Accommodation and other living costs

There are a number of things to take into account when one is working out his/her living costs. Living costs for full-time students include:

· accommodation – this is likely to be one’s single biggest expense if one is living away from home;

· food;

· household bills – gas, electricity, water rates, phone, TV licence, contents insurance;

· clothes;

· travel;

· socialising;

· leisure and sport;

· study costs – such as books, materials and field trips for one’s course.

As well as Student Loans, one may be able to get a Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant to help with accommodation and other living costs. One won’t have to pay this back.

Grants of up to £2,835 were available for 2008/2009.

Students can also receive a bursary (scholarship) – a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education. There are two types of bursary awarded by institutions (such as universities). The first is a means-tested (need-based) bursary which is available for all students whose parents earn under a threshold value per year. It is often given out using a sliding scale, with people at the lowest end of the scale getting a full bursary, and the monetary award decreasing in value with proportion to the parental earnings.

The second type of bursary is one based on performance – a scholarship (merit-based scholarship). These awards are generally given for good performance in the exams preceding university/college entrance, where the student gets grades above the standard entry. These can be awarded by the university, or sometimes by companies.

Teacher training in the UK

There are many ways to become a teacher in the UK. You need to achieve your QTS or Qualified Teacher Status, which will enable one to teach in state maintained schools in England and Wales.

There are five ways to obtain your Qualified Teacher Status in the UK:

Initial teacher training

One can study to become a teacher while completing your first undergraduate degree. The qualification is a Bachelor of Education and incorporates your specific subject areas (such as English, Mathematics, History) with an education component. This initial teacher training (ITT) courses are provided by universities and other higher education institutions, of which the Open University is the largest provider. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is responsible for the initial and in-service training of teachers and other school staff in England. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

It can take 3 to 4 years to complete but if one has completed previous tertiary subjects, one may be able to obtain credits for these and reduce your study time down to potentially 2 years.

Postgraduate teacher training

If one already has a degree, then he or she can complete the teacher training as a postgraduate. The certification is a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and can be completed by people who already have a bachelor degree in a specific field. This course can take 1 year full time or 2 years part time. One will learn how to deliver a subject to children using correct teaching methodologies. These courses are available at universities, but there are also opportunities to train via flexible distance learning.

In-service training

An excellent opportunity is to train and qualify to teach while one is already employed in a school. This is known as in-service training. One can earn an income while learning and be able to apply everything learnt straight away.

To become involved in this, a person needs to apply to a Graduate Teacher Program (GTP) provider who will find one a school to work in as an unqualified teacher. To qualify one needs to have a UK bachelor degree and GCSE grade C or higher in Math and English. It can take up to 1 year full time to complete this qualification.