Hello people and greetings from Japan.

Here is some new content I have posted on the 'Applying for a PGCE' page. To view all the information I have written regarding the subject, click on the tab above.

The new content is regarding taking observations in British state schools which is a requirement that must be fulfilled prior to application.

These are the subheadings of the content that I have posted on the before-mentioned page:

OBSERVING LESSONS BEFORE APPLYING - WHERE, WHEN AND FOR HOW LONG?

MY EXPERIENCE OF OBSERVING LESSONS.

GETTING READY TO APPLY - REFEREES.

GETTING READY TO APPLY - YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT.

I hope that, if you are thinking about applying for a PGCE, this page will give you some tips and things to consider that you won't find anywhere else. Although it is useful to anyone thinking about applying for a PGCE, it also has some extra tips for those people who are thinking about applying from abroad, as I did. Click on the tab above!

New Information for PGCE Applicants.

Hello people, and greetings from wintry Japan.

If you are thinking about applying for a PGCE course and you'd like to know more about the process of applying, then my page entitled 'Applying for a PGCE' might give you some clarification, useful information and something to think about.

If you are a British expat, living abroad, and you are thinking about returning to the UK to take a PGCE, then this information will be particularly relevant to you.

Click on the tab above - 'Applying for a PGCE'.

I've just added new content regarding one of the basic requirements for PGCE applicants - undertaking a period of observations in a UK state school.

At the top of the page you'll also find out why I chose to take a PGCE course, rather than another form of initial teacher training.

All the best,

Daikichi

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Welcome

Hi. Thanks for dropping by. I'll be adding new content to the bottom of my pages so always scroll down! But now, I think I’d better introduce myself.

I am a guy in his thirties, married, from England, currently living in London. I was living in Saitama Prefecture in Japan, teaching English as a second language to Japanese kids for almost 10 years when I started this site. When I started adding content I was preparing to move back to England, and to take a PGCE – a UK teacher’s license – in English for teaching secondary school kids.

So, what do I feature on this site?

I guess I may comment on many things. But I’d like to focus on 4 things in particular:

1. Life in Japan as a foreigner.
2. Working in Japan as an English teacher.
3. The process of applying for my wife’s UK spouse visa.
4. Applying for and taking a PGCE.

I hope that I’ll be able to provide people in a similar position to me with some valuable information… and, hopefully, some entertainment along the way too.

A Blow Fish. Taken at The Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan.