How to change careers to become a teacher
What you'll need to become a teacher
You’ll need a degree and qualified teacher status (QTS) to work in the majority of schools in England. This includes state maintained primary, secondary and special schools.
There are different ways to get QTS.
If you have a degree
If you already have a degree, you can do a postgraduate teacher training course to gain QTS.
It does not matter when you graduated, and your degree subject does not necessarily need to be in the subject you want to teach. Once you have QTS, you can also teach any other subject, as long as you can show you have enough expertise.
Funding postgraduate teacher training
Most postgraduate teacher training courses charge fees. There are ways to fund your training, for example, through tuition fee and maintenance loans. If you train to teach certain subjects, you may also be eligible for a bursary or scholarship of up to £31k.
Other postgraduate teacher training courses come with a salary. This means you will not pay tuition fees and will receive a salary while you train. These courses are in high demand and very competitive, so it’s important to apply as soon as you can if you’re eligible.
If you’re eligible for a bursary or scholarship, you could receive more money on a non-salaried course than on a salaried one.
Find out more about postgraduate teacher training.
If you do not have a degree
If you do not have a degree, you can:
- do undergraduate teacher training to get a degree alongside qualified teacher status (QTS)
- check if you're eligible to do a teacher degree apprenticeship
Funding undergraduate teacher training
Undergraduate teacher training courses can be funded through tuition fee and maintenance loans. You may also be eligible for a bursary of £9,000.
Teacher degree apprenticeships allow you work in a school and earn a salary while getting a bachelor’s degree, so you do not have to pay tuition fees.
Find out more about training to teach if you do not have a degree.
If you do not want to get a degree
You do not need a degree and QTS to teach in further education or to teach in early years. So if you want to become a teacher, but are not able to get a degree, you can explore these options.
Find out more about how to change careers to teaching
To find out more, you can:
- attend a Get Into Teaching event, where you can speak to advisers, local training providers, and experienced teachers
- explore support for career changers
- discover more about how to become a teacher
As a parent and professional with a regular income, the financial support available to me as a trainee physics teacher made the option of re-training seem not only viable, but attractive.
Read more about Claire's career change to teaching.
Get free one-to-one support
An adviser with years of teaching experience can help you change careers to become a teacher. Chat by phone, text, or email as little or often as you need.
Find out more about advisers