How to become a primary school teacher
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You can do an undergraduate degree that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS), for example:
- Bachelor of Education (BEd)
- Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS
You can also complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), if you have a first degree without QTS. This can be done at university or on a school-based training programme.
There are more training options if you want to change career or specialise in teaching certain subjects.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
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Apprenticeship
You can get into this career through a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship, if you have a degree and want to teach 5 to 11 year olds.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
- GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching
- a degree for a teaching apprenticeship
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Work
You could start as a teaching assistant and do a part-time degree. You could then move onto a postgraduate teaching course to qualify as a teacher.
Volunteering
You'll find it helpful to get some experience of working with children though this is not essential. You can do this through paid work or by volunteering at a school, helping at an after school club or working on a holiday scheme.
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Registration
- you'll usually need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in a state school in England
Career tips
You can do a subject knowledge enhancement course to improve your understanding of the subject you want to teach.
You can also attend train to teach events before you apply to get advice about the profession, the different training routes and funding. You can attend events in person and online.
Further information
You can discover more about how to become a teacher from Get Into Teaching.
You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.