Most jobs do not require a Degree level Education

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

It's not that having a degree makes you brilliant its that so many people who don't have one are just so bad.

Doing a degree basically means you have a fair grasp of a written and oral language ( ie you can speak in more than a grunt without swearing), you can sit down for 2-3 hours in an exam and write something without chatting to your mates (what you write is irrelevant). You have the ability to turn up at a location on time (you may even look up how to get there in advance).

Other skills the ability to concentrate enough to read a book, the ability to concentrate on a particular task. You also may know how to queue, how to change how you speak depending on who the target of conversation is. Even better you may be able to disagree with someone without punching them!

Lol

But 3 years and 30k is a lot to simply demonstrate that......

[JimC]

You need more than that to teach senior maths and science. You need to have both a broader and deeper viewpoint than the level you expect your best students to achieve.

I have nearly 40 years in the game, teaching senior secondary maths and science, and I know what is needed.

[Schneibster]

A lot of people who didn't get very good educations don't think very much of teachers.

I think that's a shame.

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

You need more than that to teach senior maths and science. You need to have both a broader and deeper viewpoint than the level you expect your best students to achieve.

I have nearly 40 years in the game, teaching senior secondary maths and science, and I know what is needed.

At A Level (18?) I can see that would be needed - but I still don't see required for only a GCSE. The Teacher training can focus on the subject(s) that will be taught, and it's not as if the subjects change much. and certainly not for Primary school children - where it's called "sums"

In the UK a major challenge seems to be simply to get 'em to read and write ........

......personally I would scrap GCSE's and go for a School leaving certificate - with modules for each subject.

Minimum to get is 5 for the Cert (English / basic Maths and 3 other choices)......I would also make them easier than O level . the major advantage is that modules can be taken later in life and the cert does not indicate that it took you 25 years to acheive ........for those going on to A level can take some enhanced exams in the subjects to be studied.