How can I become a teacher without a degree UK?

Careers in Education Forum
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Hello guys,
I am not sure if this is the right forum but I will ask anyway. I am 19F, just need some advice on how I can become a teacher. I have been researching a little into it but it all confused me. To give you some basic context, I finished sixth form last year but was only able to get 2 A levels due to suffering from something traumatic, which resulted in me taking too much time off from college.

After college, I have been in and out of jobs but have not found anything secure. Recently I have been thinking of pursuing a career in primary school teaching. I also have a few months of work experience as a teaching assistant with a tuition company.

University can never be an option for me because I don’t have the A levels to apply for an undergraduate course. What are my options? I can’t find anything online as my situation is different. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

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I think you can apply for uni with the Open University and you actually don’t need any A Levels to get accepted if that is what is troubling you.

Another advantage is that is costs less than going to university.

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You need to actually acquire a degree to be on the safer side in the teaching career.

You can look at access courses for university in any subject you like. They usually have lower requirements and may accept your two levels. I don’t think you can do a teaching course through Access but I may be wrong

At the end of your three-year degree (plus access year), you can do a PGCE in Primary Education. It is not a short route but it is a very fulfilling career.

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I believe you know that teaching is skilled work, and children deserve skilled and properly trained professionals to teach them.

I am sorry to hear about your past trauma though.

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May not apply as I’m not from the US or the UK. Here, however, a bachelor’s degree is required to even work as a substitute teacher, and additional credentials are required to apply for teaching positions.

However, certain vocations in education don’t need that. For entry-level positions, daycare/preschool teachers do not require a degree but rather particular CPR classes. Most of the program directors have degrees in early childhood education.

Summer camp and after-school programs typically just require a willingness to show up and a cheerful attitude.

In the teaching field, there are additional support staff members known as paraprofessionals. They are essentially special education assistants or teacher classroom assistants who need specific training. Although it is not well compensated, working with pupils in a classroom is possible.

I don’t know of anywhere that would allow someone without a degree to become a full-time public school teacher.

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Thank you very much for your output. There are a few courses here in UK which do allow you to be a trainee teacher I just wondered if anyone knew about those. Thanks for your advice though.

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Since you already have some experience as a teaching assistant, you might want to continue gaining experience in this role. Some schools offer pathways for teaching assistants to transition into teaching roles, sometimes with additional training and support.