Studying to become a teacher

The profession of teaching will always prove an alluring choice for those who truly want to make a contribution to the world. The rewards are great and varied, whether you would like to teach in early childhood, Primary (High School) or Secondary education, English language or adult education.
There are many paths that you can choose when you take education for teaching, and a wide choice of Universities and Colleges at which to study. All those who harbour an ambition to teach invariably find the path to becoming a teacher a wonderful life experience.

Education courses are available at all study levels from diploma and undergraduate through to postgraduate courses.

So, what education course should you study?

Undergraduate education studies

At the undergraduate level, a popular choice is the Bachelor of Education which is taught widely at Universities and Colleges in the UK and Australia. BEd programmes will typically allow you to focus your studies on education at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels, and in the UK will allow you to graduate with qualified teacher status (QTS) – an award which is required if you want to teach in any state run school in England or Wales. Once you have acquired QTS in the UK you can begin your teaching job as soon as you graduate.

In Australia you can take a four year BEd programme or you also have the option of studying a for a three year degree in a subject of your choosing, then a one year Graduate Diploma in Education, such as the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) at Curtin University.

Postgraduate education studies

If you have already obtained an undergraduate degree and want to change to a career in teaching, you have the option of a Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP). A GTP course will allow you to train whilst you work in a paid teaching role, achieving QTS on completion of your studies. This makes the GTP a very attractive route for those who need a source of income whilst continuing education.

The Graduate Teacher Programme is run by many providers and schools in England and Wales, focusing on Primary and Secondary education. The vocational nature of this programme means that it is not very well recognised outside of the UK and Wales so make sure that your qualification is recognised in the area you intend to work in. More information about the GTP can be found at the Training and Development Agencies website. Providers offering the GTP include the University of Derby and the University of Sunderland.

An alternative postgraduate route to consider is a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). Studying a PGCE will allow you to focus on learning teaching skills whilst focusing on a specific subject area, such as the PGCE courses offered by the University of Bristol in England.

You can take a Master of Education degree (MEd) in Universities throughout UK and Australia, which will allow you to focus your studies on the policies and theories behind education and in setting education curriculum. Examples of providers offering MEd courses including the University of Bristol in England the University of Dundee in Scotland, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and The Australian National University in Australia.

If your career demands a high level of knowledge or you wish to teach academically, you can continue your education studies into the Doctoral level with a Doctor of Education (EdD) or a Master & Doctor of Philosophy (MPhil/PhD) in Education. These research courses are offered widely around the world by providers such as CQUniversity and Canberra University in Australia, and the University of Dundee in Scotland.
Teaching English

The ability to speak English provides you with a means of teaching in many countries. You can take courses such as Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and The Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) which will equip you with the skills necessary to teach others whose first language is not English. This opens many potential destinations to work in, as most countries through the world have English language colleges. Kaplan International Colleges offer such a CELTA course based in Dublin, Ireland.

We have only touched here on a small section of studies in Education. If you wish to become a teacher there are courses available to suit you whatever your requirements and whatever your interests.

Take advantage of the course search on studylink.com to find your ideal course and add any comments or suggestions below.

Related topics

• Find Education, PGCE and Teaching Courses
• Teaching Degrees
• Masters in Teaching