International PGCE

Please note this is a new 100% on-line course. Please see Independent PGCE for international PGCE with tutor visits. 

The International Postgraduate Certificate in Education offers teachers based in schools outside the UK, who have not undergone a period of formal training, the opportunity to participate in a structured programme of professional development.  It is the leading course of its kind available in the UK.

Starting every September, the International PGCE is a 37-week school-based course available to teachers who already have a job in a school, during which trainee teachers work under the guidance of a mentor (appointed by the school in which they work) and receive weekly tutorials to review progress and set targets. The course is available in most subjects and age levels.

Six one day ‘live’ training sessions plus two induction days (in late August) run by the university will be delivered on-line. Attendance is mandatory.

All International trainees will be assigned a University of Buckingham tutor who will meet on-line with trainee and mentor on average once per month to assess their progress, guide their development and support the mentor. It is expected that some sessions will allow the tutor to ‘sit in’ on mentor meetings.

Your university tutor will be a subject specialist. Our subject specialists this year include: Art, Music, Design Technology, Food Technology, Business Studies and Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Computer Science, English, Drama, Classics, Modern Languages, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Psychology, and Physical Education.

There will also be some content specifically about working in international schools.

COURSE DELIVERY

This course is 100% online.  If you would prefer to come to the UK to attend residential study days and have two visits from a Buckingham Tutor you should opt for the Independent PGCE instead.

The course is delivered in a variety of ways:

• Six online training days + two induction days (attendance compulsory)
• On-line support with assignments
• A weekly programme of academic readings
• A weekly meeting with your mentor to reflect on your practice and set targets
• Monthly meetings with your University of Buckingham Tutor

The University of Buckingham will be in touch with you every week in UK school term time via our newsletter.

• You must be employed as a teacher in an international school abroad that teaches English National Curriculum or the International Baccalaureate (IB) and be in sole charge of a full-size class for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
• A degree from a UK university or equivalent.

In addition, you must:

• Obtain a commitment from your school to provide a suitable mentor.
• Show the physical and mental fitness to teach.

The employing school must be able to fully support a candidate through the course, enabling them to demonstrate all of the English Teachers’ Standards across the full age and ability range of training, and cannot be graded as inadequate.

All international applicants who do not hold a GCSE grade C/4 or above in English Language must have an IELTS or TOEFL certificate with scores accepted by the University. Find out more.

HOW TO APPLY

Full details about the application process can be found on the course page or you can contact the Faculty of Education via email on education@buckingham.ac.uk or by calling +44 (0)1280 820222.

Please apply by the 31 July 2021 for a September 2021 start.

Trainees are assessed in a number of ways:

• you will have a mentor in your school who will arrange for your lessons to be observed and assessed so that you can improve week by week.
• you will record evidence of your teaching on an online form.
• trainees are assigned a University of Buckingham tutor who will be in touch regularly. You will have termly calls to assess your progress and guide your development.
• you will write three academic essays.

For the additional QTS qualification (needed to teach in a state school in England), it is possible for a teacher who has been teaching for two or more years to apply for the Assessment-Only Qualified Teacher Status. A trainee may begin the AO QTS process in the term following the one-year International PGCE.

FEES FOR SEPTEMBER 2021

The fees for this course are £4000 plus a £275 registration fee.

Fees can be paid in termly instalments or in one lump sum. Termly instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

All staff at COBIS member schools get a 5% discount on course fees. To ensure discount is applied please select COBIS from the partnership box on your application form.

If you would like a University of Buckingham lecturer to visit your school for additional training and mentoring and you can assemble ten or more trainees on this course in one place, this is possible for an additional fee.  Just ask us for details.

Applicants from China should apply through the Buckingham International School of Education, not this page;  click here:  https://bise.openapply.cn/