FAQs
FAQs for Trainees
What are your entry requirements for a primary applicant?
Undergraduate Honors Degree: Any subject will be accepted.
GCSE Qualifications: English, Science, and Mathematics at grade C/4+. We will require evidence of this from you prior to starting Phase 2 of your initial teacher training.
Experience: At least a term in a mainstream school, via an agency or direct employment in primary or secondary settings. Voluntary experience may be considered based on its nature. Note: Oversubscription in certain areas of the country may affect whether you are accepted onto our programme at the time of your application.
What are your entry requirements for a secondary applicant?
Undergraduate Honours Degree: Not necessarily in the desired teaching subject, but this is preferable.
GCSE Qualifications: English and Mathematics at grade C/4+. We will require evidence of this from you prior to starting Phase 2 of your initial teacher training.
Experience: An understanding of, and an interest in the UK education system.
Can I apply for your programme if I do not have the right to work in the UK?
Unfortunately, we will be unable to accept your application at this time as we do not currently hold a visa sponsorship license. Consider iQTS for which you can study and train in your home country or apply directly to universities who may be able to help.
However, if you have a visa that allows you to work unrestricted in the UK, please do inform us of this.
If you have a visa, you will need to have at least two years remaining on it for us to be able to consider your application.
Do I need to have my English/maths/science GCSE qualification by the time that I join Phase One of your programme?
You can use Phase One of our programme to acquire the GCSE/GCSE’s that you will need in order to begin Phase Two of our programme. You will, however, need to have completed your Honors Degree prior to starting Phase One of our programme.
Can I apply for your programme if I have not completed my degree yet?
Yes, you can. Please upload a copy of your university academic transcript, then, when you graduate, please upload a copy of your degree certificate.
How do I apply for your Initial Teacher Training Programme?
Visit our website where you will get a pop-up message asking if you would like to be a teacher.
Click the red ‘find out more’ button.
Watch our introductory video.
Read our prospectus (you’ll find a link for this underneath the video).
Fill in the quick expression of interest form.
You will then be asked to virtually attend one of our ‘Question and Answer’ meetings. Applicants lacking the required experience or with less than two years left on their visa will be notified of the fact that we will be unable to proceed with their application.
Do I need to prepare for a Question-and-Answer session?
As a new applicant, your attendance at one of our virtual Question and Answer meetings is required. This is an opportunity for us to get to know you a little bit better, such as the existing experience that you possess and why you are interested in pursuing a career as a teacher. It’s also an opportunity for you to be able to ask any questions that you have. Prior to attending a Question and Answer meeting, please watch our introductory video and read through the information on our website and our prospectus.
At the end of the Question and Answer meeting, if you state that you would like to proceed with your application, we will send you an email with our assessment tasks.
What assessment tasks will I be asked to complete?
We will inform you of what our assessment tasks are during your virtual Question and Answer meeting. We will then follow this up by sending you an email with further details.
Do I need to have completed my degree by the time that I begin Phase One of your initial teacher training programme?
It is essential that you have completed your degree by the time that you begin Phase One of our programme. During Phase One and Phase Two of our programme, you will be required to work full-time at school.
I completed my high school qualifications/degree outside of the UK. How do I apply?
You will need to obtain a Statement/s of Comparability for your high-school qualifications or your undergraduate honors degree prior to starting Phase Two of our programme. Please visit this website: ENIC to obtain your Statement of Comparability. You will find further details of this on the ENIC website. If you would like further information in regard to this, please contact us directly.
What happens when I complete my assessment tasks?
Please notify the Partnerships Coordinator that you have been assigned to (please refer to the email that you received with your assessment tasks in) and let them know that you have completed your assessment tasks. You will then be informed by email whether you have passed this stage of our application process. If successful, you will be asked to book an Assessment Call with your Partnerships Coordinator. If you have not been successful, you will receive an email with further information as to why this is.
What is an Assessment Call?
This is a virtual interview between you and your Partnerships Coordinator. The purpose of this interview is to check the following:
That the information that we have received from you as part of your application.
Your desire and commitment to pursue a career in teaching.
Your suitability for our initial teacher training programme.
You will then receive an email from your Partnerships Coordinator to inform you of whether your application has been successful and a welcome email with further information regarding what our next steps will be in order to find you a main school placement. If you have been unsuccessful, you can request further feedback from your Partnerships Coordinator as to why this is.
What happens if I have passed my Assessment Call?
You will receive a welcome email following your Assessment Call with further information regarding what our next steps will be in order to find you a main school placement. You will also receive an offer letter regarding what you and Grad2Teach have agreed to in your Assessment Call. Please make sure that you read this information carefully. The G2T team will then begin looking for suitable teacher training opportunities for you.
Should I be involved in looking for suitable training opportunities for myself?
It is very helpful if you are involved in this process and it often means that we can succeed in finding a suitable training opportunity for you twice as quickly. You will be provided with information in your welcome email and your Partnerships Coordinator will also be able to offer you advice as to how to approach school.
How long might it take for me to find a suitable training opportunity?
In order for us to successfully place you, we will need to find a suitable support or teaching vacancy for you to begin your training in. Our success depends on the following:
Whether there are any vacancies in your area at the time of your application.
