Traditional Routes into Teaching

If you are considering a career in teaching you may wish to take one of the traditional routes into teaching. These remain the BA/BSc/B Ed. QTS (Qualified Teacher Status degree) and the PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate of Education). The QTS degrees require the necessary UCAS points to secure a place on the course and the PGCE is for those who have already successfully completed a degree in their chosen specialism.

In addition to a UK degree or equivalent, all candidates for teacher training require English and Maths GCSE grade C or above or the equivalent qualification. A GCSE (or recognised equivalent) in a science subject will also be needed if you wish to teach primary or key stages 2 or 3.

Those who wish to take the undergraduate route to QTS should visit www.ucas.ac.uk and www.teach.gov.uk for information as to where they can study and how to make an application to a course. The normal duration of these courses is 3 years although many ITT providers offer part-time and distance-learning alternatives.

For applicants for a PGCE, please visit www.gttr.ac.uk to enrol on a course. Postgraduate ITT courses normally last a duration of 1 year. Both types of course include substantial time spent within a classroom setting.

Following successful completion of a UK QTS degree or PGCE, students will need to complete their Induction Year within a School setting in order to gain UK QTS. Please see our NQT pages for information on our NQT provision and support.

We support all the local West London ITT providers and recommend visiting our Useful Links page, for details of the relevant university's websites and further information. Some applicants may also be interested in the Teach First Programme.

PLEASE NOTE - In addition to all of these varied routes to UK QTS, ALL candidates will be required to complete English, Maths and ICT Skills Test as part of their qualification. For further information on this please visit: http://www.tda.gov.uk/skillstests.aspx