A degree in teacher training is the most direct route to starting your career as a teacher. Whether you want to teach at the primary or secondary level, you will need a teaching qualification. Studying teaching at university will educate you in the best and most current methods of sharing your knowledge and skills with pupils.
It will enhance your communication skills, focusing on key areas such as public speaking, active listening and critical thinking. Becoming a teacher requires time, empathy and flexibility. You’ll learn the best ways to plan lessons, manage a classroom and attend to the needs of individual students, but all prospective teachers should already be able to demonstrate core qualities such as patience, compassion and the ability to work under pressure.
Graduate teachers usually find work quickly in their chosen profession and often discover that they have scope to work globally if they choose. This is especially likely if you teach a foreign language or a subject which is in high demand. Popular teacher training courses include:
1. Bachelor of Education (BEd)
2. Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
3. Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)
4. Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE)
Studying teacher training abroad will enable you to obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). QTS permits graduates to teach at their chosen level, be it primary, secondary or further education. An undergraduate teacher training degree is usually three years long. You’ll participate in lectures, seminars, tutorials and group work to gain a comprehensive knowledge of schools and the teaching profession.
Another route into teaching is to study at the postgraduate level, with the most common qualification being the one-year-long Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Studying a PGCE abroad is a great opportunity to learn about teaching in a succinct, thorough way.
Both undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training degrees involve work placements within local schools where you will shadow teachers and eventually teach classes on your own. These school placements, whilst time-consuming, are an essential part of developing and improving your teaching style.
A teacher training degree covers areas such as philosophy and theory of teaching and learning; developmental psychology; education, values and society; diversity in the classroom; and safeguarding.
You may also choose to specialise in:
1. A chosen subject (this will be particularly relevant for those wishing to teach at the secondary level)
2. Teaching students with special educational needs and disabilities
3. Preschool education
4. Further education
To study teacher training abroad, you must meet basic entry requirements. Whilst these will differ between institutions, at the undergraduate level, you will usually need:
1. 3 A-Levels (or equivalent).
2. A-level results equivalent to a minimum of BBC (or sometimes BCC)/International Baccalaureate score of 30-32 points.
3. You may also be required to have attained at least a grade 4 (C) in GCSE (or equivalent) English and maths (and the same in science if you want to teach at the primary level).
For both undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training degrees you will usually need an IELTS score of at least 6.5 (or equivalent). Make sure you meet your prospective university’s requirements before you apply, and remember to check that your existing qualifications will be accepted.
If you want to study teaching abroad, why not explore the top five institutions for studying education and training? According to the QS World University Rankings By Subject* 2024, these are:
1. University College London
2. Harvard University
3. Stanford University
4. University of Oxford
If you’re interested in studying teacher training in Australia, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings By Subject ranks the top three institutions in the country as:
1. Monash University
2. University of Melbourne
3. University of Sydney
How about studying teacher training in Ireland? Here are the best institutions, according to the QS World University Rankings By Subject:
1. Trinity College Dublin
2. Dublin City University
3. University of Limerick
A good teaching degree will offer you great career progression options, scope to teach globally and the ability to work in a profession renowned for job security and satisfaction. A primary or secondary school teacher in the UK can usually expect to earn a starting salary of at least GBP 30,000, which will increase every year up to a maximum of around GBP 57,000, depending on your location.
If you choose to specialise as a headteacher or take on other roles within the school, you may earn significantly more than this. Teacher training degrees will not limit you to just primary and secondary teaching. Many teaching graduates go on to work in other roles, such as:
1. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) teacher
2. Early years teacher
3. Further education teacher
4. Lecturer
5. Private tutor
6. Examiner
7. School inspector
8. Corporate trainer