What is the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship?
✔ Primary ✔ Primary SEND ✔ Secondary
The Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship is a fee-free, salaried route for graduates to enter the teaching profession and gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in 12 months.
Apprentices earn while they learn, with 12 months of direct training followed by up to 3 months for the End Point Assessment (EPA).
With fewer new teachers entering the profession and a decreasing number of ITT providers, Teacher Apprenticeships offer a practical solution to the recruitment challenges faced by schools.
Fees
Teacher Apprenticeships make ITT affordable thanks to funding from the Apprenticeship Levy. Removing ITT fees widens the pool of potential teachers a school can recruit from to include those who would otherwise not be able to afford to complete ITT.
Grant funding
For secondary schools using Teacher Apprenticeships, grants are paid directly to the school to support paying apprentice teacher wages. With the grants taken into account, secondary schools can employ trainee teachers for substantially reduced costs, see below
| Secondary specialism | Cost of training | Unqualified Teacher Pay scale | Employer grant |
| Chemistry | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £28,000 |
| Computing | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £28,000 |
| Maths | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £28,000 |
| Physics | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £28,000 |
| French | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £25,000 |
| Spanish | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £25,000 |
| Geography | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £16,000 |
| Biology | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £16,000 |
| English | Levy-funded | £20,598 | £1,000 |
Would you like to complete the Teacher Apprenticesip yourself?
You can find out more and apply for the Teacher Apprenticeship now.
Learn more & apply
Talk to us about using Teacher Apprenticeships in your school
The Diary of a Teacher Apprentice
We interviewed one of our Apprentice Teachers, Molly, to find out what a typical week looks like for her. You can view her diary below:
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Are there any teaching assistants, HLTAs, or unqualified teachers in your school who hold a degree and are looking to pursue a career in teaching?
The apprenticeship pathway enables schools to upskill and retain highly-valued members of staff whilst supporting their journey to QTS.
As a salaried and fee-free route route to QTS, the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship is in high demand among prospective trainees.
If you are looking to fill a vacancy and would like us to present you with candidates in your area, please get in touch.
Our recruitment team will collect applications for your vacancy every week. Candidates will be invited to a rigorous screening interview to determine their suitability for the role and to be placed on the programme.
Successful candidates will be sent to you with their application and interview notes, so you can decide whether to invite them for a formal employment interview.
Best Practice Network's Director of ITT, Sian Marsh, shows how Teacher Apprenticeships can help with teacher recruitment.
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Access a large pool of outstanding teachers
Funded training and a salaried position means the apprenticeship route provides schools a greater choice of high-calibre prospective teachers.
Do away with recruitment costs
Hiring and training new teachers can be costly for schools. Onboarding apprentice teachers removes the agency and recruitment expenses associated with traditional teacher recruitment.
Increased retention rates
Since apprenticeships provide comprehensive training and mentorship, apprentices are more likely to feel supported and confident in their teaching abilities, have higher job satisfaction, and therefore higher retention rates.
Personalised support
Schools benefit from having a dedicated apprenticeship tutor. This approach providers expert support tailored to the values, ethos and ambitions of the school.
Access to a complete professional development pathway
Delivered in-line with the new ITT core-content framework, apprentice teachers have access to a curriculum engineered to complement and build toward the Early Career Framework and, when ready, the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).
Flexible and local
Fortnightly in-person training events can be hosted on your school premises, helping reduce travel and support contextualised delivery.
Address the teacher shortage crisis
By supporting apprentice teachers, schools and trusts can play a pivotal role in addressing the teacher shortage crisis while also nurturing the next generation of teachers.
Employment that works
Apprentices must be employed on the unqualified teacher pay scale (£19,340). As with all employees, apprentices are subject to the same employment terms including a probation period.
At a glance
Course duration
12 Months
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
In-school placement
4 days a week
Centre based training
1 day a week
Personal Tutor visits & observation
Full time (minimum of 30 hours a week)