Graduate Teacher Training Programme
Applications for our September 2025 cohort are now open. You can apply here.
Ambition Institute’s Teacher Training programme sets you on the path to becoming an excellent teacher. One who will inspire the next generation to succeed.
Five reasons to join our programme
- Learn with England’s largest professional development provider: We are a national education charity and England’s largest professional development provider for teachers and school leaders. In2023/24 1 in 9 teachers and school leaders in state-funded schools developing professionally with us.
- Improve children’s lives: Our mission is to help young people reach their full potential, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Join us and give every child the best possible start in life.
- Train in school: You’ll complete most of your training in your main placement school and will also gain further skills and experience in a contrasting school. During this time, you’ll get the high-quality academic training you’d expect to get from a university, combined with immersive classroom learning. By the end of your training, you’ll have the confidence to teach in a classroom independently.
- Be guided by a mentor: You will receive one-on-one support every week from your dedicated mentor, who will be an experienced teacher that works in your school. Your mentor will offer coaching and guidance enabling you to put your learning into practice in a structured, step-by-step way, before taking it live in the classroom. Your mentoring sessions will also include protected time to discuss your wellbeing.
- Qualify as a teacher in 12 months: On successful completion of the programme, you will have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and 60 credits towards a master’s degree.
Salary
Once you’re a fully qualified teacher, your minimum starting salary will be £31,650 in England (or more in London).
Some of our school partners will also be offering ways to complete our teacher training programme whilst also receiving a salary. You can see which partners are offering this by viewing their description on our partner map tool here.
Funding
If you are enrolled on an unsalaried place, you may be able to apply for funding of up to £31,000 to cover the costs of your tuition fees, which you would not need to pay back. You can find out more by clicking on the ‘Cost’ section here.
Location
Through our national network of partners, you can train in a school location that suits you.
Option of part-time training
This is a 12-month, full-time, postgraduate programme. You may also be able to do part-time training, spread across two academic years.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you will need:
- An undergraduate bachelor's degree with honours, generally 2:2 or above, or equivalent.
- A GCSE grade 4/C or above in English and maths, or equivalent.
- Primary school trainees will need a GCSE grade 4/C or above in science, or equivalent.
Please note some of our partners will want you to have a degree and/or A Level related to the subject you wish to teach.
International candidates
We also accept international qualifications that are equivalent to our eligibility criteria above. You will need to provide an ENIC statement of comparability to progress with your application, this costs £49.50 + VAT. It takes 15 working days to complete your order from the date ENIC receives your qualification documents and payment. For more information, and to apply for your ENIC statement, please visit UK ENIC.
Please also note you must have permission to work in the UK full-time by the start and for the duration of the training programme. Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor your visa. Most people will require either a Student Visa or a Skilled Worker visa, you can find out more about which visa to apply for by visiting Get Into Teaching.
Application process
- Application: The first step when applying is to select which of our partners you want to train with. You can do this by navigating to our partner map tool here and choosing your preferred school partner in the region suited to you. You will then be able to register with this partner and complete our short application form - this will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Assessment: Our friendly team at Ambition Institute will assess your application and if you are eligible, will pass your application to your preferred school partner. You will then be invited to attend an interview by this partner. The interview will include a set of questions and a task, the details of which you will receive beforehand from your chosen partner. Please note you will also be asked to complete some short online multiple-choice tests as part of the assessment stage, no revision or preparation is required for this. Additionally, you will need to share your proof of eligibility as part of this stage
- Offer: If you are successful at the interview you will be provided with a conditional offer. Please note the conditions of the offer are dependent on you completing the relevant pre-programme checks, such as checking degree certificate gradings and DBS check.
Not ready to apply yet? You can register your interest here.