International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) (with PGCE)

Taking the iQTS course with The University of Buckingham truly helped me grow and improve as a teacher. Every reading and lecture played a part, along with the reflections I made weekly, and I am undoubtedly a better teacher as a result. Starting every September, the iQTS programme is a 37-week school-based course during which trainee teachers work under the guidance of a mentor (appointed by the school in which they work) who observes them teach and meets weekly to review progress and set targets. In addition, there is a weekly programme of readings and reflective tasks that the trainee engages in. Finally, trainees are allocated a University of Buckingham tutor who will visit them in their schools in term 1 (depending on UK government travel advice) and then meet with them approximately once a month online to track progress and support where necessary. You will also participate in regular live lectures and seminars, and you will be expected to attend these as a condition of the course. Training takes place on Thursdays. Dates of the Training Days will follow in due course. Primary teachers will be expected to teach all subjects across the primary curriculum, depending on the local curriculum. There will be some content specifically about working in international schools.

You must have a university bachelor’s degree from a UK university or equivalents. We will need to see your original degree certificate. You must have the equivalent of a UK GCSE grade 4 in mathematics. If you are teaching pupils aged 5-11 you also need a GCSE grade 4 in science or one of the science subjects. If you do not have an equivalent qualification you will be asked to sit a proficiency test. To check your qualifications meet the standard of a UK GCSE, refer to UK ENIC, where you can apply for a statement of comparability. You must have good written and spoken English. This means you completed some of your education in English OR you achieve an IELTS score 6.5 OR you pass our own English language test. You must have the health and physical capacity to teach If you are teaching now, you should be able to provide evidence of your professional standing as a teacher You must pass an online interview with staff from the University of Buckingham You must have access to a reliable computer You must be teaching within one of the following age phases (you do not have to teach children of all ages within any phase): Ages 3-11 = primary Ages 11-14 = middle Ages 11-19 = secondary We will require two written references.