Hi all,

My university offers funded GTAs/PhD candidates (I'm one) a free three-module programme whereby we can submit 3 x 5,000 assignments based upon our teaching experience. One module allows us Associate Fellow status with the HEA, and three modules allows us Fellow status.

My question is - how important do you think this is? Post-PhD, I will be busting a gut to get a Postdoctoral Fellowship somewhere, as I really want to go down the research pathway. Sure, there'll be teaching involved somewhere down the line, but should I be so preoccupied with writing 15,000 words of non-PhD material with less than a year until I want to submit?

I'm caught in two minds. Do I put a lot of time and effort into this PGCTHE programme, or do I focus fully on getting my PhD and put the extra time into preparing Postdoctoral applications?