Career Change to Teaching: How to Retrain as a Teacher in the UK

How to change career into teaching in England: the degree and GCSEs you need, the main routes to Qualified Teacher Status (PGCE, SCITT, salaried routes and Teach First), funding, school experience, your two-year early career teacher induction, typical pay and how Scotland, Wales and NI differ.

By Tony Musso on Sat Oct 24 2026

Teaching is one of the most common career changes in the UK, and schools value what career changers bring. Years spent managing people, explaining complicated ideas, working to deadlines or using a subject in the real world all count for something in a classroom. A former engineer can show pupils why physics matters; a former accountant can make maths feel useful.

This guide explains how a change of career into teaching works in England: the qualifications you need, the main training routes, how funding works and what happens in your first years. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own systems, which we cover briefly at the end.

What you need to teach in England

To teach in most state schools in England, you'll want Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). It's the professional recognition that you've met the Teachers' Standards, and you gain it by completing a course of initial teacher training (ITT).

For postgraduate teacher training, which is the route most career changers take, you'll need:

• A degree. It doesn't always have to be in the subject you want to teach, but providers look for good subject knowledge, especially for secondary.
• GCSE English and maths at grade 4 (C) or above, or an equivalent qualification.
• GCSE science at grade 4 (C) or above as well, if you want to teach primary.

If you're missing a GCSE, some providers accept an equivalency test, so ask before you apply. If you don't have a degree, there are undergraduate routes into teaching, such as a degree with QTS or a teacher degree apprenticeship, though these take longer.

You'll also need to pass an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and meet fitness to teach requirements before you start.

The main training routes for career changers

PGCE with a university

A Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is an academic qualification, and most PGCE courses in England lead to QTS as well. You'll split your time between university study and teaching placements. A PGCE can be useful if you think you might teach abroad later, as it's widely recognised.

School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT)

SCITT courses are run by schools working together. You spend most of your time in the classroom from early on, learning from experienced teachers. Many SCITT courses also offer a PGCE alongside QTS, so check what each course includes.

Salaried routes

On a salaried route, a school employs you and pays you while you train. These places are popular and limited, and are often aimed at people with relevant experience or strong subject knowledge. For many career changers with a mortgage or family to support, being paid during training is what makes the move possible.

Teach First

Teach First runs a salaried training programme for graduates, placing trainees in schools in areas of disadvantage. It suits people who want to be in the classroom quickly and are comfortable with a demanding first year. It's open to career changers as well as recent graduates, but places are available in certain subjects and regions only.

You apply for most teacher training courses through the government's Apply for teacher training service on GOV.UK.

Subject knowledge enhancement courses

If your degree isn't closely related to the subject you want to teach, or it's been a while since you used it, a training provider may ask you to take a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course. These are available in a number of subjects, often shortage subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, computing and languages, and are usually taken before or alongside your training. Your provider will tell you if you need one.

Funding your training

Funding for teacher training changes from year to year. For some subjects there are tax-free bursaries or scholarships, and on fee-paying routes eligible trainees can usually get student finance to cover tuition fees and living costs. Which subjects attract a bursary or scholarship, and how much they are, is set each year, so check the Get into Teaching website for the current figures before you choose a route.

Get some school experience first

Spending time in a school before you apply is one of the most useful things you can do. It helps you decide between primary and secondary, shows you what a working day really looks like and gives you something real to talk about in your application and interview.

Ways to get experience:

• ask local schools directly if you can observe lessons for a day or two
• volunteer as a reader, mentor or club helper
• work as a teaching assistant for a while
• use Get into Teaching, which offers free one-to-one support from teacher training advisers and events where you can meet providers

Our guide to writing a teacher personal statement shows how to turn this experience into a strong application. When you're invited to interview, our list of teacher interview questions will help you prepare, including for the short lesson many providers ask you to teach.

Your first two years as a teacher

Once you've gained QTS, you'll start work as an early career teacher (ECT). In England, ECTs complete a two-year induction, which is based on the early career framework. During those two years you'll have a reduced timetable, a dedicated mentor and a structured programme of training, and you'll be formally assessed against the Teachers' Standards at the end.

What teachers earn

Here's what teachers and teaching assistants typically earn in the UK, from our teacher career page and career data.

Coming from a well-paid career, you may take a pay cut at first. It's worth working out your budget for the training year and the first couple of years before you commit. Pay rises with experience and responsibility, such as becoming a head of department or joining a school's leadership team.

Making your experience count

Career changers often undersell themselves. When you apply, show how your past work links to teaching:

• Managing people becomes behaviour management and building relationships with pupils.
• Training or presenting shows you can explain ideas clearly.
• Working to deadlines maps onto planning, marking and reports.
• Using your subject at work gives pupils real-world examples.

Our teacher CV guide and career change CV guide show how to present this. For broader help planning your move, see our career change hub.

Teaching in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The rules differ outside England:

• Scotland. Teachers register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. The usual postgraduate route is a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), followed by a probation year.
• Wales. Teachers gain QTS through accredited programmes in Wales and register with the Education Workforce Council. There are salaried and part-time routes as well as PGCE courses.
• Northern Ireland. Teachers register with the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland, and the main postgraduate route is a PGCE.

Check with the relevant body or the training providers in that nation before you apply.

Weighing up a move into teaching? The Career Change Kit helps you test whether a new career fits your strengths and plan the steps to get there.

See the Career Change Kit

Frequently asked questions

Thinking of taking a career quiz to help decide? Here is which kind is worth your time.