Yesterday was the first day in a while that I didn't check the gttr site - but unfortunately it hasn't made a difference, Southampton are still "considering my application".

But it's only been just over 4 days!

It doesn't help to know that I'll probably hear from Soton via post before my status changes on the gttr site - I still have a compulsive urge to check it!

Several people i've been chatting to in the tes staffroom have got interviews on the 7th December - i'm really happy and excited for them. Hopefully I'll be in the same boat as them before too long...

"Your application is now being considered by this institution".

All I can do now is wait, keep reading up on everything I might need to know, and keep everything possible crossed that I get an interview.

My friend Rachel who applied for the PGCE at Roehampton has just heard that she's got a place!! I'm so pleased and excited for her... I just hope I can be in the same boat within the next couple of months... :)

I've just checked the gttr site and it says:

Your application is waiting to be sent to your current choice of institution on Thursday Nov 25 2004

Woo yay! I'm happy now. :)

Two of the people I've been chatting to on the tes forum have got interviews on December 7th - very exciting. I really hope I get one - I wonder if i'll get it in before Christmas?

I'm trying to organise going into a local school one morning a week for a few months... not having much luck at the moment though. I have loads of school experience from a few years ago (4 weeks of KS1 work experience and 1.5 hours a week for 2 years of KS2) but i'd really like to get some more recent experience. Fingers crossed I'll be able to find something soon.

I'm very excited. It's been getting me down a little, not having my reference. I was so proud of getting my form in early, so having to wait a month for it to actually be passed to southampton was a little frustrating. But who cares.... the ball is rolling now! :)

Still nothing.... this is getting a little bit tedious now! It's several weeks since I sent my form off,a nd still the gttr site tells me my reference hasn't been received - very annoying. Still, I'm trying to be patient.

I've found 2 other people in the tes staffroom who are applying to Southampton for a Primary PGCE - quite exciting...

Oh yes, and Ben and I have had an offer accepted on a house in Bitterne - about 2 miles from the Uni - wow!

I just received this email:

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Dear Sarah

Thank you for sending your online application to us. We have been trying to contact your referee by post and email, but have not received any response.

We have just issued an email reminder to your referee to advise that we have not received a reference. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that one is provided to accompany your application.

Please can you contact your referee to ask that a reference be provided via the internet as soon as possible. You should note that your application cannot be processed until we have received a reference. References sent by email or by post cannot be processed.

Alternatively, you may wish to advise us of full contact details (name, address, fax number and email address) of another person who would be suitable, able and willing to provide a reference via the internet.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact GTTR Customer Service Unit by telephone: (0870) 1122205 or by email: enquiries@gttr.ac.uk

Yours sincerely
GTTR Customer Service Unit

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

So, as you can probably gather, no sign of a reference yet!

it's been 2 weeks since i sent off my form.... and still nothing! it's a wee bit frustrating, but i'm sure i'm just being impatient...!

it's been a week since I last posted.... and still no sign of my reference! I'm going to email my referee to see if the gttr have actually contacted him, as I've heard various stories about them messing up, so would feel better if I checked.

Apparently the forms are sent off every Thursday, so I'm really hoping I can get into this week's batch. It's quite annoying - it took me less than a week to do the entire form, and now i've spent 2 weeks just sitting here and waiting for my reference to be submitted. Ah well, patience is a virtue...

On Saturday Ben and I went up to Guildford to see some old Uni friends, and I had a chat with Rachel, who is applying for a Primary PGCE at Roehampton. Her reference has been done, so she's just waiting to hear from them... so i'm keeping my fingers crossed for her! :)

Recentrly I've been spending quite a bit of time in the tes staffroom, where there are some very interesting conversations going on. My first stop is usually the prospective teachers forum but I've also been reading a lot on the student teachers, NQTs and primary sections so I can get a good rounded view on things.

Occasionally I have a "do i really want to do this?" moment, which I think is quite normal, but when I read these forums I realise that although many of the teachers talk about long hours and stress, I really would rather be doing that than what I do now. I want to be on my feet, doing things, making a difference....

And no, I'm still waiting on my reference so my form can be sent off... *sends vibes across to personal tutor @ uni*....!

Still nothing... I managed only to check once over the weekend though!

Ben and I did lots of budgeting this weekend.... working out how much we've spent since we moved to Southampton, whether it's in line with our plans.... and the result was pretty damn impressive.... we've been literally about £30 under budget each month! We also did a budget for if I did a PGCE, and we've worked out that even with a mortgage (we're looking to buy a house around Christmas), we'll still (theoretically) be in the black each month!

Iy's all looking good.... all I need now is an interview! :)