22nd June 2023

Just finished university and thinking about a career in teaching?

Are you a graduate looking to get into teaching? At Engage, our paid teacher training programme allows you to gain classroom experience and complete your PGCE with QTS while earning a living!

What is our Teaching Trainee Programme?

Working in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE) at Coventry University, we created a support-focused route to PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and QTS (Qualified Teaching Status) via a Teaching Apprenticeship Programme. If you successfully enrol on our programme, you will work as a member of support staff in the first phase of your course, and then as an unqualified teacher in the second phase. 

If you are interested, you will need to go through an assessment process to ensure your eligibility for the programme. If successful, you’ll begin working in a school as a member of support staff or as an intervention tutor, giving you valuable introductory experience before embarking on life as a teacher.

Why choose Engage?

We are proud of our training programme and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from graduates who’ve enrolled over the years! Check out some of the feedback here! The benefits are endless when you choose our Teacher Training Programme:

• You will gain an internationally recognised qualification in teaching 
• You will get to study with the NITE at Coventry University free of charge, from anywhere in the country
• You will earn a salary whilst you learn
• You will get on-the-job experience from day one
• You’ll work as a member of support staff in Phase 1 meaning that you are familiar with the school, the students, and you’ll be ready to teach by the time you start Phase 2
• We’ll support you throughout your training with observations, feedback and CPD – all provided by our Partnership & Development team 
• There’s a 100% success rate of our previous trainees going from Phase 1 to Phase 2
• You’ll get to work in a school Monday – Friday, for at least 12 hours per week!
• Your learning is completed online, this way, you will feel like a full-time member of staff in your school
• Our success rate of teachers staying in the school that they completed Phase 2 in is 92%
• The support doesn’t stop there, working with Engage means that you access loads of other perks and benefits, too!
• We only place trainees in Good or Outstanding rated schools by Ofsted!

How do I get started?

Once you register your interest in our Teacher Training Programme, we will kick off our assessment process!

1- Checking Eligibility

We will need to check that you are eligible for the programme – for this, we’ll need the following:

• Your right to work in the UK
• Proof that you have resided in the UK for at least the past 3 years
• An Undergraduate Degree (UK) or equivalent
• GCSEs in English, Maths and Science with grades 4+

2- Sending additional evidence

Our dedicated PGCE will contact you and make sure we have all the necessary documentation to get you set up for success:

• A copy of your University Degree and GCSE results
• An up-to-date CV
• A cover letter
• Completion of a one-way virtual interview

Once everything has been submitted and checked, you can sit tight and wait for us to find the perfect school just for you. Download our prospectus to find out the full details!

Once you’re confirmed

If you are placed in a school, the programme will work in two phases:

Phase 1:

You will work as a member of support staff, where you will be supported by a mentor in your school as well as by our Partnership & Development team. Our team will work with you and the school to get you ready to take on whole class responsibilities through a programme of training and support.

You will progress to Phase 2 once you feel you are ready to teach independently, the programme lasts 12 months.

Phase 2:

In the second phase, you will get to begin your PGCE as you are directly employed by your school. Phase 2 starts with a period of online training and observation so that you can begin teaching a 12-hour weekly timetable, progressing to 18 hours during the course of the PGCE. 

Currently, qualifications in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are all sought after by our partner schools and we would love to work with you. .