learners that are 16+, which would give me more flexibility in terms of when and where I could work, as opposed to being restricted to 9-5 hours in a secondary school for example. 

The Course

The course itself is a Certificate in Education (CertEd) pre-service which takes place over 1 year full time, or two years part time for those already in a teaching role (which wouldn't apply to me). 

I explained to the tutor, Gwyneth that I was interested in leading art workshops for all ages which could include taking part in community projects, visiting schools and other institutions. She agreed that this would be a suitable qualification for me if I was interested in a teaching role, as it is a very practical and hands on based course. This being that placements are introduced very early on in the course, and are run intensively throughout with continuous assessment.

Thoughts

I came away from the session with my head spinning all over the place. Obviously this is something that I am really interested in, but I don't know when the best time to commit to a course like this would be. I don't want to be one of those teachers that come fresh out of uni with no life experience, and are just regurgitating their lives in education, back into education. But on the other hand, it depends what I am doing with my illustrative practice which is of course the priority. 

Luckily Gwyneth said that they take applications until a few weeks before the start date of the course, which would be next September which is good because I have plenty of time to decide whether it is something I would like to pursue straight after I graduate. As well, it is always something that I could come back to after a productive and enriching period of time working in the industry itself. 

So doing a teaching qualification is definitely something to consider in the future, but for now my creative practice is something that I am going to place a higher emphasis on rather than fretting about what time in my life I will be ready to preach about art.

Reply From Jenna!

Today I received a reply from my email to Jenna Alldread, which must have taken her ages to write out because it is jam packed full of info!

I found it really helpful to get a heads up in what type of teaching qualifications give you the most freedom in the age groups you are able to work with. The PGdipe sounds slightly more vocational from this first impression, which would be more tailored to my experience, interest and direction as opposed to the standard PGCE.

Unfortunately I don't really have a clue about graphic design, and I'm starting to notice that work experience in that field is more accessible and straight forward than requesting work experience for illustration in particular. This doesn't want to make me be a Graphic Designer, but I think it would be helpful if I read up on the principles just so that I have a basic knowledge of the field. 

Jenna's working week sounds exciting, busy and very stimulating with the constant change of environment with multiple projects on the go, which is the kind of career frame I would aim to build myself. 

Steps to take from reading this email:

• Research into PGdipe qualifications
• Write down a list of career goals; what do I want to achieve within my creative practice short term and long term?
• Have some bloody confidence in my work and stop being scared to draw things even if they aren't good!

Job Search: Illustration Graduate

One of my post-graduate options is to try and gain employment within a creative agency/design house. This option is a difficult one, going by the old chestnut of graduates not being able to get jobs, however, for me I think the best route would be to work among other creatives in a more structured environment. Recently I have come to realise that it will probably take some time for me to develop the confidence and knowledge of the trade to go freelance.

I tapped in a few searches into 'indeed', a job search engine and the results mostly showed vacancies for Junior Graphic Designers, but not specifically illustrators. There were a few job descriptions that I liked the sound of, however the majority insisted of having 'at least two years of in house experience', which is super annoying because THATS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!

Examples

Benefit UK - Junior Designer 

https://chp.tbe.taleo.net/chp03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=BENEFITCOSMETICS&cws=47&rid=7435&source=Indeed.com

 Penguin Random House UK- Design Assistant

https://jobsearch.createyourowncareer.com/PRH_UK/job/London-Design-Assistant-Penguin-Random-House-Children's-LND-WC2R-0RL/326324101/?feedId=179501&utm_source=Indeed&utm_campaign=Bert_Indeed

The Creative Movement

There seems to be some sort of gap between graduating, and somehow gaining at least three years experience of working as an in house illustrator, which doesn't really make sense. This doesn't fill me with a lot of hope, but I will just have to contact other illustrators that have had this kind of experience and see what they have to share.

Other options:

Teaching/technician jobs

A friend of mine has recently graduated from her photography degree and is working as a student support/art technician as a sort of stop-gap job whilst she is having some time out thinking about what she wants to do career wise.
I think this is a great idea. She, like me struggles with the 'hobby becoming a chore' situation which can sometimes remove the fun and excitement from your creative drive when you have to start making a living from it. Working in a school would be suitable for me when I finish uni if I weren't in a position financially where I could move out of home and rent my own place, as well as if I had a bit of a creative downer (which happens quite a lot with me). Working with students who aspire to join the creative sector would be a refreshing and stimulating position for me to share my experiences and give advice to people who were once in my position.

This is just one example. It's only 22 hours per week, which would provide the opportunity to work freelance alongside this role, having the potential to work really well.

Bog standard day job and freelance in spare time

This is another option which could work, but I would probably find really difficult. Working full time in any job is pretty tiring without having to think of doing extra work in the evenings/weekends. If this were to be successful, I'd have to be in a busy place with lots of hustle and bustle and people to talk to in order to keep me on my toes and still hang on to my creative flare. 

Anyway this is stressing me out a bit now! It's good to have these things in mind but for now I just need to focus on what is happening right now, so today, this week etc. just so I don't wear myself out worrying before I even start third year.