Choosing your Teacher Training course
NTU is helping to build a teaching profession that reflects our society. It is important that young people and adults are educated and inspired by teachers who reflect the diversity of our communities.
Whether you are studying for a degree, just graduated, already working in schools or planning a career change, we offer many routes to help you become a teacher.
Early years covers young children from 0 to 5 years of age. Early years teachers are specialists in early childhood development. They plan, organise and run a wide range of learning and play activities in a safe and supportive setting. They may also work with parents and other professionals, such as social workers.
If you don't have a degree, our undergraduate Childhood and Education degrees qualify you to work in nurseries, primary schools, and children's centres:
- BA (Hons) Childhood and Psychology
- BA (Hons) Childhood and Society
- BA (Hons) Childhood: Health and Wellbeing
- BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies
- BA (Hons) Education Studies
- BA (Hons) Education Studies and Psychology
- BA (Hons) Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion
If you have or are studying towards an undergraduate degree, and are already or will be employed in the early years sector, you can apply for our PGCE Early Years Initial Teacher Training course.
Primary Education covers children aged 3 to 11 years, covering pre-school, reception and Key Stages 1 and 2. As a primary teacher, you'll cover the full range of National Curriculum subjects.
If you have or are studying towards A-levels, BTECs or equivalent, you can apply for BA (Hons) Primary Education (QTS).
If you have or are studying towards a relevant undergraduate degree, you can apply for PGCE Primary Education.
If you have a degree, and are or will be employed in a teaching role in a Primary school, but do not have qualified teacher status you can apply for our PGCE Level 6 Teaching Apprenticeship.
If you have a degree, and are employed to teach and have extensive Primary teaching experience, you can apply for our Assessment Only Route to QTS (Primary) course.
A secondary school teacher works with children between the ages of 11 and 16, or up to 19 in schools with sixth forms. As a secondary teacher, you'll teach one or more National Curriculum subjects.
If you have or are studying towards A-levels, BTECs or equivalent you can apply for:
- BA (Hons) English with Secondary Education (QTS)
- BSc (Hons) Chemistry with Secondary Education (QTS)
- BSc (Hons) Computing with Secondary Education ( QTS)
- BSc (Hons) Mathematics with Secondary Education (QTS)
- BSc (Hons) Physics with Secondary Education (QTS).
If you have or are studying towards an undergraduate degree, you can apply for:
- PGCE Secondary Biology
- PGCE Secondary Business Education
- PGCE Secondary Chemistry
- PGCE Secondary Computer Science with ICT
- PGCE Secondary Design and Technology
- PGCE Secondary English
- PGCE Secondary Mathematics
- PGCE Secondary Music
- PGCE Secondary Physics.
If you have a degree, and are or will be employed in a teaching role in a Secondary school, but do not have qualified teacher status, you can apply for our PGCE Level 6 Teaching Apprenticeship.
If you have a degree, and are employed to teach and have extensive Secondary teaching experience, you can apply for our Assessment Only Route to QTS (Secondary) course.
Further Education and Skills covers post-16 education. You’ll be given the tools to plan, implement and evaluate teaching and learning activities for the role of an educator or lecturer.
If you have or are studying towards an A-level or undergraduate degree, and relevant work experience in your intended subject specialism, you can apply for our CertEd / PGCE Further Education and Skills course.
Our Teacher Training courses
Designed to prepare you for your future, our courses are innovative, hands-on, and career-focused.
Meet our students
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves.
Career progression
Leadership
Being a leader in a school could encompass a number of different roles, from taking charge of a year group or key stage to becoming a head teacher. In these roles, you’ll have a large influence in the school, setting high standards and ensuring continuous improvement throughout.
Focus on your subject
Pursue a career as a head of department or as a leading practitioner, sharing your passion for your subject. In these positions, you’ll still have time in the classroom but enjoy additional responsibilities – from training new teachers to acting as a leading expert on your subject within the school.
Pastoral care
If you’re interested in ensuring the welfare of students throughout their education, a pastoral role might be for you. This can range from guiding a tutor group through school to becoming a head of year. You could also take on the role of a mentor for young people with special educational needs.
A salary to match your talent
Your salary will be linked to your responsibilities and performance, so you can get out what you put in. In some cases, bursaries, scholarships and early career payments may be available from the government.
Applying
The process and the dates for applying differ depending on the type of course and the age ranges you wish to teach. We recommend you start to think about your application at least a year before you wish to start your course.
Funding, bursaries and scholarships
Undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training courses are generally funded through the undergraduate funding system. If you’re eligible, you’ll get a loan to cover both your tuition fees and to help towards accommodation and other living costs (i.e. maintenance). The amount of Maintenance Loan available depends upon your household income and whether you are living with your parent(s) / carer(s), and other factors. Find out more about teacher training funding.
Undergraduate
Eligible undergraduates may also receive the NTU Bursary of £750 for each year of study.
Postgraduate
Bursaries are available from the Department for Education (DfE). These are allocated to subject areas where they think there may be a shortage of teachers. The amounts vary depending on your course and certain eligibility criteria, such as the class of undergraduate degree that you hold. This tends to be updated each October for courses that start the following Autumn. You don’t need to apply for a bursary – if you are eligible, it will be paid automatically.
Scholarships may be available in some subjects from independent institutions. You cannot receive both a bursary and a scholarship. Find out more further details about other possible sources of funding.
Teacher Apprentices are not eligible for loans, bursaries or scholarships
If you are currently studying at NTU or have recently graduated, and your course is not eligible for a DfE bursary or other scholarship, you may be eligible for 20% off your postgraduate course fees as part of our Alumni Discount.
We attempt to place our trainee teachers for your professional practice in schools and settings within a reasonable travel time of your term-time address. You will be expected to live within a reasonable daily travel time distance of our Clifton campus. If you are not in receipt of a bursary or scholarship, we pay travel expenses for journeys made that are longer than your usual travel distance to and from our Clifton campus.