Employ a postgraduate teaching apprentice
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-09)

How schools and local authorities can employ a postgraduate teaching apprentice.

Schools and local authorities can employ apprentices to do the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship.

This is an initial teacher training (ITT) route leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts).

The apprentices are trainee teachers. They combine paid work with on and off-the-job training.

You can recruit as many apprentices as you like. But make sure you have the capacity to support them, particularly their off-the-job training.

You need to work with an accredited ITT provider. They will train the apprentice. There is separate guidance for ITT providers (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/provide-training-for-postgraduate-teaching-apprenticeships).

Guidance for candidates who want to apply to be a postgraduate teaching apprentice (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/school-led-training/school-direct-salaried) is available on the Get Into Teaching website.

Choose a provider

You need to work with an accredited provider to train the apprentice. These are higher education institutes or school-centred initial teacher training providers, who have been accredited to offer ITT.

You must choose a provider on the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-the-apar-as-an-apprenticeship-training-provider) that is also either:
- accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS
- subcontracted to a provider that is accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS
To check a specific provider, email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Plan the apprenticeship

Check that apprentices meet the ITT entry requirements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria/initial-teacher-training-itt-criteria-and-supporting-advice#entry-criteria) before they start. These are the same as for other teacher training routes.

You must agree the overall structure of the apprenticeship with the provider before the apprentice starts.

You can employ an apprentice at any point in the academic year, but the apprenticeship should last for at least 9 months.

The apprentice must spend a minimum of 20% of their paid hours in off-the-job training. This is approximately 278 hours.

This includes developing the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours set out in the teachers’ standards (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards).

Before the apprenticeship starts, you must have:
- an apprenticeship agreement with the apprentice
- a training provider
- a training plan agreed between the apprentice and the training provider
More information about the apprenticeship agreement is available in the funding rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules) for employers and employer-providers.

Get funding support

You can use apprenticeships funding to support your teaching apprentices. You can get more grant funding for teaching apprenticeships in priority subjects.

There is more information in the postgraduate teaching apprenticeships funding manual (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/postgraduate-teaching-apprenticeships-funding-manual).

Pay the apprentice

You are responsible for:
- paying the apprentice’s salary
- clearly advertising salary rates before you employ apprentices
You should pay apprentices as full-time employees, or on a pro-rata basis for part-time employees.

Maintained schools

You must pay apprentices at least the minimum of the unqualified teachers’ pay range for the training period.

Initial teacher training criteria (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria) has more information on this.

Non-maintained schools, academies and free schools

You can adopt pay arrangements that reflect your local circumstances, if you meet all statutory requirements.

Contact

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) to discuss the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship route.