Choose a course and training provider

There are hundreds of different initial teacher training (ITT) courses available in the UK. Choosing between them is a challenge in itself, and you should be prepared to put in a lot of research.

Your choice of ITT provides the foundation for your future as a teacher. As well as deciding which age group and/or subject you intend to teach, you should consider:

The kind of ITT you'd like to complete

ITT courses are flexible and are designed to support a wide range of individual circumstances. You can choose from:

School-based training schemes, such as school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT), the School Direct Training Programme and School Direct Training Programme (salaried). School Direct is a great new way to gain the skills you need to become a teacher. This school-led path includes some of the country's best schools, and you could be specially selected by one of them with a job in mind just for you.
Undergraduate and postgraduate courses, offered by universities and colleges, which include at least 18 weeks spent teaching in schools.
Online ITT courses, in which you study from your own home. The Open University and Hibernia College UK, for example, offer such courses, which are suitable for individuals who have employment and/or family commitments.

As a trainee, you will gain classroom experience by spending time teaching in at least two schools. Other than employment-based programmes, all routes include some training in schools as well as at your chosen university or higher education institution (HEI).

Trainee teachers will typically spend at least the following amounts of time being trained in schools:

160 days (32 weeks) on a four-year undergraduate programme
120 days (24 weeks) on a two- or three-year undergraduate programme
120 days (24 weeks) on a secondary programme for graduate trainees
90 days (18 weeks) on a primary programme for graduate trainees

The duration of employment-based schemes will be determined by the training programme.

As a graduate trainee, you are expected to have a good understanding of the subject or subjects you are training to teach before you start your ITT programme. Some subject training courses are available to help you improve your subject knowledge and understanding

Where you'd like to train

Wherever you want to train, and for whatever reason, you'll find there are ITT providers all over the country for you to choose from.

The institution you'd like to attend

No two courses of ITT are the same – largely because no two ITT providers are the same. Universities, colleges and schools all display varying characteristics, strengths and entry requirements, not to mention course content and structures. If you need help choosing an ITT provider, visit our Performance Profiles website to search for and compare universities, colleges and schools. Our compare training providers page provides more information about Performance Profiles.