What is a PGCE?

A PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) is a postgraduate teaching qualification equivalent to 60 postgraduate credits at Masters level (but it’s not a Masters degree itself). You don’t need a PGCE to be a teacher in the UK, but it’s a common route to getting QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and is internationally recognised. PGCEs cost a maximum of £9,535 per year for full time domestic students, as set by the UK government. PGCE trainee teachers aren’t paid on their placements, but bursaries and scholarships are available to assist with fees.

Postgraduate teacher training is a very common route into teaching in most of the UK. In fact, according to recent UK government statistics, the postgraduate intake was almost five times higher than the undergraduate intake. PGCEs will be a large slice of that pie considering it’s the big cheese in postgraduate teacher training (sorry for mixing food metaphors, I may be a tad hungry).

So, what’s the deal with the PGCE? In this article, I’ll go through some essential info, QTS, entry requirements, and a few more things you may find useful. If you’re primarily interested in funding, we do have a PGCE funding guide, or you can visit our PGCE listings if you’re ready to look for a programme. Not sure why you landed here in that case, but I’m happy to smile and wave at you as you go past.

Also, if you’re planning to work as a teacher in Scotland, you may want our PGDE guide instead. That’s the Scottish version of the PGCE, much as the deep-fried Mars bar is the Scottish version of the Mars bar (for any Scots reading, I hope I’m joking).

PGCE essential information

Assuming you’ve already read the bolded intro (thanks for that), you know the general idea behind a PGCE. Here are a few more things you ought to know:

• PGCEs are specialised into school stages and subject (e.g., Primary English, Secondary Chemistry).
• You’ll spend a minimum of 24 weeks on placement with at least two schools.
• Time not on placement will be spent with the teacher training provider.
• It takes one year to complete full time or two years part time.

Also, you may or may not have heard about university-led PGCEs and school-led PGCEs. The former is what people commonly think of as the PGCE and what’s described above—you apply to a university, and they’ll manage your training and arrange placements. School-led is a bit different, with the specifics varying between programme type.

On a SCITT programme (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training), you’ll start at the school from day one (but won’t be expected to teach straight away, thank goodness) and will be based at multiple schools. Not all SCITT programmes award a PGCE, but many do. You’ll need to pay fees, just like a PGCE, but you still have access to postgraduate teacher funding.

For School Direct/ITT salaried, you’ll be paid a wage (woo!) but won’t have access to scholarships or bursaries (boo!). Like a SCITT, you’ll be at the school earlier than with a university-led PGCE, and you’ll generally work at just one school rather than multiple. Being awarded a PGCE at the end is less common than for SCITTs, though it does happen.

None of these options are better than the others, and they all typically lead to QTS. I’d encourage you to read up on the school-led options above if they sound more like your speed.

What are my options for studying a PGCE?

PGCE requirements

For a university-led PGCE, the entry requirements are usually:

• At least a 2:2 (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in the subject you want to teach. A similar subject is typically also acceptable (e.g., an engineering bachelors would work for a maths PGCE), but this varies between courses.
• GCSE grade C / grade 4 in English and Maths (or equivalent). You’ll also need grade C / grade 4 in a science subject to teach in primary (5-11).
• A specified grade in an accepted English test if English isn’t your first language and you don’t have the GCSE equivalent above (e.g., 6.0 in IELTs). Which tests are valid and the exact scoring requirements will vary between universities.
• A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. This is a compulsory criminal records check for anyone in a position of trust working with children.

You may also have to complete an SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement) course if your training provider requires it (usually due to having a degree too distant from the teaching subject or completing your degree 5+ years ago). Your training provider will tell you if this is required, so you won’t normally have to seek this out yourself. You can find out more about SKEs on the Get Into Teaching website.

School-led PGCEs may have additional requirements depending on the type. Paid ITT, for example, requires three years relevant work experience (though not necessarily in education).

Final note on PGCE requirements: while the above is the minimum, keep in mind that getting onto the programme may be quite competitive depending on the education level and subject. PE (Physical Education) is noted as being particularly competitive, so I’d advise applying early in that case. I suppose it’s appropriate you need a certain get-up-and-go to get on a PE PGCE, but I’ll abstain from any press-ups, thanks.

What do you learn on a PGCE?

