Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Further Education (FE) is a Level 6 teaching qualification which is also known as the Post-16 PGCE. It is a recognised qualification that you can get in the UK and is recognised worldwide.

The PGCE FE is a 2 year-long course if done full time. It requires you to go to a college or university for the theory and complete the recommended teaching practice in an FE institution to apply all the theories and concepts learnt.

Arguably, the Level 5 DET has all the benefits of the PGCE FE but at a fraction of the cost. At ELN our DET course is self-paced, so although the qualification is 2 years long, you can complete it in a few months depending on how much time you can give to the study.

The PGCE FE is ideal for candidates who want to work as a teacher or trainer in the education and training sector. Usually, teachers take up the PGCE FE qualification to progress in their careers and widen their scope of teaching learners of different ages. This is a full teacher training qualification, completing which leads you to the QTLS. However, the DET is the preferred qualification for the QTLS.

As a compulsory requirement, you will have to complete about 100 hours of teaching during your PGCE FE course. In those 100 hours, you will have to plan, deliver, observe and assess areas laid by the institute of your placement. You must look for placements in post-14 or post-16 institutes as PGCE FE is all about teaching adult learners.

It is necessary that you have a PGCE FE qualified mentor at the institute of your placement who has expertise in your subject of specialism, if possible. This mentor has to assess you and coach you during your teaching practice.

1. What are the entry requirements for PGCE FE?

2. An undergraduate degree

3. C grade in GCSE Mathematics and English

4. A written statement from your mentor from your institute of placement

5. Satisfactory score from Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

*meet other requirements related to postgraduate certificate in education FE from your university

6. Comparatively, the DET has much simpler requirements and is also much more cost effective.

7. Course structure for PGCE FE

In PGCE FE, the course is taught in a mixture of individual and group work along with use of interactive technology and a variety of resources.

1. There are 8 modules in one year

2. You will have 2 days in the institute and 2 days on placement.

3. During your days in the institute, you will study the following:

4. Principles of teaching and learning

5. Developing teaching and learning

6. Behaviour management

7. Enabling learning by assessment

8. Theories and principles in pedagogy

9. Developing resources for inclusive practice

10. Wider professional practice

11. Action research project

PGCE FE will cost about £10,000 from a good university if you study full time and are a home student. It will cost significantly higher if you are an international student. On the other hand, DET / DTLLS course also leads to the QTLS status which costs £1,450 for both home and international students. It is completely online and self-paced.

After you finish the entire postgraduate certificate in education FE course and meet other requirements, you will then apply for the QTLS at the Society of Education and Training (SET).