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The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a one-year course in the UK for existing bachelor's degree holders leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is needed to become a teacher in maintained (state or local authority) schools.
The qualification is normally taught at a university or other higher education institution, though most of the course time is spent on placements in local schools.
After completing the PGCE, the candidate can be recommended for QTS, providing they meet any other requirements (in England, for example, they must pass the three QTS Skills Tests in literacy, numeracy and ICT). After gaining QTS, the candidate becomes a Newly-Qualified Teacher (NQT).
In England, an NQT's first year as a teacher is known as their induction year, in which they are assigned a mentor to monitor them. At the end of the year they are assessed and must pass to be allowed to continue teaching. In Wales, the induction period is less intense, but lasts two years. Unlike England, the induction year can be retaken if failed. Scotland and Northern Ireland do not have induction period.
THe PGCE is rather poorly named, as a standard postgraduate certificate (PGCert) is the lowest level of post-graduate qualification, requiring about half the work of a postgraduate diploma (PGDip), which is similar to the taught element of most master's degrees. Though it is hard to compare directly, the PGCE's workload is probably closer to that of a master's. However, the name is now firmly established and unlikely to be changed.
Technically, the PGCE is a non-degree qualification (as it is directly related to a career, it is considered vocational) that does not grant any postnominals, though this is often ignored.
Students on PGCE courses in England and Wales do not have to pay any tuition fees and receive a £6,000 training bursary (£7,000 for secondary Mathematics teachers) over the course of the year. Students in Scotland and Northern Ireland still do not pay any fees, but do not receive a bursary. There are also other financial insentives for teachers once qualified.
Applications for admission to PGCE courses are handled by a national clearing house, the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR).
The PGCE is not the only way to become a teacher in the UK. Student teachers may undertake a four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Education or enrol on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), where they are employed by a school and train on the job.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is the equivilent of the PGCE in many countries.
External link
Graduate Teacher Training Registry (http://www.gttr.ac.uk/)
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