Qualifications for teaching in Further Education
To train others in Further Education (FE), you need a combination of subject knowledge and teaching skills. However, the specific qualifications you need to start will depend on what subject you intend to teach. Crucially, you do not always need a university degree to become a trainer. For many vocational roles, your work history and industry experience are your most valuable credentials. This page outlines the standard entry requirements for the sector.
Subject specialist qualifications
For vocational and technical subjects
If you are training others in a hands-on profession - such as construction, plumbing, hairdressing, or engineering - you typically do not need a degree. Instead, you will usually need:
- A Level 3 qualification in your trade (e.g., NVQ Level 3, City & Guilds).
- Substantial professional experience in your industry.
Your "qualification" is effectively your career history and your ability to demonstrate up-to-date skills in your field.
For academic subjects
If you wish to teach academic subjects like English, history, psychology, or sciences (at GCSEs and A-Levels), the requirements are similar to secondary schools.
- You will typically need a degree (Level 6) in the subject you want to teach, or a closely related subject.
- Industry experience is less critical here, but academic depth of knowledge is essential.
Teaching qualifications
Teaching qualifications help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to teach more effectively. You do not always need a teaching qualification to start a job in FE. However, most employers will expect you to work towards one.
The main FE teaching qualification
The industry-standard full teaching qualification for the FE sector is the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (FE & Skills) (DiT). It is based on the Learning & Skills Teacher occupational standard and - once achieved - is recognised across the sector as demonstrating full occupational competence as an FE teacher.
The qualification is also available as an apprenticeship (the Learning & Skills Teacher apprenticeship).
Both the qualification and apprenticeship are equivalent to a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or a Cert Ed (Certificate in Education).
Other qualifications
There are other qualifications available, but these do not provide the full range of knowledge, skills and behaviours required for full occupational competence as an FE teacher.
These include:
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET): An introductory qualification often taken by those delivering short courses.
- Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET): For those with a limited teaching timetable and teaching responsibility.
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English and Maths requirements
Regardless of your subject, all FE teachers are expected to have a good standard of literacy and numeracy.
You will generally need Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths. This is equivalent to a GCSE Grade 4 (C) or above, or a Level 2 Functional Skills qualification. If you do not currently hold these, many colleges will support you to achieve them as part of your initial teacher training.
Qualifications for Assessors
If your role focuses purely on assessing apprentices in the workplace rather than teaching a class, you may need specific assessor qualifications.
These include the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). Like teaching qualifications, these are often completed while you are working in the role.