The Student Room Group

Training to Teach History without a History Degree

is this even possible?

I did a degree in Retail Marketing Management which would be perfect for teaching business studies but my real passion lies in History so is there any way I could get into teaching History without doing an actual History degree?
Original post by girlupnorth
is this even possible?

I did a degree in Retail Marketing Management which would be perfect for teaching business studies but my real passion lies in History so is there any way I could get into teaching History without doing an actual History degree?


I think it's highly unlikely.

In theory, you need 50% of your degree to be in the subject you are training to teach.

In reality, this requirement is sometimes ignored in the case of shortage subjects (eg: maths, physics, languages) if someone has A-Levels and can demonstrate good subject knowledge.

But History is a long way from being a shortage subject - PGCE courses for History are much more competitive to get onto than in many other subjects, so compared to someone with a History degree you are unlikely to be invited to interview.
Reply 2
so there's literally nothing I can do other than doing another degree but this time in history?
Original post by girlupnorth
so there's literally nothing I can do other than doing another degree but this time in history?


Pretty much.

Or perhaps an MA in History (you can often get onto those without a History degree as ultimately they just want your money!) or some Open University modules in History (rather than a full degree). Both of those options would be cheaper than doing a whole 3-year History degree.

Are you 100% sure you definitely only want to teach History?

I used to think I wanted to teach History or English, but then fell into teaching MFL (via agency supply/cover supervisor work) and to my surprise, really loved it, so changed my PGCE application to that instead and am now coming to the end of my 2nd year of teaching. I would still quite fancy doing a bit of History on the side (my degree is 50% History and I have an MA in History) if my timetable ever allows for it though.
Original post by girlupnorth
so there's literally nothing I can do other than doing another degree but this time in history?


Myrtille has it covered, pretty much. Be advised that doing a second degree will cost you the full amount without any access to student loans. I've no idea what your financial situation is, but to do this and then a PGCE on top is going to cost more than most people would think worth it.
Reply 5
Original post by girlupnorth
is this even possible?
I did a degree in Retail Marketing Management which would be perfect for teaching business studies but my real passion lies in History so is there any way I could get into teaching History without doing an actual History degree?


There were people on my PGCE who had degrees that weren't in history, however they were in Politics, Classics and Archaeology so close related to history.

Your degree that you currently hold would not be suitable for a history PGCE unfortunately and I don't particularly see any training provider taking you with your degree. Most PGCE programs stipulate that your degree must be at least 50% of the subject that you wish to teach.

There are a few options - a masters in history, lots of unis would consider an application providing you could prove that you are able to write academically and complete research - a dissertation. This would be cheaper than options 2 and 3...

Option 2: You complete a new undergraduate degree but you would not be eligible for ANY funding for this if you recieved any kind of support from student finance for your first undergraduate degree so this would entail you paying tuition fees and needing money to live off too.

Option 3: History modules from the OU, but again, this will be expensive.
Reply 6
Or, by way of option 4, do the PGCE in business. Once you are a qualified teacher, you are technically qualified/can be asked to teach any subject relevant to your skills, so presumably you could always express a preference within your school to also teach history should the opportunity ever arise. Do keep up your interest in history though - attend conferences, read books and so on - so as to keep your toe in the water and show to schools that your subject knowledge is current and your interest active.
Reply 7
Bringing this up from the past. I work with someone who teaches history. Main degree was in sociology, but they did a Masters degree in History at Southampton Uni. Got accepted onto a PGCE after and got work no problem.
Original post by Solicon
Bringing this up from the past. I work with someone who teaches history. Main degree was in sociology, but they did a Masters degree in History at Southampton Uni. Got accepted onto a PGCE after and got work no problem.

To be fair, the situation in teaching recruitment has moved on a lot since 4/5 years ago...
Reply 9
Came across this forum. I am considering teaching history at secondary level and politics at A Level, do you think it would be okay for me to do history for PGCE? I’m currently studying politics and international relations which certainly has 50% history within it.
IIRC, Teach First are very inflexibile and insist on the applicant having a degree in the required subject, which seems absurd to me, particularly if you are teaching below A-Level standard. They also demand that people study computer science if they want to teach that subject at GCSE level, when there are plenty of developers and engineers in industry who are well capable of delivering the required knowledge, and in fact probably better qualified due to having commercial experience. So I wouldn't get your hopes to high. Maybe things will change if they have a shortage of teachers in a subject in the future.

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