Course Outcomes

In addition to providing you with the opportunity to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Straight to Teaching can help you to:

• Be employed as a fully qualified teacher
• Be promoted and/or gain more job security
• Increase your salary by up to £7,000* per annum
• Go on to become an outstanding teacher
• Share best practices with colleagues
• Play a more significant role in school management

Your QTS progress will be continually assessed, which will contribute to your phase two, independent QTS assessment. You pathway tutor and school mentor will monitor you throughout, responding to online tasks and reflections in your Learning Diary, whilst supporting your progress towards the Teachers’ Standards and the award of QTS.

During the final phase of your programme you will be recommended for independent QTS assessment, provided that the pathway tutor and school are confident that you have sufficient evidence and your teaching is deemed to be “good” or better.

Qualified Teacher Status

Please note that Tes Institute's Straight to Teaching and Assessment Only programmes leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) qualify you to work as a teacher in England.

If you are planning to teach outside England please discuss the programme, and the required teaching qualification for your particular region, with your employing school or the relevant regulatory body before applying. 

If you plan to teach in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales you should consult the relevant regulatory body before applying for one of our programmes:

• General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland
• The General Teaching Council for Scotland
• General Teaching Council for Wales

*On average, a fully qualified teacher in England earns approximately £6,000-£7,000 more a year than their unqualified counterpart. For full details about qualified and unqualified teacher pay scales, visit www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/salary.

Delivery - QTS preparation & QTS assessment

Your Straight to Teaching programme will be delivered through a mix of in-school experience and online learning and theory. The course consists of two phases: a QTS preparation phase followed by an independent QTS assessment phase. The length and context of these phases will be based on your existing experience and will be designed in collaboration with you and your school.

Your existing skills and experience will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards at the beginning of the programme and this will determine your QTS development plan and length of the first phase.

If you have significant teaching experience already, then your first phase, QTS preparation, will be shorter and you could move straight onto phase two, independent QTS assessment.

Entry Criteria

You should be a self-motivated person with the desire to become a qualified teacher and meet the following entry criteria:

• Be employed in a school in a teaching role by the time you start the programme
• Have the express agreement of your current or intending employer (school) to support you to achieve QTS through the Straight to Teaching programme (the school will be asked to sign a working agreement with Tes Institute). This support includes the appointment of a suitable member of staff to act as a school mentor
• Have the relevant qualifications, experience and skills to succeed through the Straight to Teaching programme
• Have achieved a standard equivalent to grade C or above at GCSE level in English and Mathematics. Those intending to teach pupils aged 3-11 will also need to have achieved a standard equivalent to grade C or above at GCSE level science*
• Have the health and physical capacity to teach
• Have been subject to and passed the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and criminal records check

You must also meet the following suitability criteria by the time you start phase two of your QTS programme and are recommended for QTS assessment:

• Hold a degree** from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification
• Be able to demonstrate that you have the appropriate intellectual and academic capabilities and personal qualities, attitudes, ethics and values
• Be able to communicate clearly and effectively in standard English
• Have passed the professional skills test
• Have undertaken significant teaching experience (this can include prior experience as well as experience completed during the Straight to Teaching QTS programme)
• Be able to demonstrate that you meet the QTS Standards across a minimum of two consecutive age ranges for your chosen teaching specialism

*It is the standard and not the certificate that matters. Applicants who do not have a grade C GCSE may be able to show they meet the required standard by taking an equivalency test or by offering other agreed evidence of attainment.
**Learners who are in the process of completing a degree may still be able to start the programme

Assessment Only (AO) route

If you already have significant teaching experience and meet the criteria for QTS assessment, you could achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) by undertaking our Assessment Only route.

As an approved Assessment Only provider, Tes Institute will assess you in your current school, where you will need to present detailed evidence that your teaching meets the Teachers’ Standards. A Pathway Tutor will visit you in school, performing lesson observations and reviewing your portfolio of evidence in order to verify you meet the criteria for going forward to be assessed for the award of QTS.

