Ready to upskill this summer?

    Applications to Couch to Coder 2025 are open! We'll take you from complete beginner to confident coder, giving you the opportunity to learn new skills, stand out from the crowd and impress employers with sought-after skills.

    What is a PGCE? Meaning, types and how it works

    Book open Reading time: 5 mins

    Interested in teaching? The PGCE is one of the most popular ways to gain the skills and experience you’ll need to land your first teaching job. But what is a PGCE and what does it stand for?

    If you’re confused about PGCE’s meaning and why it’s important, we’ve got you. We’ll explain everything you need to know in our guide to the qualification, including:

    A male teacher stood in front of a classroom with children sat at individual desks.

    Join the UK's leading graduate careers network

    It’s free and easy to become a Bright Network member. Sign up today for exclusive access to jobs, events, networking opportunities, advice and more.

    What does PGCE stand for?

    PGCE stands for Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

    What is a PGCE?

    A PGCE is a postgraduate qualification for future teachers. It provides people with the skills, experience and knowledge they’ll need to work in education.

    In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a PGCE is typically a one- or two-year course that future educators undertake shortly after completing an undergraduate degree (or later, if changing careers).

    In Scotland, there’s a different postgraduate teaching qualification called the PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education).

    Is a PGCE a degree?

    A PGCE isn’t a degree. However, you almost always need a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent qualification) to get onto a PGCE course.

    It’s a level 7 qualification which means it’s as advanced as a master’s degree. A PGCE will give you 60 credits, while you need 180 credits to gain a master’s. If you want, you can sometimes transfer your credits to a future course and achieve a master’s degree in a shorter timeframe.

    What’s the difference between a PGCE and QTS?

    Having a PGCE doesn’t automatically give you QTS (qualified teacher status).

    QTS is a legal requirement to teach children in schools maintained by the local authority.

    You’ll either gain your QTS through standalone teacher training or as part of a PGCE with QTS course.

    Although you can teach in an independent school or academy without QTS, it’s rare for any schools to employ unqualified teachers. While there are some circumstances when schools will hire unqualified teachers (usually because the job needs specific expertise or vocational skills), you’ll be severely limited in employment options without QTS. So, if your PGCE isn’t with QTS, you’ll need to undertake more teacher training to become fully qualified – and far more employable.

    Types of PGCE

    There are three main types of PGCE:

    • PGCE Primary prepares you to teach children up to year 6. You may specialise in a particular age group. It’s the most in-demand PGCE, so there’s a lot of competition for places.
    • PGCE Secondary is for those who want to teach secondary school and sixth form years. As a secondary teacher, you’ll teach in your specific subject (eg. Maths, English, History).
    • PGCE Further Education is for people who want to teach in colleges or adult education classes.

    The structure of a PGCE

    The PGCE is a mix of university study and teaching practice. The course usually takes one year (or two years if part-time).

    During the university-based sections of the course, you’ll study topics around teaching, learning theory, educational issues and behaviour management. You’ll have several assignments to complete.

    After you’ve settled in, you’ll spend most of your time on school placements. Part of the challenge is to fit in your studies and assignments outside school hours.

    You usually spend a short time observing in a school and then work in two different schools as you progress. You’ll start by assisting and then eventually teach a full schedule of classes. You’re assessed through occasional observations so your assessors will see how you manage in a real school environment. You’ll receive feedback after the observations to help you improve.

    A PGCE won’t teach you subject knowledge, so you’ll need an undergraduate degree that’s relevant to the subject you want to teach if you’re going to specialise. If you don’t already have a related degree, you can do a conversion course in your desired subject which will usually add six months full-time onto your course length.

    Paying for your PGCE

    Mostly, the PGCE works like any other uni course. There will be tuition fees, and you can take out a student loan to cover them.

    If you’re looking to teach an in-demand subject, you may be eligible for bursaries or scholarships. You don’t need to pay them back and you can still take out tuition fees and maintenance loans.

    As of July 2025, there are postgrad bursaries and scholarships for teacher training in:

    • Art and design
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing
    • Design and technology
    • English
    • Geography
    • Languages (eg. French, German, Spanish and ancient languages)
    • Maths
    • Music
    • Physics
    • Religious education

    The bursaries and scholarships currently range from £5,000 to £31,000.

    However, not all teacher training programmes include a PGCE. Some only result in QTS so you may need to separately fund a PGCE if that’s your preferred route into teaching.

    For more information, read up on the Department of Education’s Get Into Teaching guidance on funding teacher training.

    How is the PGCE different from other routes into teaching?

    Although the PGCE is the most common route into teaching, it isn’t the only one. You can gain QTS without a PGCE.

    For example, if you don’t already have a degree, you could undertake a teacher degree apprenticeship (TDA) – a four-year training course where you’ll gain a degree and QTS while working at a school.

    School Direct is another route into teaching. It’s run in partnership between schools and a teacher training provider. You’ll work and learn in a single school. Some School Direct agreements will involve you funding your learning with tuition fees (like at university). Other agreements will see you earn a trainee’s wage (which is more common if you’ve got existing experience, ie. you’ve worked as a teaching assistant).

    Most of the School Direct routes result in you being awarded a PGCE and QTS, but others only offer QTS. It depends on the individual agreement.

    If you’re employed as a paid trainee, the School Direct path can be more financially accessible than studying for a PGCE. However, you need to be prepared to work in a single school rather than move around to different placements.

    The skills you need to gain a PGCE

    The skills that will help you do well during a PGCE course are similar to the skills you’ll need to work as a teacher.

    It’s beneficial to have:

    Behaviour management is something you’ll work on a lot during the PGCE course, so don’t worry if your conflict resolution skills aren’t up to scratch. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve.

    Key takeaways

    PGCE means Postgraduate Certificate in Education. While it isn’t a degree, it’s still partly taught at university and can count towards a master’s with further study.

    The PGCE is different from QTS (qualified teacher status). While the PGCE will teach you the skills to succeed as a teacher, it’s the QTS that you’ll usually need as a legal requirement. If you want to study PGCE Primary or PGCE Secondary, you’ll find that many courses offer a PGCE with QTS. If you gain a PGCE without QTS, you’ll need separate teacher training to become fully qualified.

    How you fund your PGCE will depend on the subject you want to teach. If you pick an in-demand subject, you might receive a bursary or scholarship.

    Although studying for a PGCE through a university is the most common route into teaching, it’s not your only option. If you haven’t started your undergraduate degree yet, you might want to investigate teacher degree apprenticeships. Alternatively, you may prefer to gain a PGCE and QTS by taking a school-based route into teaching with School Direct.

    Whatever path you take, if you’re patient, creative, enthusiastic, confident, dedicated, organised and a great communicator who can resolve conflicts, you’ll go far in a teaching career. Good luck!

    Explore graduate roles in education and teaching

    If you’re ready to take on an important part in shaping people’s lives, browse graduate roles in our education and teaching jobs listings.

    This article was last updated in July, 2025.