hi
not sure if this should go here or somwhere else- sorry if its in the wrong place!
im at uni doing an education degree i recently finished prac- during which i got sick and lost my voice. 2 days after i got a call from my advisor telling me i had failed. i had been told of areas to improve in a did my best to fix them all. This is the second prac i failed- all i ever wqanted to do was to be a teacher and now all i can think is that i mast be a really terrible teacher to have failed 2 pracs (the first one was the assignments). i don't know whos going to want to hire me as they look at prac results when they hire you. i always wanted to teach in the country but i wanted that to be my choice not because no one else wants me. They failed me because i apparently didn't show enough enthusiasm during group times- but i'm not outgoing at all i hate being centre of attention in unfamiliar pkaces! At one point it was suggested to me that i look at what i really want to do- but i wouldnt want to do anything other than teach i love kids! im really not sure what to do- every time i try to talk to my friends they change the subject or just shug and say look on the bright side. which i really can't see in this.
i dont want to talk to my family they are all so intelligent but i didn't seem to get the brains and i don't want to keep disapointing them!

That must be hard. What did you want to teach? We probably do things differently in the U.S., I don't know how it is done there. Over here you could keep trying, or if there is a particular area that you are good at, tutor in that subject? Tutors can make some good money over here. No idea how the system works over there, feel free to fill me in.

Hey village_idiot - I can relate to how you feel. I'm in Australia also and did a social work degree (graduated this time last year). During my degree it had a prac in an area which I was not suited to and a supervisor who did not do their job properly and I ended up having a choice - continue in the prac and fail it, or withdraw and have to do it again. I chose to withdraw as I didn't want a 'fail' on my academic transcript.

That prac was meant to be the last thing I did before graduation, meaning, because I withdrew, I did not get to graduate with my friends. My supervisor and uni liason person both told me that I should reconsider my career choice and that 'some people just aren't suited to being social workers'.

I passed the second time around and graduated in December 2008. Unfortunatly there are next to no jobs in my profession for new graduates. Everything wants so much experience and I have barely any. I'm trying to volunteer as much as I can, but none of the employers who have interviewed me so far have shown any interest whatsoever in my voluntary work. They just tell me to come back when I have at least 12 months full-time paid experience.

So sorry, I can't really give you any advice about getting a job, given that I can't get one myself. However, I just wanted you to know that I can relate to what you are going through with uni. Hopefully it will get easier. Do you have a liason person at uni whilst you are on prac? Can you meet with them before you start and explain the situation? That is what I did on my second attempt - I had a great uni liason person that time and really opened up to her and told her the whole situation and she really went out of her way to help and support me throughout the prac process. I know sometimes it's not easy to talk to your supervisor on prac, and therefore it's useful having someone else who understands that you can turn to when necessary.

Is it worth deferring your course for a semester or two and getting a job? That's what I did after I failed - I took a semester off and just worked in retail, just to give myself a break and get over the trauma of that prac. When I went back and did the prac again I was fresh with a more positive outlook and some more enthusiasm and self-esteem. It may be something to consider as it might work for you too.

Good luck!