International Postgraduate Certificate in Education (with International Qualified Teacher Status) (iPGCE with iQTS)

The DfE has appointed University of Derby as an accredited provider for the new International Postgraduate Certificate of Education (with International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme / qualification pilot year. iQTS is recognised as equivalent to English QTS by DfE, meaning that anyone who is awarded the iQTS qualification by an accredited ITT provider, will be eligible to apply for professional QTS status through the DfE.

The highlights

• Course seeks to develop outstanding teachers within primary education who are resilient and reflective classroom practitioners
• Study routes covers Primary Age (ages 3-11)
• Flexible teaching qualification that addresses complex global education issues
• Creates teachers who are critical thinkers, able to question global, political and educational ideologies
• Societal justice and inclusive practice are key drivers behind this course

Benefitting from our expertise in online education, this course will be delivered through online learning, combined with academic support to help you become a qualified and confident classroom teacher of children aged 3 - 11 years.

Additionally, trainees will undertake assessed placements in your local schools and will be supported for the duration of the course by a trained mentor from your school setting.

The iPGCE with iQTS will mirror the experience of the English PGCE programmes, providing a mixture of assessed practical input and experience, and Masters level academic input and assessment to give students the qualification of International Postgraduate Certificate of Education (with International Qualified Teacher status) (iPGCE with iQTS) as well as recommendation for English QTS.

In line with the iQTS Teachers’ Standards and Core Content Framework, the iQTS element will focus on the fundamental skills needed to be an effective teacher in any international setting.

As a long-standing provider of Initial Teacher Training and Education (ITT/E), awarding this qualification affirms our place as both a national and now international provider of Outstanding ITT/E, one of only a small number of providers in the UK being asked to be part of the pilot.

Who is the IPGCE with iQTS for?

The IPGCE with iQTS is designed for those living outside of the UK, who want to teach all subjects in the Primary curriculum including:

• UK citizens currently working abroad who wish to start teacher training or develop their teaching career
• Non-UK citizens who wish to begin teacher training or build on existing teaching experience
• UK and non-UK teachers without QTS (and who have not previously completed our IPGCE) who wish to improve their employability in England and internationally with a UK government-backed and approved professional qualification

If you prefer to undertake the IPGCE without Qualified Teacher Status, then our iPGCE course may be more suited to you.

Age Range Specialisms

This course allows you to tailor your studies to match your own interests and career plans. Depending on your preference and prior experience, you can choose to specialise, via your placements, in teaching children in either the 3–7 year-old or 5–11 year-old age ranges.

Whichever age route you choose, your award will be the same, reflecting your qualification to teach children between the full ages of 3-11, however your placements undertaken in host schools will be appropriate to your chosen route to help you advance your teaching and learning skills in specific areas.

Study at an institution with an excellent reputation in education

We provide high quality teacher education, as reflected in our awards of OFSTED Outstanding in Primary Education phase (a government assessment body in the UK).

This, coupled with University of Derby Online Learning’s reputation in online learning design and student support, means that this programme will offer a high-quality experience to learners.

The IPGCE with iQTS award is achieved by completing one 20 credit module, one 40 credit module and two zero credit professional practice modules. You must successfully complete all modules to obtain the iQTS award at the end of the course and recommendation for English QTS from the UK Government.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Teaching and Learning

This course is delivered through online learning combined with in school learning and practice placements. Your online learning will involve:

• live sessions with tutors or guest speakers (all sessions recorded to view afterwards)
• discussion around topics in the virtual cafes and digital forums
• Exploring case studies
• Independent study
• Digital workshops and seminars
• Practice Placements

In line with the International Teachers' Standards (2021), you'll develop your work-based learning through school-based placements. You will be supported to teach all subjects in the Primary curriculum and assessed in all curriculum subjects. A minimum of 120 days of placement experience gained during the course are required.

You will attend 2 assessed placements (14 weeks and 11 weeks in duration) in quality assured settings as well as a non-assessed placement (5 weeks) to focus on a specific area of practice that you need to develop. If you are currently employed by a school and will undertake your placements there, they will need to confirm that they can support you during the course, including time to undertake taught sessions and to engage with the reflective process necessary for success on the course.

You will follow one of two routes:

1. 3-7 years, or
2. 5-11 years

The age group route you choose will determine the assessed placements you undertake. Please note that irrespective of the route undertaken, the qualification at the end will be the same.

Your two placements are required to be taken in adjacent age groups, and not in the same age group. For instance, 3-5 years and 5-7 years, or 5-7 years and 7-11 years.

During your placements, you'll be supported by your University Tutors, as well as a school-based Mentor. Your school will need to confirm that they have identified a mentor who is suitably qualified to support you, can be released for specific mentor training and able to devote the time to effectively support you in the course.

Student Support and Guidance

Whilst we encourage our students to become independent, life-long learners, we also recognise that offering the right support and guidance will help you to achieve your goals. There is a wealth of support available to you at the University, from your dedicated Personal Tutor and Online Learner Advisor, through to our:

• Library
• Health and Wellbeing Centre
• Careers and Employability Service
• IT Support
• Union of Students

All these services, and more, are available to you as an online student at the University of Derby.

Study Skills

Many of our students have not studied for a long time so we put in place support to enable them to study at postgraduate level. If this applies to you, there are several advanced study skill resources available, covering areas such as research skills, critical evaluation in academic context, literature search, referencing, plagiarism and more.

Pace of study

This course is completed full-time over 1 year.

The course is delivered over two semesters, totalling 47 weeks in duration.

