FAQ's

A: SCITT stands for School Centred Initial Teacher Training.

A: SCITT Programmes involve more time based in schools than university based PGCE programmes but both lead to the same qualifications. 

A: The SCITT programmes lead to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) we also offer the option to gain a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) in partnership with St Mary's University, Twickenham.

Opportunities for the salaried route into teaching are very limited due to changes in DfE funding for the School Direct route. 

However, for candidates currently working in an academy school, we may be able to offer a salaried option if your school would like to sponsor your SCITT training.  Please contact us at info@glftt.org for further information on this.  

Occasionally secondary schools may also offer the salaried route for certain shortage subjects.  If this is the case, vacancies will be advertised via the DfE application system.  

Both School Direct (salaried) and SCITT Core (self funded) training routes are school-centred as we believe that this is the best way to learn how to be a teacher. Both routes lead to a QTS qualification with the option of a PGCE uplift. There are some differences between the two training routes - if you would like further information, please email us at info@glftt.org. 

If you are interviewed and we decide that the route you have opted for on your application is not the right one for you, your application can be changed post interview.

A: The SCITT programme runs for one academic year from the beginning of September to the end of July. The exact dates vary year on year. 

A: The PGCE uplift provides you with the option of further academic study and gaining an internationally recognised teaching qualification. A PGCE also credits 60 points towards a Masters level award.

A: The RQF indicates the difficulty and complexity of the knowledge and skills associated with a qualification.  PGCE covers Level 6 and Level 7 components.

A: When you apply we will look at where you live, what the requirements are of the schools within your area, and your ability to travel.  If you are interested in a particular school, please let us know at interview and we can investigate placement options.

A: We work in collaboration with schools and candidates who are looking to secure teacher training pathways within their current school settings. Please contact us via email on: info@hampshirescitt.org.uk

A: Our primary and secondary programmes are full-time courses, so we are unable to offer part-time training. Trainees are expected to work four days a week in line with teachers and dedicate the remaining day to training. 

A: The programme is designed to develop you as a teacher and each of the assessments are in place to offer you the best support so that you can continue to develop your practice over the year. The observations take place on a weekly basis by your mentor and are used to set targets for the coming weeks. 

A: Although we work with a wide range of schools across our partnership, we do not currently have trainees placed within SEND settings this academic year. Throughout the training year you will have the opportunity to gain experience of supporting a range of students in different contexts. We’re open to discuss new partnerships if you wish to train at a particular school.

A: No - you do not need to gain QTS to become a Teaching Assistant. 

A: To train to teach you would MUST have a degree - ideally an Honours degree with grade 2.2 or higher. Your degree must be accredited from a UK university or be an equivalent international qualification that has been approved by ENIC as being UK degree level. 

A: A first degree comprises of 300 HE credit points of which 60 must be at Level 6 of the QCF. Any equivalent qualification must be one single qualification, not an aggregation of a number of separate qualifications.  

Therefore, candidates who hold a Masters degree without a first degree at Level 6, would not be eligible. If in doubt, please contact us for further guidance.  

A: Applicants with a foundation degree will need to supplement this qualification with at least 60 credits at Level 6 (HE Level 3), in order to attain an equivalent single qualification.

You can still apply for teacher training, but we will require you to pass an equivalency test before we confirm any offer that we make. Please click here for more information.

These are not considered to be equivalent to GCSE's in terms of content. Candidates with these qualifications should sit an equivalency test or a GCSE.

A: For Primary training, applicants need to hold a degree and GCSE's in English, Maths and Science. An equivalency test could be undertaken if you do not currently hold a GCSE in any of the Science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics).

A: Ideally, we prefer candidates to have at least an A-level (B grade or above) in the subject they wish to teach (if not studied at degree level). If you do not meet this criteria, you are still welcome to apply for a place on our course and if selected for an interview, we would expect a high level of subject knowledge and would test this as part of our recruitment process. 

MFL candidates should have a degree but this does not necessarily have to be in a language.

Primary candidates do not need to have a degree in a national curriculum subject. 

A: As part of the ITT requirements, we need to be in receipt of your degree and GCSE certificates prior to commencing the programme. If you have lost your certificates, we can discuss how you can evidence these. 

