Applying for a PGCE : Entry requirements

Trainee teachers must meet a set of professional standards determined by the government before they can be awarded qualified teacher status (QTS). They do this by completing a period of initial teacher training (ITT) followed by an induction year in employment as a teacher. For an overview of the different routes into teaching, see teacher training.

Universities offering the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) use nationally agreed professional standards to determine their minimum entry requirements and may also employ additional criteria. The standards and requirements listed below apply to England. For variations in the other countries of the UK, see teaching in Scotland, teaching in Wales, and teaching in Northern Ireland. Full details are available from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) 

Minimum requirements are:

UK degree or equivalent qualification

Secondary courses:

Your degree subject should be directly relevant to the subject you hope to teach. If it is not, you should contact the institution you want to apply to and ask if they will consider you on the basis of your current qualifications. You might consider studying some higher education modules in the subject you hope to teach. This can be done on a part-time or distance learning basis.

Primary courses:

Some ITT providers prefer that you have a degree in a national curriculum subject. If you don’t, it is very important to stress in your personal statement the relevance of your education to the curriculum you will be teaching. You may want to highlight specific modules that relate to English, mathematics or science, or mention your A-levels if they are in national curriculum subjects.

Degree equivalency:

The final decision on whether your qualification is equivalent to a required degree rests with the ITT provider. The UK National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) can provide advice on comparability of overseas and UK qualifications. There is a charge for this service.

Grade C or above in GCSE English and Mathematics, and for Primary, also GCSE Science

If you don't have the GCSEs required, check whether the ITT provider will view your qualifications as equivalent. Some may offer equivalency tests. Alternatively, study and take the GCSE examination. Further education (FE) colleges/adult education centres and distance learning institutions usually run one-year GCSE evening or day classes.

Fitness to teach

All candidates must, by law, satisfy fitness to teach requirements before acceptance onto a course. The ultimate decision about a person's fitness rests with admissions tutors, but they will be influenced by recommendations from the college medical adviser (often a local GP). Medical fitness is assessed initially via a lengthy questionnaire completed by all students, but, in exceptional cases or if doubts are raised about their ability to teach, students may subsequently be required to have a formal medical examination.

Many disabled people are medically fit to teach, and employers make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people to carry out their duties effectively. SKILL (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) produces a useful booklet called Into Teaching. Advice from a relevant medical specialist or non-medical specialist (e.g. Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)) could help you to prepare a case for admission.

Declaration of criminal convictions

The provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which allow convictions for criminal offences to be regarded as 'spent' after a period of time, do not apply to the teaching profession. You are required to declare any previous convictions. All trainee teachers undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before starting school-based training in order to establish that they do not have a record that would exclude them from work that involves contact with children.

Relevant work experience can greatly enhance your chances of making a successful application. Most ITT providers expect you to have substantial work experience, and many require it. You should aim to build up experience working with children of a relevant age, including some time spent in school. Find information about how to get relevant work experience for teacher training.

For international students

If you are an international student with a degree from a UK higher education institution (or equivalent), you can apply to do a PGCE course.

You must have a very good standard of written and spoken English, and you must have the qualifications (or equivalent qualifications) that an ITT provider asks of all its applicants.

You should be aware that a teaching qualification gained in the UK may not qualify you to teach in your home country. If you are thinking of training in the UK and then teaching in your home country, check first in your own country to see whether UK qualifications are acceptable.

You will only be eligible for the government-funded bursaries to train as a teacher if you have been in the UK for three years or more and have a residency visa.

Once you have completed your teacher training, you may need a work permit if you wish to teach in the UK. This could be challenging, especially if you have trained to teach at primary level.