The Student Room Group

About Initial Teacher Training/PGCE

Hi Everyone,
My first post here. So I am an Educator of Chemistry for Higher level at an Edtech Private company in India and now I want to get into PGCE Chemistry from UK in Sep 2022 but the problem is I had my graduation in Computing and I want to pursue PGCE Chemistry though I am very passionate in teaching Chemistry and I can certainly say that Chemistry is my first love, I scored very good at my A-Level and now have Experience for more than 2 years.
Can Anyone here who faced the same problem and can guide me about this.
Original post by Aakash Tyagi
Hi Everyone,
My first post here. So I am an Educator of Chemistry for Higher level at an Edtech Private company in India and now I want to get into PGCE Chemistry from UK in Sep 2022 but the problem is I had my graduation in Computing and I want to pursue PGCE Chemistry though I am very passionate in teaching Chemistry and I can certainly say that Chemistry is my first love, I scored very good at my A-Level and now have Experience for more than 2 years.
Can Anyone here who faced the same problem and can guide me about this.

So for an in-demand subject like chemistry, many providers will accept you if you have a B or higher at A-level. However, they will then almost certainly expect you to complete an SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement) course. Usually there is funding available for this, however I do not know how that would work as an international student.

Just be aware that as a chemistry teacher in the UK, you would also be expected to teach physics and biology.

In terms of employment after you complete your PGCE, some schools will prefer to employ somebody with a degree in the subject, even if they have trained to teach the subject. Since there is less competition for chemistry teaching jobs, you may have more luck, however if schools will have to deal with VISA stuff to employ you then that may put them off. I don't personally know much about how the usual training / employment process interacts with being an international applicant, so maybe somebody else can advise more on that!
Original post by bluebeetle
So for an in-demand subject like chemistry, many providers will accept you if you have a B or higher at A-level. However, they will then almost certainly expect you to complete an SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement) course. Usually there is funding available for this, however I do not know how that would work as an international student.

Just be aware that as a chemistry teacher in the UK, you would also be expected to teach physics and biology.

In terms of employment after you complete your PGCE, some schools will prefer to employ somebody with a degree in the subject, even if they have trained to teach the subject. Since there is less competition for chemistry teaching jobs, you may have more luck, however if schools will have to deal with VISA stuff to employ you then that may put them off. I don't personally know much about how the usual training / employment process interacts with being an international applicant, so maybe somebody else can advise more on that!

Thank you for the response.
I think Here is a need to research more before applying
Original post by Aakash Tyagi
Hi Everyone,
My first post here. So I am an Educator of Chemistry for Higher level at an Edtech Private company in India and now I want to get into PGCE Chemistry from UK in Sep 2022 but the problem is I had my graduation in Computing and I want to pursue PGCE Chemistry though I am very passionate in teaching Chemistry and I can certainly say that Chemistry is my first love, I scored very good at my A-Level and now have Experience for more than 2 years.
Can Anyone here who faced the same problem and can guide me about this.

HI @Aakash Tyagi,
As @bluebeetle said, some teacher course providers do consider people with a good A-level in the subject they want to train in but it is highly likely you would have to complete a subject knowledge enhancement course to boost your knowledge prior to the course.
I would suggest you register on the Get into Teaching website to get a teaching adviser, they are all experienced teachers and will support you in exploring your best options to train and will also support you with your application and interview if you were to proceed.
It is a free service. I hope this helps.
Laure
Original post by Get into Teaching
HI @Aakash Tyagi,
As @bluebeetle said, some teacher course providers do consider people with a good A-level in the subject they want to train in but it is highly likely you would have to complete a subject knowledge enhancement course to boost your knowledge prior to the course.
I would suggest you register on the Get into Teaching website to get a teaching adviser, they are all experienced teachers and will support you in exploring your best options to train and will also support you with your application and interview if you were to proceed.
It is a free service. I hope this helps.
Laure

Thank you for the suggestion Laure, I will do it Thank you
Reply 5
Original post by Aakash Tyagi
Thank you for the suggestion Laure, I will do it Thank you

I too would recommend you register with Get Into Teaching. You can also ring their help line where they can answer the sort of questions you have here. One thing worth pointing out is that although there are teachers who specialise in certain sciences, you will still be required to teach all three disciplines, certainly at KS3 and possibly at KS4 too. For me, that makes science teachers the cream of the crop, but how do you feel about that? Just a thought.
Original post by hotpud
I too would recommend you register with Get Into Teaching. You can also ring their help line where they can answer the sort of questions you have here. One thing worth pointing out is that although there are teachers who specialise in certain sciences, you will still be required to teach all three disciplines, certainly at KS3 and possibly at KS4 too. For me, that makes science teachers the cream of the crop, but how do you feel about that? Just a thought.

I am very much comfortable with all the Sciences as i started to teach at my higher levels and If required i can build any other requirement as well but my major concern is, Do UK School allow me without a degree and again they have to sponsor me.
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by Aakash Tyagi
I am very much comfortable with all the Sciences as i started to teach at my higher levels and If required i can build any other requirement as well but my major concern is, Do UK School allow me without a degree and again they have to sponsor me.

You are required to have a degree to teach in the UK. If you have a degree in a subject that is not what you intend to teach I would suggest talking to Get Into Teaching and the specific universities to see what they will accept in terms of experience. I can't help you with the immigration aspect other than telling you to check if the course accepts international students. Some do, some don't.

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