The government requires that all applicants for ITT must:
- have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade C/4 at GCSE in English and Maths, plus Science for Primary
- must hold a first degree of a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification (a first degree comprises 300 HE credit points of which 60 must be at Level 6)
- pass an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check to ensure they have no convictions that would preclude them from teaching
- have the capability to meet the required Standards by the end of training and possess appropriate and intellectual qualities to be a teacher
- take part in an interview process designed to assess your suitability to teach.
The Professional Skills Tests have been removed as a requirement for entrants to the profession. The Federation will complete their own assessment of literacy and numeracy skills as part of the application process.
Alban Federation requires that all applicants for ITT must:
- have a degree that is at least 50% in the subject they wish to teach although we will consider in some cases degrees that are closely linked e.g. an engineering degree for a science training place
- that trainees have and demonstrate fundamental English and maths skills
Alban Federation is an Equal Opportunities provider and welcomes applications from all appropriately qualified persons regardless of diversity strand.
Overseas qualifications
If all or part of your qualifications are from outside the UK we need verification that your degree is the equivalent of a first degree from a UK HEI and your English and Maths (also Science for primary) qualifications are equivalent to GCSE grade C/4 or above. We will only accept this verification from UK ENIC (formally NARIC) whom you can contact via their website www.enic.org.uk
A common issue that arises is equivalency is given for all GCSE subjects with the exception of English Language where the statement often reads: “English is studied as a second language and is not considered comparable to English Language GCSE studied in the UK.” If your UK ENIC equivalency includes this type of statement you will need to take an Equivalency test and pass at grade C/4 or higher before we can accept your application.
Another common issue is that the degree is given equivalency to a British Bachelor degree but not including the required Level 6 element. The expectation is that your UK ENIC statement must read that your degree is equivalent to “British Bachelor (Honours) degree standard”.
What else can I do to make me a strong candidate?
Alban Federation recruits on the basis of an applicant’s capacity to develop through training into a qualified teacher. As such, there is no requirement for school experience before training although we advise applicants for either Primary or Secondary training to spend time in schools before applying. Other experience working with young people will be acknowledged. For example, experience of training or coaching, having been a leader in an organisation such as Guides or Scouts, running a youth group or any other kind of appropriate contact with young people.