Frequently asked questions

You can find out quickly whether you're eligible by checking our candidate requirements.

Unlike some School Direct programmes, United Teaching gives all its trainees the option to achieve a PGCE alongside Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). It's not compulsory - you can train for QTS alone if you prefer. But many United Teachers achieve both, earning 60 credits towards a Masters degree in education along the way.

This depends on whether you are taking the salaried or self-funded route on the United Teaching Scheme.

Those on the self-funded route will have to pay tuition fees (£9,250). For some subjects, Government bursaries are available to cover your fees. You'll also be entitled to apply for a student loan, regardless of the subject.

Those on the salaried route will have their tuition fees paid by United Teaching, in addition to their salary. For more information, check out our Funding Options.

Salaried trainees should, in most cases, be teaching up to 80% of a qualified teacher's timetable. You will have your 'own' classes but you might also have some classes which you team-teach with another colleague. Self-funded trainees will start the programme with a significantly lighter timetable, around 30% of a qualified teacher's. This will build up throughout the year as you gain skills and confidence.

You will be required to travel daily to your placement school and you will also have to travel to a second placement school for a period of up to three weeks (this is a requirement of all teacher training programmes). You will need to travel to the face-to-face sessions that are part of our Summer Institute in July, and to your lead training school for weekly taught sessions.

Yes, both School Direct and School Direct (Salaried) can take the full PGCE.

If you're on the self-funded route, you can apply for a student loan. Some subjects also have bursaries and scholarships - you can read more here. Trainees on the salaried route are not eligible for bursaries. 

You can find out more about student loans on the Get Into Teaching website.

With United Teaching, you are supported through our high-quality mentoring system which consists of several layers.

You'll have a school-based subject mentor who meets with you weekly to review progress, discuss actions and support your understanding and development of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and behaviour. They will also observe you at least once a week and share lesson feedback in your weekly meeting. Trainees also have a school-based professional mentor who oversees all the trainees. They provide an additional layer of support through discussions, in-house training opportunities, lesson observations and sharing feedback. United Teaching also have a team of Visiting Professional Mentors who will support trainees and mentors through termly visits.  

In addition to the mentor support, you will be part of a network of trainee teachers who will provide invaluable peer support through subject teams and discussion groups.  

United Teaching trainees also benefit from the wider United Learning support and networks - both leadership- and curriculum-based.  

United Teaching trainees attend weekly training sessions which follow the United Teaching ITE (Initial Teacher Education) curriculum which covers pedagogy, assessment, curriculum, behaviour and professional behaviours.

Some of these are subject studies delivered by subject leads and some are PGCE sessions which are delivered by university tutors. In addition to the weekly Friday training, trainees will have in-house training delivered by your host school which is relevant to your local context and training needs.  

Alongside the delivered training programme, weekly activities are structured to facilitate many opportunities for training and development in your host school. These include observing other practitioners, joint planning with your mentor, team-teaching and bespoke strategies to develop your subject knowledge for teaching.  

Applications are now closed. Applications for 2025 will open in October. 

Places are allocated as applications come in, so we would advise you to apply as soon as you're ready to ensure you get the course you want in the region you're looking for.