The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) is an employment-based initiative which enables graduates to train and qualify as teachers while they work in a secondary school (pupils aged 11-16) in England. 'On-the-job' training is carried out over the course of one academic year and is combined with professional duties in the school.
The CILT/British Council Graduate Teacher Programme is unique because it is the only GTP in England which solely recruits native speakers of French, Spanish and German, providing a training course specifically designed to meet their needs.
At the end of the Graduate Teacher Programme training year, successful trainees will gain Qualified Teacher Status. This will enable you to apply for work as a Newly Qualified Teacher in England or Wales. It will not enable you to work as a qualified teacher in most other European Union countries.
Successful candidates are employed by a training school in England for the entire academic year 2008/9. Candidates can apply with their own training school or will be matched to a suitable training school by CILT and the British Council.
They work alongside a mentor within the school and teach four days per week. The fifth day is set aside for training activities. Training is co-ordinated by CILT, and leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This enables successful trainees to work as Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) in secondary schools in England. During the training year, trainees are paid a salary of approximately £14,751 before tax.
Successful candidates without their own training school will be expected to accept the placement offered to them anywhere in England. We cannot guarantee that successful candidates will be placed in a training school in any town/city/region that they specify. We strongly recommend that applicants with specific location requirements who are unable to accept a training placement offered anywhere in England seek to find a school in their specified area that is willing to train them.
Prospective training schools should go to www.cilt.org.uk/training/schools.htm or e-mail gtp@cilt.org.uk to apply to take part in the scheme.
Working hours in schools are from approximately 8.30am to 4pm, with an average of at least one hour for after-school meetings per week. These hours do not include time for lesson preparation and correction, or for studying in association with the training programme. The training is demanding and should not be considered if you intend to return to your country after only one year.
Further information on the training year can be found on the CILT website at: www.cilt.org.uk/training/trainees.htm
In order to be considered for the Graduate Teacher Programme, all applicants must:
a) Be native speakers of either French, German or Spanish.
Many language teachers in England are required to teach a second foreign language (usually French, German or Spanish). It is therefore an advantage if candidates can offer a second language at intermediate or advanced level.
b) Have at least the equivalent of a UK bachelor’s degree. According to UK NARIC, the national agency for the comparability of international qualifications, the following qualifications are considered the equivalent of a UK bachelor’s degree:
Austria - Magister or Doktor
France - Licence
Germany - Magister/Diplom or the Erstes Staatsexamen
Spain - Licenciatura
Other countries or qualifications – please check with UK NARIC before you apply – www.naric.org.uk
c) Possess an excellent command of spoken and written English (candidates will be asked to sit a written test at first interview)
d) NOT already hold a qualification allowing them to teach at school level either in the UK or in their home country. According to UK NARIC, if you have successfully completed any of the following courses of study you are ineligible to apply for the Graduate Teacher Programme:
Austria - Unterrichtspraktikum
France - CAPES, PLP2 or any other concours
Germany - Unterrichspractikum or Zweites Staatsexamen
Spain - CAP
Other countries or qualifications – please check with UK NARIC before you apply –www.naric.org.uk
French applicants please note that if you gain a qualification allowing you to teach in France, you will not be eligible to participate in the Graduate Teacher Programme even if you decide to delay the start of your teaching career in France. Although some applicants do apply for both, it is important to decide whether you really want to teach in England or in France. Only those candidates who are unsuccessful at the written stage of the CAPES/PLP2/other concours exams may be considered for placement with a training school. Candidates who are successful at the written stage may only be considered for a training school placement if they are unsuccessful in the oral examination.
e) Be currently resident in the European Economic Area (EEA - the 25 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland
f) Be eligible to work in the UK. Citizens of the EEA or Switzerland do not require a work permit to work in the UK. If you are not a citizen of the EEA or Switzerland and are unsure, please see our work permit guidance notes (MS WORD 30KB). Comprehensive guidance is available through the Home Office website. Proof of nationality/right of residency will be requested at interview. The British Council is unable to intervene in any issues relating to visa or work permit applications on behalf of successfully placed trainees.
If selected for the programme, you will be required to provide a medical certificate and proof that you have no criminal record (extrait de casier judiciaire, polizeiliches Führungszeugnis, Strafregisterbescheinigung or certificado negativo de antecedentes penales as appropriate).
g) Enjoy working with young people aged 11-16 and/or have experience of teaching or working with groups of children.
h) Be willing to commit to spending more than just one year in England
i) Hold the equivalent of GCSE grade C in mathematics
According to UK NARIC, the following school-level qualifications are considered the equivalent of a GCSE C grade in mathematics:
Austria – any grade between 1 – 3 in maths at Reifeprüfung/Matura
France – any grade between 10 – 20 in maths at Baccalauréat. If you took “Enseignement Scientifique” as part of a Bac L, you must provide written proof that the final examination was in mathematics
Germany – any grade between 7 - 15 in Maths at Abitur or any grade between 1 - 4 in maths at Year 10 level
Spain – any grade between 6 - 10 in maths at Bachillerato
Other countries or qualifications – please check with UK NARIC before you apply – www.naric.org.uk
Candidates who do not hold the equivalent maths qualification will have the opportunity to sit an equivalent test as part of the selection process – a copy of the maths test syllabus is available here (PDF 55KB). A sample exam paper can be downloaded here (PDF 98KB).
These notes for applicants are also available in printable format on the How to apply page.
Questions? Queries? Find further information and answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the Graduate Teacher Programme
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