Teacher training : Getting started

How do you become a teacher?

To work as a teacher in state-maintained schools in England and Wales you need to have professional qualified teacher status (QTS). For further information on teaching in other areas of the United Kingdom see teaching in Scotland and teaching in Northern Ireland.

Teachers in independent schools are not required to have QTS, but most do. Many independent schools do not offer a QTS induction year.

To be awarded QTS by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC)  you must:

• complete a period of training, such as a one-year professional or Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course, which recommends you for QTS. This is known as initial teacher training (ITT);
• complete a period of induction, known as the newly qualified teacher (NQT) year. This is your first year of employment as a teacher in a school. NQTs are encouraged to start their induction as soon as possible after gaining QTS, but there is no set time limit for starting or completing induction;
• pass QTS skills tests in literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT) by the end of your ITT period (if training in England). QTS Skills Tests  can be taken at any of the 115 test centres throughout England, and most students complete them while on their PGCE course.

If you want to work as a teacher with the full range of responsibilities in further education (FE) colleges or sixth form colleges, you need Qualified Teacher, Learning and Skills (QTLS) status or QTS.

What age range?

All trainee school teachers are prepared for teaching across two key stages (KS):

• Foundation Stage: 3 to 4 year olds; nursery and reception;
• KS1: 5 to 7 year olds; school years 1-2;
• KS2: 7 to 11 year olds; school years 3-6;
• KS3: 11 to 14 year olds; school year 7-9;
• KS4: 14 to 16 year olds; school years 10-11.

Although you can apply for several different age ranges, it can be difficult to be convincing in your personal statement about your motivation for more than one age group. Find out which age range you feel most comfortable with by getting some work experience in a school.

Once you have achieved QTS, it is legal for you to teach any age range, although it can be difficult to move from one age range to another. Most teachers stay within the age ranges they trained to teach. If you want to change age range once you are qualified, you will need to build up a portfolio of evidence to persuade the head teacher you are able to teach a different age range.