In England and Wales, secondary school is for children from the ages of 11 to 16 or 11 to 18. Secondary school incorporates Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (Year 7 to Year 11) and can also include sixth form. After the age of 16, compulsory education ends and young people can decide whether to continue their studies further, either at school or sixth form college, or enter the world of work.

If you want to teach languages in secondary schools, there is a wide variety of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses available.

If you have a degree, your options are:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)
• Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP)
• Teach First
• Assessment-Based Teacher Training

If you don’t have a degree, your options are:

• Bachelor of Education (BEd)
• Bachelor of Arts or Science (BA or BSc) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Registered Teacher Programme (RTP)

Already qualified to teach in another country?

• Already qualified to teach in the European Economic Area (EEA)? Register for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Already qualified to teach outside the European Economic Area (EEA)? Gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme (OTTP)