Schools in the UK from N Ireland, Wales, Scotland & England have work & professional employment & job qualification requirements for qualified teachers and certain support staff.
Looking to teach in England as a fully qualified classroom teacher the school will first satisfy you have the right amount of skills, qualifications and teacher registration with General Teaching Council England.
You can teach in UK schools with a master’s degree in education that awards QTS “Qualified Teacher” by assessed classroom teacher training with school pupils aged 3-18 in either early years, primary or secondary level.
Can I be a UK School teacher with a Masters degree?
Yes, you can teach in UK schools with an education master’s degree MEdu awarding QTS integrated by school teacher training, assessed at primary/secondary/early years, 3-18 years old pupils.
For example, you become a qualified teacher & can teach with a University of Derby early years masters MEdu degree or a school PE masters MPhysEd with QTS as they are integrated with school class teacher training and academic theory.
Can you do a Masters with QTS? England universities offer integrated school teacher training & study master’s in education degrees’ so you get QTS taken over 4 years on school placements and university academic study.
Does a master’s in education give you QTS? Only 4 year education master degrees that are integrated awarding QTS by class teacher training at schools on placements with 3-18 year old children combined with assessment & university study.
Not qualified teacher with master’s in education (MA/MSC)
A academic theory only UK MA/MSC education master’s degrees won’t allow you to become a UK qualified school teacher as you need Qualified teacher status (QTS) achieved through classroom teaching & assessment of you’re skills & knowledge.
Specifically, a master’s degree in education (MA/MSC) means you can’t teach in UK primary & secondary schools as a qualified teacher as it doesn’t provide vocational work assessed training with school students.
UK qualified school teacher qualification requirements
To teach in UK schools at early years, primary or secondary qualified teachers require either:
Qualified teacher status by QTS only route.
PGCE/PGDE with & QTS or QTLS.
Maters in education MEd/MA with integrated QTS.
BA/BSC/BEd education & QTS.
Should you already have a master’s degree and wish to start teaching at secondary or primary school in UK then you’ve already got some theoretical knowledge. You still require training in a school classroom and qualify as a teacher through assessment of you’re teaching skills.
Difference between master’s degree & teaching qualification
A teacher qualification is a school work based course qualification teaching children in the classroom & study, where a master’s MSC/MA degree normally doesn’t involve teaching in schools & won’t qualify you to teach.
University of Edinburgh MSC Education or UWS MEd Education Studies offered by Scottish universities is 100% academic theory based taught and assessed only at a university.
You’ll not learn any skills or knowledge of how to teach a class of school children as the MEd Education is focused on learning advanced knowledge of education by academic study only.