Entry requirements
The Troops to Teachers non-graduate programme is only open to service leavers who are eligible for resettlement support. Usually this will mean that you have served for at least four years and are within five years of your discharge date at the start of the programme.
This guidance applies to those who do not hold a university degree award. If you have already graduated with a degree, please use the Department for Education helpline (0800 389 2500) for advice on graduate opportunities.
Do you meet the basic eligibility?
We will need to confirm that you are eligible for resettlement support; please complete the employment section on your UCAS application to confirm your dates of service. You do not need to provide full details – we will verify dates from your service record later on in the process. The UCAS application also requires you to provide details of two referees who can supply a reference on your behalf. See the Applying through UCAS section below for more information.
GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and maths.
Some equivalent qualifications are acceptable but others – such as Level 2 Adult Literacy or Numeracy – are not. If you are not sure, please contact the University of Brighton through troopstoteachers@brighton.ac.uk to verify your existing equivalent qualifications.
If you do not hold an equivalent GCSE qualification you can still apply, but you will have to secure equivalence before you can start the programme. Equivalence tests can be organised through www.equivalencytesting.com or we have our own tests that can be booked and taken - please contact us to find out more.
Foundation degree/HND/HNC/other level 4 or above study
You will need to demonstrate the equivalent of a minimum of one year full-time study in higher education. We will consider a wide range of qualifications when checking that you have accumulated the correct number of Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points. If your current qualifications relate specifically to your chosen specialist subject for ITT, you should have a minimum of 120 subject-related CATS points. These 120 credits show that you meet the academic and subject knowledge requirements. If your qualifications are not specific to your chosen specialist subject for ITT we will appraise your credit on a case by case basis.
Providing as much detail as possible in your UCAS application will help us to fully assess your eligibility. Appropriate qualifications include academic, vocational and military qualifications associated with particular roles, for example training, instructing, and training and achievements associated with certain promotions. Please contact us if you would like further advice on this.
Experience
The equivalent of at least one week of recent work experience with children in a school setting would give you a distinct advantage. Experience in teaching, instructing or mentoring during your military service would also be advantageous.
The interview process
If you are selected for interview, you can select a date from a number of options through the University of Brighton’s applicant area – we will invite you to register on the applicant area after you have submitted your UCAS application and details of referees.
Unfortunately we cannot refund any expenses associated with attending an interview but we plan to offer some regional locations. As part of the interview day we will need to confirm your ID (passport or driving license), your service record and the original certificates from your qualifications. The interview day will include a written exercise, a group presentation task and an individual interview. You will receive all necessary details with your invitation so that you can prepare fully. At this stage we will also ask you about your preferred location and any potential delivery schools that you may already have had contact with.
What happens if the interview is successful?
The interview will verify your suitability for the TtT programme and the offer of a place at this stage will always be ‘conditional’. This means there are certain conditions you must meet before you can secure your place. These will include passing the professional skills tests (more information on these below), if you have not already done so, and providing certificates of any equivalency tests and other qualifications. The key condition that will apply to all applicants will be to secure an employing delivery school for the duration of the programme. We will support you through this process and work to set you up with an interview in an appropriate school.
Securing a delivery school
As this is an employment-based route, you will only be able to enrol and start the programme if you are successfully selected and employed by one of the schools that we have recommended as your match. You would normally be supported through a maximum of two matching attempts. Once a school has selected you, they will organise a Disclosure and Barring Service check and occupational health clearance before offering you a 0.8 contract for the Monday to Thursday employment-based element of the programme. You will then enrol as a University of Brighton student and we can prepare you for the start of the programme.
Professional skills tests
The professional skills tests are compulsory: you will not be able to start your training without having successfully completed them. You can book these tests in advance, and the Department for Education strongly advises you to take the tests soon after you have submitted an application.
At the university we recognise that these tests present a real challenge to some candidates and we recommend that you prepare carefully before attempting them as you are limited to only three attempts per test. For this reason we will not insist that Troops to Teachers applicants have passed the tests before attending an interview; although having already passed the tests may give you a clear advantage, we will be prepared to consider your capacity to pass them.
Find out more about professional skills tests, including how to register and prepare for them.
Other
- Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession are particularly welcome.