Your placements will run from around September to December, January to February and February to May, with adjustments made to reflect local holidays and school terms. You will commence both taught modules in September 2023, completing the 20-credit module by December and the 40-credit module by June 2024.

Assessment method

This course is assessed through coursework and placement-based assessments.

Modules incorporate formative and summative assessments. Assessment would include formative tasks such as presentations, leading seminars and discussions, through to the summative written and practical activities. Ongoing feedback (written/ verbal) will be provided from tutors and peers during taught sessions and placement experiences, helping you to understand your strengths and areas for development towards International Qualified Teacher Status.

You should normally have one of the following:

• An undergraduate degree (min 2:2) or equivalent
• A Masters degree in a Social Science subject (such as Education or Sociology)

You will also need to have the academic equivalent of grade C / 4 or above in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, and Science. We are unable to accept Key Skills as equivalency for this.

NOTE: If you have started and / or completed our current IPGCE (MX1BN) course, you will not be eligible to join the IPGCE with IQTS course.

You will be required to undertake safeguarding checks, such as a letter of good conduct and an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC). We will contact you with information on how to complete this when required. All certificates and letters used for this purpose, may be no older than 6 months. If this process is not completed ahead of your interview, you will need to complete it immediately after your interview to secure your place on the course.

Please note that this process can take considerable time and early engagement with it is advised.

An Occupational Health Assessment and Clearance by the University is required for this course. We will contact you with information on how to complete this when required.

English language qualifications

If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:

• IELTS 7.0 (with minimum of 6.5 in any one area)
• TOEFL: 600 (paper based), 250 (computer based) or 100 (internet based)
• Pearson Test of Academic English: 66
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Pass
• London Tests of English: we accept level 4 for undergraduate courses
• International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
• International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C

Find out more about our English language requirements

2023/24 (August 2023 - July 2024)

Starting the course 1 September 2022

Please note that the instalment calendar for this programme is as follows:

Please note fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase after one year of study.

* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable

Additional fee information

Technical Equipment Costs

This course requires the use of three cameras / video capture devices that are capable of recording at least an hour of video and can be connected to one single computer. The recorded files need to be uploaded in one of the following formats:

• MP4 / M4V MPEG 4 format
• MTS MPEG Transport Stream
• WMV Windows Media video
• MOV QuickTime Movie
• AVI Digital video
• FLV Adobe Flash Video
• 3GP Mobile video format
• MKV Matroska multimedia container format

Any costs incurred for this equipment are not covered within your course fees.

Alumni discount for Derby graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.

Find out about the Alumni discountFind out about the Alumni discount

Students should apply directly to the University.

Apply now

For support with completing your application, view our guide to the application process.

Shortlisted applications will be invited for an interview with members of the Programme Team which will be held via Microsoft Teams.

Interview information

Documents to support your application

In support of your application, you will need to provide the following items. Please ensure you provide all requested items together with your application form to be considered for the course.

• Official photo identification such as a passport or driving licence
• Current CV detailing your full employment history and teaching experience
• Letters from national authorities where you have conducted a teaching role, confirming there are no imposed restrictions or conditions of your teaching. Letters to be addressed to ‘The Admissions Tutor: IPGCE (with iQTS)' and dated within the last 6 months.
• Two written references supplied. Please note:
  • References to be supplied on headed paper from either a manager, supervisor, tutor or teacher
  • References must be addressed to ‘The Admissions Tutor: IPGCE (with iQTS)’. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications where References are broadly addressed such as ‘To Whom it May Concern’
• Copies of certificates and transcripts or a letter of testimony for previous qualifications*
• Evidence of your placements:
  • A letter from your main named placement school and ideally your second school for a contrasting 5-week placement in the spring term stating that they are willing to host you in their school and provide you with a mentor. (The mentor must be proficient in English to undertake the assessments and converse with university staff). The Letter/s will be confirmed later by the school’s agreement to the IPGCE Partnership Agreement

*Documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. Each translation must contain:

• Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• The date of the translation
• The full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the company
• The translator’s contact details

A list of approved translators can be found on the UK Gov website.

The IPGCE with iQTS gives you a highly respected route into primary teaching, across the world. You will automatically be recommended for English QTS from the UK government Department for Education upon successful completion of this course.

As a graduate of this course and ultimately becoming a teacher with internationally recognised qualified teacher status, you can pursue a career in teaching anywhere in the world, including in England. You may go into roles such as subject coordinator into a pastoral role. Ultimately, this course will hopefully increase your knowledge and confidence to go into leadership roles in schools.

You may choose to support the next generation of trainee teachers by stepping into a Mentoring role yourself.

Upon completing this course, you may wish to go on to complete a full Masters award such as our online MA Education which offers specialist pathways in Leadership and Management or TESOL. It would then be possible for you to progress onto Doctoral level study such as our Doctor of Education EdD (online).

Utilise our Careers and Employment Service​

Whilst you are a student at the University of Derby, and for 3 years after you graduate, our Careers and Employment Service can assist you with job search advice, CV creation, workshops and events, as well as one-to-one appointments with employment advisers to help with career planning and interview preparation.

Contact us

Contact the University of Derby Online Learning:

Additional information about your studies

Minimum numbers

Please note that this course is subject to minimum numbers in order to run.

Other courses you might like

• International Postgraduate Certificate of Education (iPGCE)
• Education MA
• Early Childhood Studies (Top-Up) BA (Hons)
• PGCE Primary with Qualified Teacher Status
• PGCE Primary (School Direct) with Qualified Teacher Status