Teacher Support
Becoming a Physics Teacher
There are now a large number of routes into physics teaching, designed to accommodate the significant variety of experience, qualification, financial status and family commitments that applicants bring to the profession.
Those wishing to teach in maintained (state) schools in England and Wales must hold Qualified Teacher Status which can only be obtained by successfully completing Initial Teacher Training. A comprehensive list of Initial Teacher Training Institutions can be found on the Graduate Teacher Training Registry website, using their search facility, specifying Physics or Science.
An overview of the most common introductory courses and routes is given below, but the Training and Development Agency for Schools website includes other options such as the SCITT and the RTP courses.
| Course/Route | Most suitable for: |
| 1 day Open Schools Programme | General enquirers |
| 3 - 4 day Taster Course | Those close to a decision about application |
| Six month Enhancement Course | Graduates with little or no physics in their degree, or career changers, followed by any PGCE or GTP course |
| One year, full time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) | Prospective or recent graduates in physics or closely related subjects |
| Two year, full time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) | Those with less physics in their degree, career changers |
| Flexible PGCE | Those who wish to maintain their current employment while training. These include part-time and distance learning courses |
| Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) | Employment based training for those who do not wish to take a year out to do PGCE (no age restriction applies now) |
| EU Trained Teachers | Those wishing to make use of their existing EU qualifications |
| Non EU Trained EU Trained TeachersTeachers | Those wishing to acquire QTS |
| Returning to Teach | Former teachers with QTS |
^ To the top ^