Teacher Apprenticeship – Level 6 Postgraduate

The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship is an employment based route to becoming a qualified teacher. All trainees on this route need to meet the same entry criteria as trainee teachers on other routes to QTS. Further details are provided below.

The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship

  • Is an employment based teacher training route.
  • As a Post Graduate Teacher Apprentice (PGTA) you will also gain qualified teacher status (QTS) just like other routes into teaching such as via a PGCE or School Direct.
  • Teacher Apprentices work alongside school staff to build the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to become an effective teacher.
  • You will be employed by a school as an unqualified teacher (UQT).
  • Your teaching timetable will be up to 60% of a full-time teacher’s timetable.
  • You will attend professional development training 1 day per week with the initial teacher training (ITT) provider off-site.
  • You can expect an in-school mentor, as well as a tutor from the ITT provider who will visit regularly.
  • Due to the requirement to work as an UQT during the Post Graduate Teacher Apprenticeship, applicants for this route should already have experience working in a school, for example, as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant, cover supervisor or similar.
  • Before you apply for the course, you will need to have an employing school who is willing to employ you as an UQT and provide the necessary support as you complete the course. Most applicants are put forward for this route by their current employing school.

To be eligible for the Post Graduate Teacher Apprenticeship you must have (before you start the course):

  • A degree
  • GCSE English/Maths/(Science – only for primary), at C grade/level 4 or above (or equivalent).
  • If teaching secondary, your degree subject should normally contain 50% content related to the subject you wish to teach. Funded subject knowledge enhancement courses are available in certain subjects if needed.
  • UK/EEA residency for at least 3 years
  • A school to employ you for the period of the apprenticeship (July to July, 12 months).

You might find this Entry criteria for Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship with QTS Qualifications flowchart useful.

More details:

  • Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council have a contract with The Cambridge Partnership to provide the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship in maintained schools. Local academies can also access the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship through The Cambridge Partnership. Find out more by reading  this Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship with QTS information Primary 2024-25  document. For Secondary school information, please read this document:  Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship with QTS information Secondary 2024-25
  • As an apprentice you would be paid at the unqualified teacher rate 1.
  • Primary, Secondary and Special school candidates can be trained through this route. Please note that candidates in special schools need to be teaching the chronological age that matches the phase they are training to teach (e.g. if you are training to teach primary and are employed in a special school you must be teaching primary aged pupils). Candidates in special schools may also need to complete a longer placement and/or complete a placement in a mainstream setting.
  • The course fees are covered by the apprenticeship levy (£9000) and salary is covered by the employing school.
  • The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship course usually starts in July and finishes in July of the following year, therefore it is important that candidates apply to the course in the spring term (see below).
  • Information about the apprenticeship standard can be found here: instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/teacher-v1-0

How do I apply?

Application window February to April:

  1. To apply for the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship (PGTA) course, you will need to meet all of the criteria listed above (or will have before the course starts) and have commitment from a school to employ you whilst you train.
  2. Next you will need to request a unique code to apply with from the training provider. The local PGTA provider is The Cambridge Partnership and they can be contacted via [email protected].
  3. Applications go through the DfE Apply system, using the unique code provided in step 2.
  4. Assuming your application is successful and you meet the entry criteria, you will be interviewed by the PGTA provider. Further information on what The Cambridge Partnership will be looking for during selection can be found `How to Apply – The Cambridge Partnership’.
  5. If successful at interview, you will be offered a place as a Postgraduate Teacher Apprentice. The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship normally starts in July ( earlier than most other teacher training programmes).

If you have any questions about the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship route into teaching please contact us at [email protected] .

The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship forms Year 2 of the Cambridgeshire Paid Teacher Internship. Year 1 of this programme is a pre- initial teacher training year. Interns will work as a Teaching Assistant or HLTA, gradually increasing their experience of whole class and small group teaching with support as the year progresses.  In year 2, interns complete the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship as described above. This route has been particularly popular with existing school staff looking to develop into a qualified teacher. Take a look at our Cambridgeshire Teacher Internship Programme page to see if this route would suit your training needs.

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