PGCE without QTS?

Hi all,

There is surprisingly little information online about courses which give you PGCE without QTS, such as the one offered by the university of Buckingham.

I have taught Religious Studies and Philosophy in an independent school for a year. I'm told QTS is important for the state sector, but private and international schools care more about the PGCE. Is that correct? Would a PGCE without QTS course be worth it? (has anyone here taken such a course? if so, what was your experience like?)

Thanks in advance

Although you don't have to have QTS to work in a private school, many would rather employ somebody with QTS. I have heard that when they make exceptions, it's more typically in order to employ somebody with other impressive accolades (e.g. a former medical doctor who can help students prepare for medicine interviews).

Having looked at the Buckingham course, it seems mostly aimed at people who have already secured a job teaching in an independent school, but who now want to gain a further qualification in teaching without having to do placements at schools other than their current one.

As for working abroad, I have no specific experience of this but I have heard that a lot of international schools prefer candidates who have completed their ECT induction (which means working in a UK school for two years after gaining QTS).

In short, there are certainly routes into teaching without QTS, but you put yourself in a much more precarious position when it comes to employment afterwards. If you haven't already secured a job (or the promise of support through your training) from an independent school, then it seems unwise to go that route. Also, you may struggle with funding, as I don't believe student finance covers a PGCE if it does not lead to QTS (but I'm not 100% sure of this

Thanks for your reply.

To give you more context, I do already have a position in an independent school, and they are offering to help with funding. But I take your points. Would you say that a PGCE without QTS makes any difference at all? or is it essentially useless without the additional QTS credential?

Hello @Phaethon Essentially, the PGCE is the academic part of a teacher training course. This would consist of 4-5 essays or assignments at L7 (Masters degree) difficulty. However, it does not have sufficient credits to be a full Masters degree award.Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is gained by evidencing the Teachers Standards. This is practical and related to the progress of learning in classrooms and the professionalism of the teacher. Typically, the academic and the practical are combined in a teacher training course, which is why you are struggling to find providers only offer the academic element. There is legislation in place that requires teaching staff in the state-maintained sector to be considered a qualified teacher, and be awarded with QTS. While this is not a requirement in the independent sector, it is often considered valuable, as the QTS represents your teaching experience. All the best, Jane

Hi Jane,I currently work in a college as a technician. It is a full time job. The PGCE with QTS requires placement, as you can imagine it would be hard to do. Does the PGCE without QTS require having placements also. The Uni's websites do not make it very clear if I do or not. The one I am looking at is a online course and I just want to a course now, so when I do progress I will already have my PGCE, I will only have to apply and do my QTS.Thanks