i dont normally post on the forums anymore and i doubt that any of you will remember me but i thought i would give this a shot.
On thursday i have an interview for Early Years PGCE in london.This has been my 3rd year of applying to get onto a pgce course and this is the first interview i have had.
In the past year i have applied for 2 salaried jobs at my current work place and i didnt get those jobs.If i cant get a job with people that know me and how good i am with kids, how do i have any hope of getting onto a course when they dont know me. I had some very negative comments regarding those interviews which have knocked my confidence to 0 especially as things with my work seemed to have gone down hill mostly from my boss in the early years setting that i work in is very negative towards me and my position there.
This interview means so much to me, if i get onto the course then maybe things will finally start to work out for me in regards to my career.ive bought books and i have been revising for the maths and english tests which i have to pass to get through to the next stage of interview.i have been given very little info other than the 2 tests and a group interview.I think the unknown is what is scary about the group interview. Confidence is so important but i dont have any anymore.
I dont know what i expect from this thread, maybe something to do before the interview to give myself self confidence, or maybe some advice from any people in the education field.I just hope i find something because the fear of the whole thing is horrific.
Congratulations for getting the interview! It's been a long road but this is progress :)
I think we all get nervous about interviews, no matter what level. I nearly walked out before my interview to get onto my course, I just seriously did not expect to get accepted. Especially because this course means so much to you, you will feel nervous. With your experience & persistence in applying, nobody can ever say that you are not determined.
PGCE's do have a lot of competition, or so I've found from the teachers I've spoken to. Your persistence is a testimony to the fact that you really want this & it means a lot to you - isn't that what all children need? :) & that should hopefully help you to build your confidence. You know deep down that you wouldn't've kept trying & putting up with these negative comments if this didn't mean a lot to you & that somewhere, you knew you would be good at this job.
I'll be thinking of you on Thursday. Googling "interview success" ideas could bring up some generic ideas for building your confidence, as well.
nerves and low confidence are very normal before an important meeting of any sorts. Let's face it, this one could be life changing, so it's only natural that you have these feelings.
Lack of confidence doesn;t need to cost you your place on the course though. It sounds a bit lame I know, but have you been trying some affirmations? If not I would suggest that you spend some time thinking (and writing if it would help) about all the things that would make you a GOOD PGCE candidate and EY teacher. Make a list and whenever you feel the fear/ panic coming back to you, just look over that list and read it aloud to yourself, possibly in the mirror, looking yourself in the eye as you say positive things. It DOES work unless you decide ahead of time that it won;t.
As for the negative feedback from other interviews; can you remember specifics? If you can, now is the time to use them. Think of everything you have done or are doing to overcome the shortcomings identified. Think of what you COULD do to make improvements on the points made and also have yourself a think about your strengths and achievements.
There must have been something on yoour form that made them want to interview you, so remember to look at what you sent them and remember that it's all true or you wouldn;t have said it.
Above all remember that even though you didn't get the perma-jobs at your place of work, you must be good at it to still be there. People aren;t allowed to mess around where childcare is concerned, so if there were any doubts about your suitability, you'd be out of there by now.
I believe in you, and I only wish there was a way I could help you believe more in yourself.
There must be advice on the internet about job interviews, I'd say study the advice, keyboard warrior is right, maybe even contact someone who knows about how to succeed at interviews, the only thing I do know is that interviewers appreciate someone who makes an effort, I don't even know what PGCE is, but if they know you're all clued up on it, tha could help, good luck, & think positive.
Would it help to have a few 'practice' interviews - perhaps with a friend or family member? They can then give you feedback too on how you appeared, what you did well or could have done better etc. Preparation is everything!
Good luck
xxx
There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: 'This glass is half full'. And then there are those who say: 'This glass is half empty'.
The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: 'What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!
Mikey- A friend of mine is going to go through stuff tomorrow evening with me, so hopefully that will help but its so hard to know what i will be asked as i have been unable to find any info at all about what happens with the group through various student forums.
Shrimpy- The feedback i got back was done in a very unprofessional way, i was told while i was stuck on the bus pick up with my boss and he freaked out a bit.The general thing was that my answers were not very long for some questions but in ways because they knew me some of the questions they knew the answer to and they said that, but the interview was poorly arranged and stuff was meant to be given to me before the interview but wasnt.
i have been looking around at peoples experience of the interview days, each interview is SO different, If it was a 1-1 interview i believe i would feel more confident but as it is a group interview i feel i will struggle to get my opinion out without freezing with nerves. I've also heard they may be a presentation to do on the day which you prep that day.I guess i am working myself up about letting myself down and everyone else.
i had an interview for uni last year and thought i wasn't going to get into that one, i was just there for the experience. this left me being totally relaxed during the audition/interview, i was myself and didn't worry about whether i was answering there questions correctly. i found that being myself, knowing about the course, and occasionally stepping out of what was comfortable (just a tad) really helped and i got a place somewhere i never dreamed of getting in, just was there to fill up UCAS space : )
We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.
