Overview
Become a teacher in a college, sixth form or training centre on this Further Education and Skills PGCE – rated Outstanding by Ofsted after its latest inspection – and support and inspire students aged 16 and above as they prepare to take their first career steps.
You'll gain teaching expertise at University and real classroom experience on teacher training placements in real educational settings, such as sixth forms, colleges and other further education institutions.
You'll develop the confidence and skills to become a reflective and resilient further education teacher, and also explore how to teach and design learning programmes in a range of specialist subjects alongside your course teachers and work-based subject mentors.
If you're not yet working or teaching in further education, you can study this teacher training degree full-time at the University or by distance learning. Or, if you already have a role in further education, you can study part-time by distance learning or at one of our partner colleges, alongside your job. If you choose to study by distance learning, you'll still do your teacher training placements in person.
Wherever and however you study this PGCE, you’ll be a student of the University of Portsmouth, so you’ll have access to all of our facilities and support.
Once you graduate, you'll have the teaching qualification you need to begin your teaching career in further education colleges, sixth-forms and private training providers.
You can start this course in September or January (distance learning option only).
Course highlights
- Gain the skills, confidence and knowledge to become a teacher in further education, through a combination of teacher training placements and the study of theories and contemporary issues within further education
- Reflect on your own teaching practice and design a curriculum in a specialist subject area
- Share your experiences and learn from other PGCE students in lectures and seminars
- Gain 750 hours of work experience on teaching placements in further education arranged by the University (full-time only)
- Study in a way that suits you and your career - full-time at the University or by distance learning, or part-time by distance learning or at one of our partner colleges: Chichester College (Chichester or Crawley campus), South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus, Havant and South Downs College, or Isle of Wight College
- Be eligible for membership of the Society for Education & Training (SET) when you graduate, which enables you to work towards Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status
Careers and opportunities
On this further education teacher training degree, you'll gain the formal teaching qualification you need to teach in colleges, sixth-forms and private training providers.
This Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a professional teaching qualification recognised by further education providers in the UK. When you graduate, you'll also be eligible to apply to the Society for Education & Training (SET) to gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status, which is recognised as comparable to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
As a new further education teacher in 2024, you could expect a starting salary of £26,090 in the UK. A PGCE is an internationally-recognised qualification, so you'll also be able to work as a teacher overseas, including in the USA, Canada and Australia.
You could also earn 60 postgraduate credits on this further education PGCE, which you could put towards a full Master's degree (worth 180 credits) in the future.
Graduates of this teaching PGCE have gone on to work in:
- further education colleges
- sixth-form colleges
- private training providers
- public services
- voluntary organisations
Graduates of this teaching PGCE have gone onto roles such as:
- Further education maths teacher
- Social sciences teacher
- Sociology and Criminology college lecturer
- Project coordinator
- Educational support worker
- Learning support tutor