The method and practice of teaching, in short (or ‘pedagogy’ if you’re feeling fancy). Beyond that, the course content varies between courses and training providers, but you might see modules such as:

• Subject study. This will build on your existing knowledge of your teaching subject to make sure you’re up to date with teaching it.
• Education and professional studies. This is all about how people learn, individual differences in learning styles, and the general practices of learning and teaching.
• Behaviour management. When disruptive kids strike, this will give you the tools to deal with them appropriately. I assume throwing them out of a window / defenestration is an inappropriate response, but I’m no expert.

The rest of the learning will be on your placements. The specifics of this will vary drastically, of course, but you’ll get experience with different learning environments and have experienced mentors to draw on. Theory is all well and good, but it’s on your placements that you’ll get to the meat and potatoes of teaching.

You won’t be expected to teach straight away, of course (you’ll just be observing at first), but you’ll have to take the plunge eventually. Makes sure to learn all you can!

PGCE funding

Our PGCE funding guide will give you the full story, but here’s the quick version:

• Government bursaries and scholarships are available for domestic students in England.
• The amount of funding corresponds to school demand for the subject (between £5000 and £29,000 at time of writing).
• Bursaries and scholarships are tax free.
• You go through undergraduate student finance for loans etc. rather than the postgraduate loan.
• Wales, Scotland and Ireland work differently (check the guide for more info).

What is QTS?

QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) is the requirement for teaching at primary or secondary level in England and Wales—a PGCE is just a common route to getting it. In Northern Ireland it’s not QTS per se, but you’ll be similarly qualified by completing a PGCE over there.

Notably, QTS isn’t the status of choice for certain education levels in England and Wales:

• For early years teaching (birth to age five), you’ll need EYTS (Early Years Teaching Status) instead.
• For teaching further education or in vocational settings, you’ll want QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills) instead.

Regardless, you don’t usually need to worry about the above—if the PGCE is dedicated to a certain education level and it’s taught in England or Wales, it should include the relevant teaching status. Still, probably worth checking over the course spec to make sure you get what you need at the end.

Also, on the off chance any Department of Education employees are reading this: do you think this might be a bit overcomplicated, folks? Just a tad?

PGCE vs PGDE vs Master of Education (MEd)

Hopefully you now have a good idea of what a PGCE is (if not, oops). So what’s the difference between a PGCE, a PGDE and a Master of Education?

Well, let’s get the MEd out of the way first: it’s an academic study of education, not teacher training. If you’re interested in initial teacher training, this one isn’t for you (but PGCE credits will go towards it). Maybe look at this later if you’re going for a school management position.

The PGDE is where things get confusing. Remember earlier when I mentioned it was the Scottish version of the PGCE? Unfortunately, while what I said was true (maybe not the Mars bar bit), there’s actually another PGDE (the Postgraduate Diploma in Education). They use the same acronym (as a prank, I assume), so be careful you don’t get tripped up.

Regarding the non-Scottish PGDE, it’s a more academic version of the PGCE (120 CATS credits rather than 60). You won’t see as many of these around, but if you see a PGDE listed with a non-Scottish university, it may be one of these.

As for the Scottish one, we’ve got a whole guide on the Scottish PGDE, so go check that out if you’re interested.

Tips from the author

#1 Don’t take criticism on your placement personally

While they may not phrase it in the nicest way, your teaching mentors are there to help you improve. If they think there’s something you can improve on, make sure to listen to them and not take it as an insult. In time, you may conclude that they’re wrong (everyone has their own teaching style, after all), but in the moment, you need to be prepared to accept feedback. No one wants a grouchy PGCE mentee, believe me.

#2 You don’t typically need direct classroom experience before you start

It’s unusual to list this as a requirement, so you should be good even if you don’t have any. That said, it may still be helpful to arrange sitting in on a class or two if you can. Aside from showing ‘gumption’ on your PGCE application (people still use that word, right?), it’ll give you a great opportunity to see a modern classroom in action. Things may have changed a bit since you were a young’n (more people on TikTok, perhaps).

#3 Don’t just go for the PGCE without considering other options

A PGCE may be a very popular option, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the right one. I highly encourage you to check out other postgraduate teacher training routes to see if there’s another one that might fit you better. If the answer is ‘no’, obviously that’s fine (I’m not trying to dissuade you from a PGCE), but it’ll do you good to understand what’s available before you dive in. Also, I wrote that guide too, so if you’ve tolerated my writing style so far you’ll probably be fine.

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