Teacher Training Courses

This route is paid. The school employs you as an unqualified teacher and pays you a salary. Study time at NTU is usually one day per week.

People who want a career change and have at least three years' career experience often use this route. This can be employment outside of the education sector. Ideally, they would expect the applicant to have gained 10 days of work experience in a school so they know the environment they are applying for a position within.

For the tuition fees, the applicant pays a maximum of £3,000 (subject to change each year) and the school pay the remaining amount. Sometimes the school you are employed at pay more of the fees or reimburse you for your share of the fees, but we recommend you speak with them directly as all schools are different.

This route is unpaid and allows applicants to work at their chosen lead school and study at NTU. There is the intention that students secure employment from their placement once the QTS has been successfully gained, but this is not guaranteed.

This route  is very academically similar to the PGCE. Applicants need to pay the tuition fee themselves but may be eligible for a tax-free bursary or scholarship. If not, then you still have access to tuition fee and maintenance loans.

The Level 6 Teaching Apprenticeship is intended for someone who is already employed by a primary or secondary school, and usually already has a degree related to one of the National Curriculum subjects, or in education or child development, but does not have a teaching qualification.

On this apprenticeship, you would join the PGCE classes, but will be mostly placed in your employing school, spending part of the year in a different school.

You benefit from the combined experience of studying at university as well as the placement school.

The pattern of study can vary, but generally can consist of being at university one day a week and four days in placement, with one full week at university during September. Typically, 25 days per year would be spent at university, so the apprenticeship is mostly based within the school environment.

Each course involves:

1. a minimum of 24 weeks in at least two schools to give you practical classroom experience
2. academic study to give you the knowledge and understanding:
   • to teach successfully
   • tutoring in classroom management
   • mentoring from experienced professionals
3. an assessment of your teaching skills (through being observed whilst teaching classes).

Visit our course pages for more information around the range of teacher training courses we have available, entry requirements and how to apply.

International applicants can apply, but if you need a visa to study in the UK, you cannot apply for School Direct or Apprenticeship courses.

Applicants who require a visa can only apply for our PGCE courses.