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How To Get Into Teaching

Now you have decided to train to become a food teacher, the Food Teachers Centre can help you through the process.

To become a food teacher in a secondary school (England) you will need to train to be a teacher in Design & Technology. This National Curriculum subject includes teaching food and nutrition (Cooking and nutrition).

 

  • To qualify to teach, you will need the following or equivalent qualifications:
  • a degree or the equivalent such as a graduate certificate, graduate diploma, level 6 award, level 6 certificate, level 6 diploma, or level 6 NVQ in a Design and Technology specialist material such as food, related area e.g. dietician, food science
  • grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths GCSEs.

If your qualifications are from outside the UK, you may be asked to formally recognise any overseas qualifications through UK NARIC (https://www.naric.org.uk/naric/). UK NARIC is the designated United Kingdom national agency for the recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills. It performs this official function on behalf of the UK Government.

The most common routes into teaching in England require you to gain either a:

  • Postgraduate or Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) which offers credits towards a master’s degree, or
  • Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which offers no credits towards a master’s degree, but qualifies you to teach in England and Wales.

Both courses take one full academic year to complete.

You will then complete an additional training year in a teaching post in which you will be referred to as an Early Careers Teacher (ECT). You will have a lighter timetable and have a mentor to support you thought your first year in a school.  Once this is completed you are then a fully qualified teacher.

England

In England you can gain a PGCE or a QTS qualifications in two ways: 

Scotland

All teacher training is university led and the qualifications below apply to teaching in Scotland. 

Postgraduate Diploma in Education and leadership (PGDE) – completed after a UK degree course. 

Teaching Qualification (TQ) – this is awarded after a 4-year undergraduate course.

Wales

Northern Ireland

Once you have applied and have been successful, you will be asked to attend an interview with the course provider. You will need to:

  • provide evidence that you can apply the fundamental skills in English and Maths that are needed to be a teacher. This will be checked at the interview, via either the interview questions, or a written test which shows the course provider that you can use Maths and English skills in the context of education, e.g. writing reports, and documents, and working with data, calculating percentages
  • confirm you have the health and physical capacity to start training
  • show that you are passionate about training to teach
  • show that you are committed to the workload that is demanded whilst training
  • illustrate that you have the necessary practical skills to teach food, as well as some elements of the design and technology.

You can update knowledge, and skills through a skills enhancement course (SKE) which is undertaken prior to your teaching course. This will depend on whether your course provider thinks you require further main subject skills. There is funding for this course which is triggered through your course provider via UCAS. Each training provider is responsible for its own recruitment and admissions policy.

There are other routes into teaching, such as:

  • Teach First Leadership Development Plan, often referred to as ‘Teach First’ this programme is an intensive, 5-week training programme which happens over the summer, which prepares you for immediate work in a school. You do need a 2.1 degree to qualify for this route. You gain a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and leadership (PGDE) and credits for a master’s degree (see https://www.teachfirst.org.uk/training-programme for more information).
  • Teaching Apprenticeships – Level 6 qualification equivalent to a degree. The school needs to sign up to be a provider before employing a trainee. See: https://findapprenticeshiptraining.apprenticeships.education.gov.uk/courses?keyword=&sectors=Education+and+early+years
  • Assessment-only route – this route to QTS allows teachers to demonstrate that they already meet all the Teachingstandards, without the need for any further training. Teachers need to present detailed evidence and their teaching is assessed in a school by an accredited and approved provider. See: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/specialist-training-options) for more information
  • Qualified Skills Teacher Learning (QTLS) status (Training to teach without a degree) QTLS is a Professional Status recognised in the education sector, which is gained after completing six months of professional formation and is maintained through membership to the Society for Education and Training (SET). The Society for Education and Training SET is a professional body for all teachers, trainers, and leaders in the Further Education (FE) and the Training sector. In exceptional cases, QTLS may be an option if you work in a school but teach a technical subject, such as Hospitality and Catering to post-14 learners or maths and English to post-16 learners. Good possibility for anyone who doesn’t have a degree but has experience in teaching at the Further Education level.

There are four types of funding available. Depending on your circumstances, you could receive more than one of the possibilities.

  1. Tax-free bursary or scholarship (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-my-teacher-training/bursaries-and-scholarships-for-teacher-training)
  2. Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-my-teacher-training/tuition-fee-and-maintenance-loans
  3. Extra financial support if you’re a parent, have an adult dependant or a disability (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-my-teacher-training/extra-financial-support)
  4. Schools Direct Salaried. You receive an unqualified teacher’s salary, and the school pays for your training and in return, you have a teaching commitment. This is usually four days in schools and one-days teacher training with a training organisation. https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/salaried-teacher-training  
  • Teacher training advisor service – Register at https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/get-help-and-support/teacher-training-advisers) for the teacher training advisor service which will advise and guide you through the application process and is currently via UCAS Teacher Training or by direct contact with the training provider.
  • Teacher Training providers – The Now Teach Department for Education supported website (insert link – https://nowteach.org.uk) will help you find these providers.
  • Face to face recruitment events with training providers – These events allow you to meet with training providers. No job offers are involved. These events take place across the country throughout the year, click here (insert link) https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/help-and-support) to find out more.

Over to you now to decide what route to choose, what organisation to study with and how to fund your training. 

There’s a fantastic food teaching career out-there for you!

Good luck!