[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Job Vacancies ] [ Info Devon ] |
First Stop for Jobs |
The best source of information on how to get into a teaching career is the Teacher Training Agency (TTA). They will be able to offer you advice and information on the best routes for you to get into the profession, based on your current qualifications, experience, circumstances and area in which you live. For information on routes into teaching, they can be contacted by phone on 0845 6000 991 (for English speakers) or 0845 6000 992 (for Welsh speakers) or by email: on teaching@ttainfo.co.uk. Their website address is www.canteach.gov.uk. For information on teaching in the South West, contact the South West Recruitment Strategy team on 01392 383453, e-mail teachsw@devon.gov.uk or visit www.teachingsouthwest.org.uk
As a basic requirement, anyone who wishes to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) should have a grade C or above in Maths and English at G.C.S.E/O Level, and for primary teaching, if you were born after 1st December 1979, you must have a G.C.S.E. at grade C or above in science.
If you are currently at school or college and want to become a teacher, you will need to have at least 2 ‘A’ levels, of which at least one should be in a National Curriculum subject, and should be closely related to the subject you would like to teach. You can then either take an undergraduate degree in a subject, and follow this with a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (P.G.C.E) or chose a 4 year BEd or other degree course which incorporates study in Education as well as your chosen subject specialism. There are many Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers throughout the country who provide these courses – to find out more about undergraduate courses contact the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) by telephoning General enquiries on 01242 222444 or visit their website on www.ucas.ac.uk, and for pst graduate courses, contact the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) on 01242 544788 or visit their website on www.gttr.ac.uk. In the South West region, three Higher Education institutions (HEI) provide ITT providers – the University of Exeter (tel. 01392 264837), the University of Plymouth (tel. 01392 475009) and The College of St. Mark and St. John in Plymouth (tel. 01752 636890).
If you have already gained a degree, you may apply for a P.G.C.E. If the subject you wish to teach was not your degree subject, or is not sufficiently closely related, it may be necessary for some further study to be undertaken before starting the year-long post-graduate qualification – your ITT will be able to advise you.
P.G.C.E.s are normally full time one year courses. Tuition fees are funded by the government, and there are some grants/sums available to those studying certain shortage subjects or who are enrolled on special terms (e.g. as Fast Track applicants). Some work experience in the classroom is usually advised before beginning a P.G.C.E. – check with your ITT.
There are also employment–based routes into teaching. For graduates who do not wish to undertake a full time P.G.C.E course, there exists a Graduate Training Programme (GTP). Funded by the government, this scheme enables graduates to gain Qualified Teacher Status whilst in a teaching placement and earn up to £13,000 p.a. This route to QTS will normally take around a year. There are a limited number of places available, and success in gaining a place on the GTP is increased if you are choosing to teach a shortage subject; maths, science, design and technology, IT and Modern Foreign Languages. Some teaching experience is also required for this programme.
If you have successfully completed 2 years of higher education and have been accepted onto a programme leading to a degree, you may be eligible for the Registered Teacher Programme. To find out more about this route to QTS, call the Teacher Training Agency.
Before embarking on a course working toward QTS, you will need to decide which age group/subject you wish to teach. Your ITT will be able to advise you whether they have a course that is suitable for you. Age ranges are normally broken up as follows:
3-11years, covering pre-school, reception and Key Stage 1 and 2. You will normally specialise in either 3-8 or 7-11 age ranges.
7-14 years. Covering KS2 (junior years) and KS3 (lower secondary years)
11 – post 16. Covering KS3, 4 and post 16.
For further information on teaching, call the TTA on the numbers given in the first paragraph. For information on Teaching in the South West, call Alison Warwick or Sally Daldorph, Recruitment Strategy Officers for the region, on 01392 383578.
|
|
This page last updated 25 June 2002.
© Devon County Council, 2002.