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Routes into Teaching
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > Careers > Career Options > Teaching > Routes into Teaching Degree in TeachingLength: 3 years/4 years (some universities offer an extra year) Funding Available: Yes, normal undergraduate degree Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) – depending on the course you apply for. Confers QTS? Yes, after an NQT year Notes: This is an undergraduate degree. Most undergraduate degrees in teaching are in Primary Education. There are a few subject-specific secondary undergraduate teaching degrees out there as well. The courses are normally 3-4 years in length and award a BA (Hons), BSc, or BEd with recommendation for QTS. Some Primary courses allow you to choose a subject specialism, such as English, Mathematics or Early Years. Pros and Cons: + Straight route into teaching. + Teaching practice during every year with strong support. + Good coverage of educational theory and subject knowledge. + Less stressful than a PGCE - Full time table throughout the three years. - Less flexible degree if you decide not to go into teaching.
Degree in Main Subject + PGCELength: 3 years + 1 year Funding Available: Bursary for PGCE (impact of top-up fees still not resolved) Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) – look carefully at the PGCE specification. Confers QTS? Yes, after an NQT year (done when you get your first real job) Notes: This is, by far, the most popular way of entering teaching. Get your degree first, and then apply through the GTTR to a university for a place on their PGCE. You’ll then typically do two “blocks” of teaching (the university will find your placements) and three blocks of lectured input, where you’ll complete assignments and learn about teaching approaches, planning, implementation and assessment and the legal and political frameworks which shape education. Pros and Cons: + Development of solid knowledge of your chosen subject + Relatively good emotional and academic support when doing your teaching practice - Only a basic coverage of educational theory – you’ll need to use insets and general reading to extend your knowledge if you want to be really innovative. - Reduced timetable whilst doing teaching practice doesn’t give you a proper experience of teaching workload. Degree in Main Subject + PGCE (Further, Higher and Adult Education) OR Cert. Ed.Length: 3 years (or 2 years if Cert Ed.) + 1 year Funding Available: Bursary for PGCE (impact of top-up fees still not resolved) Qualified to Teach: in Colleges, Universities, Prisons, Outreach Centres, etc. Confers QTS?: NO Notes: The PGCE (Post-Compulsory) is geared towards those of you who want to teach outside of the compulsory sector. It’s like the normal PGCE, but you’ll learn specifically about teaching approaches for non-schoolies, and your teaching practices will not be in schools. It’s a useful point of entry for people who don’t want to teach National Curriculum subjects (especially if you want to teach a vocational subject or deal with adult basic skills, etc). The Cert. Ed. is aimed at more vocational subjects, and thus accepts HNDs and industry/professional experience in lieu of a degree. Be warned: you will not be qualified to teach in schools – even if you’re trying to teach just A-Level in schools. In these situations, you will be employed as an unqualified teacher, and possibly paid accordingly – and you will certainly not get a permanent contract until you requalify. The route is gaining more prestige, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve really looked into the implications of not having QTS. Pros and Cons: + Development of solid knowledge of your chosen subject + Relatively good emotional and academic support when doing your teaching practice + Specialised in teaching post-compulsory learners + Route into teaching non-national-curriculum subjects - Only a basic coverage of educational theory – you’ll need to use insets and general reading to extend your knowledge if you want to be really innovative. - Reduced timetable whilst doing teaching practice doesn’t give you a proper experience of teaching workload. - No QTS, which has implications for employment opportunities, pay and conditions (these are much worse outside schools).
Degree in Main Subject + Graduate Teaching ProgrammeLength: 3 years + 1 year Funding Available: Salary during GTP year (£14,000 + school can upgrade). Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) – look carefully at the PGCE specification. Confers QTS: Yes, after an NQT year (done when you get your first real job) Notes: The GTP was introduced as a more flexible route into teaching – basically by “training on the job”. Once you have completed your degree, you negotiate a year-long placement with a school (they provide your training) and talk to a Designated Recommended Body (DRB) to arrange funding and assessment of your skills. There is an "assessment only" route through the GTP which takes one term, but this is aimed at people with significant amounts of experience in education - such as those with the PGCE (Further, Higher and Adult Education) who want to gain QTS. Pros and Cons: + Development of solid knowledge of your chosen subject + Realistic insight into the realities and pressures of “being a teacher” + Better income whilst training + Likely to end up with a job automatically at the end of training. - You’ll be in at the deep end; schools will tend to treat you as a real teacher and heap work on you. You’ll also have very little emotional and academic support when compared to PGCEs. - You’ll need to negotiate your own placement before talking to the DRB about funding (and this is harder than it seems as schools don’t want to “babysit” trainees).
