Route into teaching
Working as a teacher can be incredibly rewarding – research has found that teachers are more likely to show high levels of enjoyment and motivation than people in many other careers.
There are many different routes into teaching, but to work as a teacher in England and Wales you need to have achieved qualified teacher status (QTS), which usually involves completing a programme of initial teacher training (ITT).
The routes offered at Goldsmiths and elsewhere are outlined below.
Routes into teaching at Goldsmiths
Undergraduate options
BA (Hons) Education, Culture & Society
This degree doesn’t qualify you for teaching, but successful completion of the programme does guarantee you an interview for Goldsmiths’ highly regarded PGCE Primary programme (provided you meet current government requirements).
Postgraduate options: Initial Teacher Training
We offer PGCEs in Primary and Secondary teaching, including a flexible Secondary programme which enables you to study part-time. A PGCE is an ideal option if you want a combination of theory and practice, as they feature a mix of College-based work and school placements. They will help you develop the skills you’ll need as a teacher, and successful completion of a PGCE leads to a recommendation for the award of QTS. For more information, click on one of the PGCE options below.
- PGCE Primary
- PGCE Primary with Foreign Languages
- PGCE Secondary (Art & Design; Biology; Chemistry; Design & Technology; Drama; English; French; Geography; German; Mathematics; Music; Physics; Spanish)
- PGCE Secondary Flexible Programme (Biology; Chemistry; Community Languages [Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Panjabi, and Urdu]; Design & Technology; English; Physics)
Alternative routes into teaching
There are a number of alternative routes into teaching including school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT), the Teach First programme, and employment-based options such as the graduate teacher programme (GTP) and the registered teacher programme (RTP). You can find out more about these routes from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) at www.tda.gov.uk.
Further information
The TDA website is also the place to find the most up-to-date information on current funding options and financial incentives available to you. You’ll also be able to request a copy of their free ‘Get into teaching’ guide.