Whether you drive or have access to good public transport links where you live.
Your involvement in helping us to find you a placement.
You will also usually need to interview for the role that we have found for you at your main school placement and in some cases, complete a lesson observation. We will, however, support you in this process to ensure that you have the best possible chance to succeed.
Grad2Teach is a salaried teacher training provider that offers a unique two-phased approach. We aim to be inclusive, supportive and comprehensive in our training. You will earn a salary while you train, there is the potential for a new challenge everyday where no day is the same and you have the opportunity to impact future generations. As a national programme, trainees can learn and train on the job whilst drawing a salary.
What is Phase One of your programme?
In most cases, trainee teachers begin by working in a teaching or support position that a school has available. Trainee teachers may also begin by working in a position that is a mix of the two. Your Partnerships Coordinator will advise you of which is more likely, depending on your existing pedagogical knowledge and experience. If you begin your training in a support position, this may be in one of the following roles:
Higher-Level Teaching Assistant
Teaching Assistant
Learning Support Assistant
Cover Supervisor
Learning Mentor
Phase One is infinitely flexible because we understand that some applicants apply for our programme and already possess a wealth of experience as unqualified teachers or that they were qualified outside of the UK, while others hold a term’s worth of experience or expertise within their subject. Essentially, some trainees will be ready to hit the ground running, while others will need to take a slower and more staggered approach.
During Phase One, you will complete Grad2Teach’s online CPD-certified accreditation towards your teacher training. There will be no interruption to your working day, you will not require supervision while you teach and your role can be flexible to meet your school's needs.
What is Phase Two of your programme?
When a role becomes available at your school with a 12+ hour teaching timetable (you may already have been placed in such a role during Phase 1) and you, Grad2Teach, and your mentor believe that you are ready, you can begin the second part of your training, which is usually a distanced-learning salaried PGCE in partnership with National institute of Teaching and Education (NITE) or an apprenticeship with one of our other providers. This will depend on what is more suitable for you and your main school placement. Again, you will be able to teach unsupervised with a teaching timetable of up to 18 hours in terms one and two and 20 hours in term three.
Will I gain Qualified Teacher Status at the end of my training?
Whichever route you take, with our support and your dedication, this will lead to you gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Our trainees currently hold 100% success rate on the PGCE, which we are extremely proud of.
How long does Phase One last?
Phase One is intended to be completed over a period of three school terms. Where there is substantial evidence that a trainee has met the criteria ahead of this timeline, a shorter period on Phase One may be discussed.
How long does Phase Two last?
This will depend on your pathway.
PGCE - 3 academic terms in length
Apprenticeship - 4 academic terms in length
For those who complete the Assessment-Only route, you can qualify in as little as 6-12 weeks.
What kind of support will I receive during Phase One and Phase Two of the programme?
Support from Grad2Teach
Trainees are given access to our online Grad2Teach Training Hub and encouraged to join our training network.
We also encourage positive collaboration through some face-to-face training sessions and our Trainee whatsapp group where we share news, events and good practice.
Throughout the program and during your school placements, you will receive ongoing support from your Partnerships Coordinator, as well as your Grad2Teach Trainer.
Support from your main school placement and second school placement
You will have regular meetings, observations and be provided with feedback to enable you to develop your confidence and teaching practice by your In-School Mentor
Support from our partner university
Our academic partner - Coventry University’s National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE) provides our trainees with University Lead Mentors who work closely with our partner schools to ensure that trainees are supported throughout the Grad2Teach program.
What is a main school placement and a second school placement?
Your main school placement will be where you will be working full-time as a trainee teacher for the majority of the time while you complete your initial teacher training. It is a requirement that you also complete a contrasting school placement that is a total of 4 weeks. If you are completing your teacher training in primary, your contrasting placement will have to be in another phase to your main school placement.
How far away will my main school placement and my contrasting placement be from where I live?
Your main school placement will be up to an hour away. This will depend on the opportunities that are available in your areas, whether you have access to a car or good transport links in your area.
Your second school placement (total of 20 days) will be up to an hour and a half away, however, we hope a lot closer than that.
What will my salary be while I train?
Your salary depends on your teaching hours, rather than whether you are on Phase One or Phase Two of our programme.
The minimum salary for someone teaching less than 12 hours per week is £16,000.
The minimum salary for someone teaching more than 12 hours per week is £20,000.
Your Partnerships Coordinator will discuss your salary expectations during your Assessment Call and we will then send you a post-Assessment Call Offer Letter to confirm what we have agreed to.
Will I be paid during the school holidays?
You will receive a salary for over 12 months of the year. This will provide you with a lot more stability than working for an agency.
What will my teaching timetable look like during Phase One?
Your teaching timetable will be flexible to meet your school’s needs and will also depend on your existing experience. We would advise that the maximum teaching timetable for a trainee teacher in Phase One is no more than 20 hours per week.
What will my teaching timetable look like during Phase Two?
During your PGCE, there’s a minimum teaching requirement of 12 hours per week. The maximum for terms one and two can be roughly 16 to 18 hours per week. This will need to increase to 20 hours per week for your final term so that a trainee teacher can experience a full ECT timetable.