My wife completed one of the UK’s latest programmes in the education field - here is a breakdown of her experience 👀
Let's see what she has to say.
Programme: PGCE iQTS (Secondary)
Provider: University of Sunderland
Do I recommend it? 100% and here’s why:
This programme is delivered by world class teachers with experience of teaching in both the UK and international settings 🌎
This programme is accredited by the UK's DfE (Department for Education). This allowed me to earn UK QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) while teaching at international schools. 🇬🇧
I had 1-1 support and guidance from my assigned PAT Mark Hughes, in school mentor Mohammad Salam and other members of staff - this support was invaluable to my experience 🧑🏻🏫
I had the chance to teach in person at two international schools. This hands-on experience was incredibly valuable. 🏫
Is it easy to complete the programme? That depends on your commitment 💪🏼
The PGCE is no walk in the park, you are expected to produce work at master's level and be able to manage your time between education, work, and personal life 🗂️⌚️
But like all things in life, nothing comes easy. Everything requires work, consistency and dedication for success to pay off 💯
First, this PGCE is only available if you are already living outside the UK, which I assume is the case.
It is a fairly new course that the DfE have introduced, this is the third year now that they will be running it.
I personally do not have children, but there were people on the course who did and managed to complete it.
The way it works is you do the course online and attend sessions every week all year. As well as completing your placement in an international school full-time.
It does require a lot of dedication and some sacrifice when it comes to time outside of work, but it is only for a year.
The course is offered by a fair few universities, each year more universities are offering it. I completed it with the University of Sunderland, other universities include: Edgehill, TES, Warwick, Birmingham and more - if you do a google search for PGCE iQTS the different providers should show up.
This course is different to normal iPGCEs as you get recommended for QTS with it. Which is great because many schools require QTS, especially if you go back to teach in England.
Completing the PGCE iQTS qualification with the University of Sunderland meant 2 things:
1 - I was able to gain a UK backed qualification and gain UK QTS all while living in another country and experiencing teaching in an international setting 🇬🇧
2 - I am in another country entirely, so attending graduation just wasn’t possible without catching a flight back in time ✈️
I am super grateful for being able to experience the education, training and support offered by the University of Sunderland and I do wish I could have attended the 2024 graduation ceremony being held today🎓
Although I completed an international qualification, the University still made it possible for us all to connect with fellow students, teachers and professionals 👩🏽🏫🧑🏻🏫
I have had a great time this past year, from learning the fundamentals of education to ways in which we can improve educational experiences for our students 📚
Once again special thanks to my PAT Mark Hughes, my in-school mentor Mohammad Salam and all other members of the programme who made my experience so worth it! 💯
Looking forward to embarking on my journey as a teacher! 👩🏽🏫
I hope I’ve managed to answer your questions, and if you require anymore information I’ll do my best to help :)
