The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) is an employment based route to gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This means that you are employed within a school as an unqualified teacher whilst you follow an individualised training course. At the end of your training an assessment will take place, once successfully assessed you will be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which enables you to teach in schools in England.

There is an opportunity to work towards and achieve a PGCert on completion of the training with the MSC

The Mid Somerset Consortium for Initial Teacher Training was established in 2004 with the aim of providing a high standard of teacher training in central Somerset, to help fill the gap for Initial Teacher Training in this largely rural area. The Partnership has added value to the secondary teacher supply by training mainly local people from this area of Somerset.

Each graduate's individual training programme will vary, as it is written specifically for them. Someone with a great deal of teaching experience may require a shorter programme, as they may already have met some of the QTS standards. The average length of a GTP course is an academic year. Any trainees admitted to any Initial Teacher Training scheme must have the necessary qualifications on entry and have the potential to meet the QTS standards. This includes an Honours degree, also GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above.
Further details can be found at: www.tda.gov.uk

Your placement school will be either one of the Partnerships or Associate schools. The MSC  have limited fully funded places, though we will, and have previously trained privately funded individuals. This is where a school pays the trainee's salary and the MSC for the training. This generally occurs when a candidate is working as an unqualified teacher in an institution and would like to gain QTS.

Each institution has specific departments that wish to train teachers in their school/college. Applicants apply to the MSC and will be interviewed by the partnership representatives following selection. A shortlist is drawn up and second subject specific interview in the school/college itself will be held within two weeks of the first interview. The decision to offer a place in the school/college is made by the institution.