Teacher Training in the UK

Teacher training is the step in between your university degree and your career as a fully-fledged teacher. If you want to teach primary or secondary school students, you need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS), which is required by the UK if you want to be a qualified teacher. A teacher training course will give you this certification. Becoming a qualified teacher qualifies you for higher salaries and more opportunities.

Teacher training in the UK has a lot to offer. You’ll get a minimum of 24 hours of classroom experience, training to meet the UK Teachers’ Standards, and help from tutors.

Depending on the type of teacher training you’re applying to, you could receive a tax-free 28,000 GBP bursary to train, according to the UK Department of Education. You could also work for a salary during your training, in the form of a Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship, for instance. You may also be eligible for tuition fee and maintenance loans, as well as extra financial support if you're a parent, have an adult dependent, or have a disability.

What are the different types of teacher training in the UK?

Teacher training can take different forms. You can go right into primary or secondary subject training if you’ve already studied a particular subject. If you want to refresh your knowledge or want to gain more knowledge on a subject that is similar to, but not exactly, your degree subject, you can take a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course. These courses are fully-funded and will be recommended to you by a school or university during their selection process. These courses are available in most of the commonly taught subjects, like primary maths, languages, chemistry, physics, and English (among others).

If you’re interested in being a primary teacher, you can go into the general primary track, or specifically train in physical educations or maths. As a secondary teacher, your training will be in a specialized subject. According to the Department of Education, these subjects are currently the priority: maths, physics, chemistry, languages, computing, and biology.

How do I know what kind of teacher training is right for me?

The type of training you choose will depend completely on your background and passions. If you have a degree in a subject that is the same as what you want to teach, you can begin specialized training in that subject, for instance. If you want to be a generalist and teach primary students, you can also follow that track. Teacher training will provide you with the mentorship to help you get the tools to really succeed in that field. While your degree subject may dictate what you're currently qualified to pursue training on, know that with subject knowledge enhancement, you can parlay your degree experience to a similar-but-different subject if you'd rather more flexibility.