This route is suitable for any teacher who has taught in at least two schools across a minimum of two consecutive age ranges. In order to be suitable for Assessment Only, you will also need to meet the following criteria:

• Be employed in a school in a teaching role by the time you start the programme
• Have achieved a standard equivalent to grade C or above at GCSE level in English and Mathematics. Those intending to teach pupils aged 3-11 will also need to have achieved a standard equivalent to grade C or above at GCSE level science
• Hold a degree from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification
• Have passed the literacy and numeracy professional skills tests
• Have undertaken significant teaching experience in at least two contrasting schools
• Demonstrate that you meet the QTS Standards across a minimum of two consecutive age ranges for your chosen teaching specialism
• Be able to show that you have the appropriate intellectual and academic capabilities and personal qualities, attitudes, ethics and values
• Have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in standard English
• Have been subject to and passed the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and criminal records check
• Have completed  a Fitness to Work assessment at your school

Start Dates

Take the first step to get QTS and qualify to teach in England by joining one of our Straight to Teaching start dates.

We strongly recommend that you submit your completed application as soon as possible to secure your preferred start date. Applications received after the deadlines above will be pushed into the next available start date.

Straight to Teaching Courses Fees

The length of the course (and fee) will depend on the amount of existing experience that you have. When you apply for the Straight to Teaching programme we will give you an estimate of how long we think the programme could take, and thus the cost of the course, based on the information that you provide in your application.

Fees are quoted inclusive of VAT. Subject to exceptions, VAT will be chargeable at the rate of 20 per cent. Where the school, rather than the individual agrees to pay all or part of the tuition fee they may be able to recover VAT. Schools may consider meeting the tuition fee and making their own arrangements, if they wish to do so, with the individual concerned.

Programme Length and Fees

All fees include the full Straight to Teaching programme and the cost of QTS assessment unless otherwise stated.

A Professional and Career Development Loan (PCDL) could help you gain QTS

Learners can apply for a Professional and Career Development Loan (PCDL) to help cover the cost of the programme, if they wish. A PCDL is a commercial bank loan and is very different to grants or bursaries as they must be repaid even if the learner does not finish their course. These loans are available for up to 24 months and can be used to help the learner become a qualified teacher. The loan can cover programme fees, living expenses and other associated costs depending on the learner’s circumstances.

Repayments will start a month after they complete or leave the Straight to Teaching programme. The government will pay the interest during the programme and for one month after they leave. For further information on PCDLs visit Professional and Career Development Loans.

How To Apply

Our enrolment team will need to speak to you to discuss your experience and eligibility for joining the programme before you can apply. They will be able to talk you through the programme in more detail and provide advice based on your current teaching experience.

Submit an enquiry form and we will contact you to discuss the programme further. You will also receive a copy of the Straight to Teaching QTS prospectus which will provide more detail of how the programme works.

Westbrook primary school's Straight to Teaching experience

Straight to Teaching has had an enormous impact, it has had wide ranging benefits to other staff as they have the skills of mentoring somebody on the programme and for the candidate it is fantastic because they’re going through a route that they might not have been able, traditionally to access. Watch the videos here... 

Will Lyons - Primary School Straight to Teaching, international

The Straight to Teaching programme provided me with an opportunity to use my experience and add to it. Tes Institute’s course is a high quality programme and from the information available from both Tes and other sources it provides a realistic assessment of a teacher’s ability​. Read more here...

Angela Mackenzie - Geography Straight to Teaching

When I was applying to become a teacher I had to make sure that the course was suitable for myself, my school and my young family. Straight to Teaching was the only option that suited everyone and it also allowed me to keep earning whilst working towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Read more here... 

Helen Horner - Primary school Straight to Teaching

After working as an HLTA and covering lessons I decided that I wanted to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to become a teacher. It was important to find a course that allowed me to learn and continue earning at the same time and whilst I considered distance learning, Straight to Teaching was the best fit for me. Read more here...

Oliver Moore - Computing Straight to Teaching

I had been working as an unqualified Music teacher for over a year before I discovered that I could gain QTS through Straight to Teaching. Due to the size of the school I couldn’t take regular time off to train to teach on a traditional route, but the fact that I could complete Straight to Teaching without leaving my school meant that it was the best option for me. Read more here...