Teaching in the UK

Dionysus

Has anybody here done it yet?

I'm finding it hard to find information about the structure there and from looking at TES I'm even more confused.

1. Does a teacher with a PGDE have to gain another qualification before getting a permanent position as a teacher in the UK? I should have my PGDE in May. Will I have to serve some sort of apprenticeship if I accept a job in a British school in September?

2. In calculating salary, it asks 'Do you qualify for TLR & Special Needs Allowances?' Would our SNA module in the PGDE qualify me for this?

3. What sort of schools, and positions, should I be looking for if I'd prefer to teach in more academic schools?

4. In academic schools, or any schools, do they pay you more if you have a doctorate or masters in the subject you are teaching?

Thanks.

Dionysus

I'm still researching this so anybody with extra info please chip in.


According to this website somebody with a PGDE from an Irish university is deemed to be not qualified to teach in a school in the UK:

"Eligibility

Any qualified teacher from the Republic of Ireland is considered an unqualified teacher in the UK. In order to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the UK, the following has to be done:

1. UK NARIC (qualification comparability) – compares your qualifications to the UK national qualifications frameworks

2. General Teaching Council for England (GTCE)
Allows EEA Nationals (which includes the Republic of Ireland) to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Although the form can take up to 4 months to complete, you can teach whilst it is being processed"

Dionysus

Next step, then, a visit to the English Teaching Council (GTCE) website.

According to the above GTCE page, it seems that all teachers who are recognised as qualified teachers in a EEA (European Economic Area) state, such as Ireland can be very easily recognised as qualified to teach in the UK:

"EEA teachers
The GTC is the Competent Authority in England for the teaching profession. EEA nationals who are recognised as qualified school teachers in an EEA member state may apply for QTS in England under the terms of Council Directive 2005/36/EC without the need for further training.

Teachers who gain QTS through this route are exempt from the requirement to serve a statutory induction period."

So, can we take it from this that somebody with the PGDE from Ireland has to produce evidence of their PGDE qualification to the GTCE and they are recognised as fully qualified teachers in Britain and, moreover, do not have to do any probationary year - i.e. they can be appointed to a permanent teaching position in the UK in September 2010, for example?

Dionysus

In practice, is it really necessary to go through NARIC as well as the GTCE? Surely, as the PGDE is the sole secondary teaching qualification from Ireland, each single teacher in possession of it does not need to get it separately examined? Or is NARIC simply a money-making racket?

In practice, will the GTCE not have a record of what the PGDE is and certify you as a qualified teacher upon receipt of evidence that you have been awarded it?

Dionysus

Correction to the above, and the title of this thread: it appears teaching in England is a distinct endeavour to teaching in Scotland or Wales. This is about teaching in England and the General Teaching Council of England's requirements.

The GTCE has a huge amount of information and the necessary application for attaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in this pdf article. It states that it can take up to four months to attain it and if they say you can get QTS, you can then register with the GTCE. The situation for a qualified teacher from an EEA state who wants to become a teacher in England can be summed up thus:

'The basic principle is this. If you have the diploma required to teach in one member state, you may not be refused authorisation to teach
in another member state on the grounds that the qualification is inadequate.'


Guidelines for becoming a qualified secondary school teacher in England, and the application form to attain QTS from the General Teaching Council of England (GTCE) can be found here:

http://www.gtce.org.uk/documents

/publicationpdfs/qts_eea_app.pdf

In your application for QTS to the GTCE, you have to include:

"Checklist of documents
Please make sure you have included all the documents we need – both a photocopy of the original form and,
for documents not in the English language, a certified translation (see page 3). Use this checklist to help you.
Photocopy of original document Translation
Degree certificate
Teacher training qualification certificate
Proof of nationality (eg passport)
Change of name document, if relevant
(eg marriage certificate)
Remember, do not send us original documents – only send us photocopies.
Don’t forget to sign the application form!"

Dionysus

Lastly, for now:

"The requirement to register applies to full-time, part-time and supply
teachers working in maintained schools, non-maintained special
schools and pupil referral units." But "You do not need QTS to be a teacher in many independent schools, though some do insist on it."

http://www.gtce.org.uk/documents/publicationpdfs/qts_eea_app.pdf

I had surmised that "non-maintained" were private schools. I'm not sure now how they differ from "independent schools", all of which I think are private schools.