There are more and more ways of becoming a teacher in the UK. There are two major routes which can be taken: School based or University based.

It is a fact that teachers, particularly of secondary age students, must have a degree in their subject. This means that their teacher training qualification will be a post graduate qualification.

School based training involves the student being based at one or more schools and learning the craft of teaching through observing others and hands on experience. They are generally given a form group, as well as overall control of the lessons they need to teach. Most placements have their trainees on a reduced timetable while they are learning.

University based routes involve the student spending some of the time in school on placements, and the rest of their time at university where they learn how to teach from a research or academic point of view. This is the more traditional route, and many older teachers will have been trained this way. Post graduate courses, such as the PGCE involve a research task.