Understandably, the UK government makes it a requirement that those who wish to work as teachers need to undergo a special teacher’s training program first. To start with, you need to have a basic degree like Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) at the very least prior to joining the teacher’s training program. The teacher’s training program is called as Initial Teacher Training or ITT for short.
Once a person finishes an ITT course successfully, a Qualified Teacher Status or QTS is given. In other words, they becomes a qualified teacher, who can teach at any school in the UK. Why is this training program important for those who wish to become teachers in the UK? One good reason is because it helps to develop a person’s teaching skills.
A trainee also learns about various teaching methods, which are not directly related to the degree course they took. The methods are usually general ones which are meant specifically for teachers. It is customary for part of the training program to be carried out in a school. Once the trainee is skilled in various teaching methods and has the confidence to teach schoolchildren, then they will be ready to play her role in educating children.
There are two key routes for teacher’s training in the UK. A person can opt for a school led or university led training program. When it comes to the university led program, a person who has a degree can opt for a PGCE or post graduate certificate in education course. For those who do not have a degree, there is the option to pursue a degree concurrently with the teacher’s training program to obtain a degree and a Qualified Teacher Status. When it comes to the school led training program, there are a few training scheme options for a prospective teacher’s selection.
There are SCITT or school-centred initial teacher training and School Direct Training Programme, which comes with a salary. It is up to an individual’s preferences or circumstances on what he choose to pursue, PGCE, SCITT or any other type of training scheme. But prior to opting for TES Jobs, an individual should decide if he or she has some interest in teaching. Only then would she be able to dedicate herself to teaching and educate young children as she should.