Funding
Teaching is a hugely important job, so to make training to teach easier the government provides financial support.
Our Specialists will make sure you know about all the teacher training funding and student finance options.
Once you’ve qualified as a teacher, you then receive a substantial annual pay rise for the first six years. There will also be opportunities to take on other responsibilities around the school, increasing your impact and salary.
Best Option: Tax-free bursaries and scholarships
Tax-free bursaries and scholarships for initial teacher training courses are provided by the Department for Education in subjects where we need more teachers.
To receive a teacher training bursary or scholarship, you need a first, 2:1 or 2:2 in an undergraduate degree or a PhD or Master’s degree and be on a course that has tuition fees to pay. This is a legal requirement.
Scholarships are usually available to applicants with a 1st, 2:1, master’s or PhD, though in exceptional circumstances they may be awarded to a graduate with a 2:2 and significant relevant experience.
They are available whether you are training to teach full time or part time.
The subjects where there are a shortage of teachers include science, maths, computer science and foreign languages.
This can obviously play a big part in helping you decide which subject to train in.
Subject |
Scholarship |
Bursary |
|---|---|---|
| Art & Design | None | £10,000 |
| Biology | None | £26,000 |
| Chemistry | £31,000 | £29,000 |
| Computing | £31,000 | £29,000 |
| Design and Technology | None | £26,000 |
| English | None | £5,000 |
| Geography | None | £26,000 |
| Languages | £28,000 | £26,000 |
| Ancient Languages | None | £26,000 |
| Maths | £31,000 | £29,000 |
| Music | None | £10,000 |
| Physics | £31,000 | £29,000 |
| Religious Education | None | £10,000 |
Get paid while you train: Apprenticeships and Salaried
There are initial teacher training courses where you also receive a salary. These financial benefits come with more teaching responsibilities than the bursaries route, and our Career Change Specialists can explain what this means.
Teaching Apprenticeships
For the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship training route, the DfE give grants to ITT providers to contribute to the trainee’s salary and training costs.
ITT providers are responsible for ensuring that all grant funding designated to support salary costs, reaches the employing school so that it can be used for its intended purpose.
The salary which the training provider then offers is at the discretion of the initial training provider. Our team are experts on the different options available and are available to support people in choosing which course is right for them.
Register to speak to one of our Career Change Specialists and find out more.
Salaried Training
Some teacher training providers offer a salaried teacher training route for certain subjects, particularly shortage subjects. They provide a taxable salary and you pay no tuition fees.
Similar to apprenticeships, you have teaching responsibility from Day One and we’ll explore if this route is a good fit for you. Salaried positions are always limited, so applying early will increase your chances of getting one.
You are awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) when you finish and can choose to do an optional PGCE in some cases.
Register to speak to one of our Career Change Specialists and find out more.
Student Finance: fees and loans
Most trainees pay tuition fees as part of their teacher training and a tuition fee loan is available to cover the entire cost.
There is no age limit for Tuition Fee Loans.
These are available for all trainees, regardless of subject choice or previous qualifications.
A student loan covers the entire cost of tuition fees and you do not pay anything upfront. You start paying off this loan when you earn over the threshold.
We suggest you use the Student Finance Calculator here to find out more.
You can borrow more if you are a parent or have a disability and a means-tested Maintenance Loan is also available to help with your living costs.
There are eligibility criteria: access to financial support will depend on your status as a home, EU/EEA or overseas student. Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, there are new rules around the fees paid by EU, EEA and Swiss nationals.
Talk to us about the eligibility criteria to find out how much you could borrow.
If you have studied overseas and have international academic qualifications, you will need to show how these compare to UK equivalents. You gain this Statement of Comparability though ENIC-NARIC.
Understand how to get the funding you need by speaking to one of our Career Change Specialists.
Teacher Salaries
When you qualify as a teacher by gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you can apply for salaried positions. Teacher salaries generally follow the main pay scale set by the Department for Education.
You can see the most up-to-date teacher salary bands on the National Education Union's website.
Subject to satisfactory performance, teachers would usually reach the top of the pay scale in six years.
Most established teachers will earn more than this maximum by progressing onto the upper pay range for teachers, or by becoming a leading practitioner.
If you’re not sure whether you’ll be teaching in inner, outer or the fringe of London, talk to our Specialists.
Additional responsibilities
Your salary would also increase if you are given a Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payment.
These are added to a teacher’s salary when they take on responsibilities beyond classroom teaching, for example becoming head of a department.
Explore the progression opportunities in teaching by speaking to one of our Career Change Specialists.
International Applicant Options
If you’re applying for teacher training as a non-UK citizen, you may be able to get some financial help from the UK government.