Joint Honours Degree in Main Subject and Education Studies + PGCELength: 3 Years + 1 Year Funding Available: As normal degree + Bursary for PGCE. Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) – look carefully at the PGCE specification. Confers QTS: Yes, after an NQT year. Notes: This isn’t a popular route, but it’s an interesting one. It lets you balance your main subject knowledge with knowledge of education, and without the additional debts of a four-year B.Ed. You won’t do teaching practice during your bachelor’s degree, but this means a more thorough and rigorous study of learning theory, etc – which will “spring into action” when you start your PGCE(and you’ll look loads cleverer than everyone else). I’m biased towards this route, as I did it! Now, you just find somewhere that does a B.A. in Education Studies…
+ Deep and rigorous study of education as an academic subject – provides a good insight into learning theory, assessment techniques, politics and philosophy of education, etc. Gives you a good head start if you want to become a really good, innovative teacher. + Development of solid knowledge of your chosen subject + Relatively good emotional and academic support when doing your teaching practice - Reduced timetable whilst doing teaching practice doesn’t give you a proper experience of teaching workload. - May be difficult to find universities that do the joint-honours B.A. in Education Studies
Degree in Education Studies or/and Early Childhood Studies + PGCELength: 3 Years + 1 Year Funding Available: As normal degree + Bursary for PGCE. Qualified to Teach: KS 1/2 (Primary) – look carefully at the PGCE specification. Confers QTS: Yes, after an NQT year. Pros and Cons: + Deep and rigorous study of education as an academic subject – provides a good insight into learning theory, assessment techniques, politics and philosophy of education, etc. Gives you a good head start if you want to become a really good, innovative teacher. + Development of solid knowledge of your chosen subject + Relatively good emotional and academic support when doing your teaching practice - Reduced timetable whilst doing teaching practice doesn’t give you a proper experience of teaching workload. - May be difficult to find universities that do the joint-honours B.A. in Education Stu Less Prevalent Options:Two Years of Higher Education + Registered Teacher ProgrammeLength: 2 years + 2 years Funding Available: Salary during RTP year (£14,000 + school can upgrade). Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) Confers QTS: Yes, after an NQT year (done when you get your first real job) Notes: As Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), but candidates only need to have completed two years of their degree. The teacher-training programme typically lasts two years although it is possible to complete it in a year (they complete their degree at the same time). I've not had any experience with this programme, or met anyone who's been through it, but I think it's targetted at maturer students (professional qualifications are accepted in lieu of a degree, and candidates are encouraged to do a one-year "top-up" degree). Schools are dubious of GTP candidates (with full degrees), and I suspect that RTP candidates (with only 2 years) will struggle to find placements. See here - http://www.tta.gov.uk/php/read.php?resourceid=4297 - for more information.
Degree + Fast Track PGCELength: 3 Years + 1 Year (with extra twilight sessions) Funding Available: As normal degree + Bursary for PGCE. Qualified to Teach: Either KS1/2 (Primary) or KS3/4 (Secondary) or KS3/4/5 (Secondary and Sixth Form) – look carefully at the PGCE specification. Confers QTS: Yes, after an NQT year. Notes: Same as a normal PGCE, but with additional tutorials with the aim of preparing candidates to "rise through the ranks" at an accelerated speed. [CYNICAL]I've met people with Fast-Track PGCEs. I've also risen through the ranks more quickly than them with a regular PGCE :p: [/CYNICAL] Seriously, you can only rise through the ranks as quickly as leadership posts become available - and no amount of "extra training" can compensate for real teaching experience. Teach FirstThe Teach First Programme aims to attract outstanding graduates to teaching in shortage areas (particularly more challenging schools in inner-London); Successful applicants are given 6 weeks of intensive training before being sent into deprived schools (criteria for schools applying like 50% of students have to be receiving free school meals). It's an interesting programme, which will give you a real seat of the pants/make-or-break experience in difficult circumstances. Only open to a minority of applicants (high flying graduates with at least a good 2.1, and at present the only schools involved are in London, the West Midlands and North West), but have a look here - http://www.teachfirst.org.uk - for more info nonetheless. (thanks to Economic for the link) There are two deadlines for applying: one at the start of December, which is the only deadline for many subjects such as History and one later in March. However, there is no single time for interviews, so although they are still receiving applications in March, applying this late may mean they've already filled all the spaces. CommentsThanks to Peacey for writing the original content for this article on the forums. Links
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