A: We may recommend that you take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course prior to starting your teacher training.  These courses are designed to top-up or refresh your subject knowledge. They vary in duration and can be completed online. SKE's are only available in shortage subjects. It is not possible to sign-up for an SKE until you have received an offer from us.

If you are applying for a subject that is not supported by a SKE course, we ensure that you have access to reading lists and contact with your subject department, and may also recommend spending time in your host school before starting your course (all subject to COVID restrictions).   

A: We welcome applications from abroad but you must have the right to work in the UK confirmed BEFORE you make an application to our course.  If you need further information about visa requirements and eligibility for the UK, please click here.  All applicants must demonstrate high standards of written and spoken English.

Please note that as a SCITT, we do not sponsor Tier 4 or Tier 2 visas. 

From 01/01/21 the new points-based immigration system will apply to trainee teachers from overseas which also includes EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals.  Information on the new visa requirements can be found here. Irish nationals do not need a visa to train to teach in the UK.  

Following the UK's departure from the EU, it has also been confirmed that most EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will not be eligible for support from Student Finance for courses starting from September 2021.  Further information can be found here.

A: If your degree is from outside of the UK, you will need to contact ENIC to get a statement of comparability. You can also do this for any high school qualifications you studied abroad to determine if you hold A-level and GCSE equivalents. We assess your NARIC statement upon application.

Please visit the ENIC website HERE.  

A: If you studied abroad and do not have an English GCSE equivalent, you can sit the IELTS test. 

A: You will need to achieve an overall score of 7.0 (minimum 6.5 for reading and 6.0 writing) if you are taking your IELTS qualification.

Check out our "Equivalency Tests" page for more information.

A: When you make an application, you will need a university reference from your tutor who should state a predicted grade. Any place offered will be conditional on your degree being awarded as a 2.2 Honours or higher.

A: Please email us to discuss how we can make adaptions to support your individual needs.

A: You can only apply to Hampshire SCITTs Teacher Training programme through the DfE - Apply to Teacher Training. We are not able to check applications that are emailed to us beforehand for eligibility.

A: As you are applying to an ITT provider, all applicants need to complete the standard application route through DfE - Apply to Teacher Training. 

A: All our courses are advertised as ‘QTS with PGCE’. However, the PGCE element of the course is optional and you can decide to do QTS-only. We recommend selecting the subject that you wish to train to teach in – you can then decide whether you wish to take the PGCE in the summer before you start your ITT course. If you need any further help or support please email us.

A: The SCITT programme leads to a QTS qualification, which is different to a PGCE. That is why we provide the option to do ‘QTS-only’ or ‘QTS with PGCE’. This is different to solely applying for a PGCE course, typically a university-led route, in comparison to teacher-training courses.

A: The Professional Skills tests have been replaced by in-house numeracy and literacy tests; these are part of our recruitment process. Further details can be seen on the "Application Process" page on our website.

A: Yes, it is not a DfE requirement to have school experience although on your application you should list any relevant experience you may have had in working with children. GLF Schools do offer School Experience for anyone considering applying to train to teach with GLF Teacher Training. More information can be found HERE.  

For any frequently asked questions surrounding finance please visit the "finance frequently asked questions" page.

A: We are only able to offer the AO route to GLF Schools.  Currently however, the programme is on hold, so we would suggest you contacting us to find out when / if it will be running. 

The 'Assessment Only' pathway is only available to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. To apply, you would need to hold an unqualified teacher post within a school and have confirmation from the headteacher that you are fulfilling the expectations of the Teachers' Standards at the point of Assessment Only application.

A: No - we are currently not offering EYTT as Early Years Teacher Training will only allow you to gain Early Year Teacher Status. If you are looking to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you will need to train on a Primary programme (which will allow you to teach both EY and Primary once qualified). For Primary ITT, our programme is in the age phase 3-7 years or 5-11 years. 

A: You do not need another language additional to the one you want to teach.  However, having being able to offer two languages (French and Spanish) would enhance your placement and employment opportunities.  

A: No - we don't. However, some of our applicants have taught English as a foreign language prior to gaining QTS.