Many people ask us if it is possible to get into teaching without a degree. The answer is Yes, but complex. If you are based in the UK, you can choose a route into teaching which does not require a degree. Most teaching jobs require a degree.
Since 2012, a New opportunity opened up and you can become a teacher through Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS). These changes made in 2012 helped schools get experienced teachers of vocational subjects. However, most professionals with degrees still work as teachers.
This post discusses having a career as a teacher without having a degree.
Qualifications you need to have to become a Teacher Via QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills)
You need to be Level 5 or above with a Diploma in Education and Training (DET). Which was known as the Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). The post-16 sector and the level 5 programmes are equally recognised. Both are equivalent to the second year of the bachelor’s degree.
The QTLS applicants need to have approved qualifications in Maths and English at level 2. This would be GCSE (A*- C), New GCSE (Grade 4-9), and functional skills level 2, but other approved qualifications are accepted as well. If you wish to teach English or maths, you need to be Level 3.
Complete your Diploma in Education and Training (DET) – Become a Teacher
The Diploma in Education and Training takes 1 year to complete. You can either finish a course at a university or a college. Such a Professional Certificate in Education (PCE) or the Certificate of Education (CertEd), both fulfil the requirements of Level 5 DET. Or you can work as an unqualified teacher in a secondary school or further education while undergoing part-time training.
You must know that you will need to teach students from the age of 14 or above to be accepted into the DET course.
Get Your QTLS Done to Become a Qualified Teacher
You can apply for the course through the Society for Education and Training (SET) or become a member of the SET and get your QTLS through the fulfilment of professional formation.
You must apply the knowledge and strategies you have learned in your teacher training to your teaching to display your professional formation. Therefore, to finish professional formation, you must be a teacher who is currently working with students aged at least 14 years old and above.
The process takes six months to finish. Your teaching will be observed twice in the course during these 6 months. Additionally, a workbook that is completed in 6 parts of the course will be made available for you to add supporting documentation of your advancement.
Conclusion – Does QTLS equal QTS in Primary and secondary education?
How to become a teacher without a degree?
Thus, earning QTLS and becoming a teacher without a degree is possible. Does this, however, grant holders the same standing as QTS-certified teachers?
According to government regulations, SET members who hold QTLS status are qualified to teach in schools under the same conditions as those who hold QTS. They have the right to teach students of all academic ages in both basic and elective topics. As a result, QTLS holders are eligible to work as primary and secondary school teachers. Additionally, they will not be required to complete an induction year, which is mandatory for newly qualified teachers with QTS.
Even if you have QTS, QTLS or DEP, it is the school or college who got to decide to hire you as a teacher. We’ve discovered that some schools reject QTLS candidates for positions requiring certification as qualified teachers because they think the training is insufficient, especially when it comes to behaviour management. Secondary schools won’t accept a QTLS teacher without a degree because they frequently require a related degree for teaching a specialised subject. This path has been especially helpful for teachers who have proven that they possess the expertise required to be teachers but lack a degree while working as unqualified teachers at a school.
Note: QTLS is only recognised in England. But it will not be valid in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
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