Do I Need a Teaching Degree to Become a Teacher?
A question that is often asked is, “do I need a teaching degree to become a teacher?” In general, all that’s required to become a teacher is to complete a university degree. But in some instances, a school or educational institute might require that a teacher must have a teaching degree to apply for the teacher’s position. You may decide to complete your extra education through traditional means, such as university or online for flexibility such as online A levels.
So to answer the question, it is not a mandatory requirement to acquire a teaching degree if you want to become a teacher. But acquiring one can increase your chances of landing a job as a teacher and is very beneficial. Furthermore, you may not even need a university degree in some cases, and it would depend on the type of teacher an educational institute is looking for! Sometimes, acquiring relevant experience, training, certifications, and qualifications is enough as well.
To put it short, you can most definitely become a teacher without a teaching degree!
Who is a Teacher?
A teacher’s main job is to teach pupils who fall under the age bracket of 5 years to 18 years. Besides that, a teacher also has to develop lessons and plan other educational activities based on the directions from the school administration.
Teachers also conduct exams and give tests to the students in order to evaluate their academic progress. And anyone who has gone to school as a student would already know that ‘homework’ is also an important part of school!
Inside the classroom, a teacher’s job is to act as a mentor and impart education in an engaging manner. Besides that, a teacher is also responsible for the managing the classroom and the behaviour of the students!
In the United Kingdom, different teaching positions can be divided into the following categories:
- Primary Education
- Secondary Education
The requirements will differ depending on whether you want to become a teacher for primary education or secondary education.
Qualifications of Teachers
What are the requirements to become a teacher? Have a look:
- Degree from a recognized institute
- Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
- Initial Teacher Training Certificate (ITT)
To become a teacher at the primary school level, GCSEs in the following subjects are usually required: English, Science, and Mathematics. For secondary education, GCSEs in mathematics and English are required these can be completed in college courses. The grade of these GCSEs needs to be a minimum of C or better (4 – 9).
Generally, a more qualified teacher who has done Online A-Levels or a degree/diploma in education will be something considered to be a plus point. When we talk about teaching degrees, there is the PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) and the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) as well.
Becoming a Teacher with No Degree
So you have no degree but want to become a teacher? The requirements are given below:
- Get a DET Diploma (level 5)
- Qualified Teacher Learning Skills (QTLS) – You can get it with a level 5 DET.
Once you have gained the QTLS status, you can apply for teaching jobs without any degree as well! But a more preferable route is to start working part-time while pursuing a degree as it will allow progress further in the teaching profession and will open more jobs for you as well!