INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TEACHING : Getting the ‘right’ qualifications
TLDR (Updated August 2024): QTS and iQTS are practical teacher licences. In contrast, the PGCE and PGCEi are academic qualifications. Holding both is best (practical + academic), but having a teaching licence (QTS or iQTS) is legally sufficient.
iQTS can seem expensive and the requirements are strict but, closely mirroring QTS gained in the UK, it is the ‘gold standard’. PGCEi’s still have a place though, especially for those who don’t need or can’t afford iQTS.
The best jobs, in the best schools, in the most attractive countries, go to the best teachers, right?
Sadly, not necessarily.
There is another factor at work. Qualifications.
Even the best teacher may not get a job in the best school if they don’t have the ‘right’ qualifications — the right letters after their name.
Is a PGCEi Enough?
The ‘traditional’ route to qualification has been an undergraduate education degree (a BEd) or a subject-related degree and a postgraduate teaching certificate (in UK terms, a PGCE).
With qualification/s in hand, a few years’ experience under their belts, and, critically, the right passport, ‘fully qualified’ teachers (Western teachers at least) have broad access to the lucrative and exciting world of international schooling.
What though for those not able to access this ‘traditional’ route? What about those already living, perhaps even teaching, overseas? What about those training to teach in later life? And, what about specialist English as an Additional Language teachers or sports coaches looking to gain formal teaching qualifications?
For these aspiring teachers, and certainly those looking towards British credentials, until recently most roads led to the PGCEi.
Just like the PGCE, the PGCEi is an academic qualification with, university dependent, various modules covering aspects of educational theory. Some have compulsory teaching practicums, others ask that essays are linked to classroom practice.
Thousands of teachers have secured jobs in schools through the PGCEi.
However, unfortunately and often unfairly, the PGCEi is much maligned. In part, this is due to varying content and differing quality. PGCEi’s are generic educational qualifications; some universities, Warwick for example, award by phase (early years, primary etc) but not all. The lack of a compulsory teaching component on some courses is also seen as a weakness.
Acknowledging this, many international schools (particularly those with a British orientation) have used Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) as a differentiator.
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
QTS is a practical teacher licence issued by England’s Department for Education (DfE). QTS is achieved by undertaking assessed teaching practices in appropriate schools. In theory, QTS affirms that a teacher can teach. They have proven they can cope in the classroom.
In contrast, the PGCE and PGCEi are academic qualifications. As above, they are postgraduate educational degrees issued by universities. A PGCE does not grant QTS, even one done in the UK. Nor does a PGCEi. They don’t give a specific licence to teach.
Side note: Confusing matters, universities assess a teacher’s ability in the classroom on behalf of the DfE, and PGCE’s and QTS are often issued together, but it is the DfE themselves who award QTS/iQTS not the university.
In simple terms:
Why does this all matter?
In short because many international schools, British-orientated ones particularly, use QTS as a ‘quality’ filter. For many schools, QTS is the minimum benchmark for employment.
Why though, I hear you cry, is QTS relevant internationally?
Well, there is an argument that it isn't. QTS may represent a (particularly UK-focussed) view of teacher quality, but holding QTS does not necessarily equate to knowledge, skills, or experience appropriate to international schools. QTS demonstrates an ability to teach in UK-based and UK-centric schools. Teachers holding QTS may be ill-prepared for life in international schools.
There is also the issue of diversity.
By privileging QTS, schools favour teachers coming from the UK. Implicitly, if not explicitly, this precludes from employment potentially excellent teachers from different nationalities and different backgrounds. Yet, should international school teachers not, by very definition, represent diversity?
Enter iQTS.
International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS)
Introduced in 2022, iQTS is UK government-backed international teaching qualification, recognised by the Department for Education (DfE) as equivalent to QTS.
Practical in focus, iQTS closely mirrors the requirements of UK-based QTS. At the same time, there is a degree of latitude. Providers can, to some extent, adapt the course to local contexts — it is QTS, but with an international flavour.
Critically, iQTS grants licence to teach in the UK with the same ‘currency’ as QTS. It is, of course, up to individual schools as to whether they accept this currency. Given that iQTS is recognised as equivalent to QTS there is no reason why they shouldn’t, but rarely are all things equal— especially in the world of international schooling.
In summary: holders of iQTS have the same license to teach as holders of QTS; they should (‘should’) be treated by schools equally.
Am I Eligible?
In brief, the application criteria for iQTS are different from a PGCEi in a few ways:
- Whereas the PGCEi is generic (usually offered by phase, Primary or Secondary), the PGCE iQTS is phase-specific (Early Years, Primary or Secondary).
- And, for Secondary, iQTS is subject specific. Warwick, for example offer: Art & Design, Biology, Business & Economics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Drama, English, Humanities, Mathematics, MFL (inc EAL), Music, Physical Education, and Physics. In terms of course admissions, this means that proof of subject knowledge (via an appropriate degree or relevant experience) is set at a higher benchmark than for PGCEi’s.
- A teaching practicum is compulsory and is longer than for PGCEi’s (120 days rather than 90). The teaching commitment is also greater: 5–8 hours per week at the start of the course, rising to 17 hours per week at the end.
- Second teaching placements are required for iQTS, not for PGCEi’s.
- Qualification requirements are stricter. These vary by University, but a 2:2 (Hons) degree plus English, Maths and, for Primary trainees, Science qualifications are the baseline.
- iQTS Mentors are required to undergo compulsory training (shorter and optional for the PGCEi).
- Documents are required to be notarised; safeguarding checks are mandatory.
There is also cost to consider. Prices vary by university, but iQTS is more expensive than a PGCEi.
For readers interested in finding out more, Warwick University has a useful self assessment checker.
The letters after your name DO matter
Does the introduction of iQTS mean the end for PGCEi’s?
Probably not. For many people QTS (whether with an ‘i’ or without) hasn’t ever mattered.
The PGCEi remains a strong qualification for those who are unlikely to ever teach in the UK or who, for whatever reasons, are unlikely to seek employment in the very upper echelons of international schooling, especially those with British orientations — i.e. those where QTS/iQTS is a strict prerequisite to employment.
The lower entrance requirements and more flexible modes of delivery also make the PGCEi applicable to a wider range of contexts — and, critically, to a greater diversity of teachers.
PGCEi’s are also cheaper, by quite some margin.
But, bottom-line, if you aspire to teaching in top-tier international schools or in the UK, can afford the fee, and work in a setting which can meet the requirements, undoubtedly, iQTS is the new ‘gold standard’ — the letters after your name DO matter.
