For the right person, teaching provides a rewarding career that changes lives and shapes the next generation of thinkers and doers. Before you start on that journey, you need to know whether you can afford it. Our latest how to guide looks at the funding options for teacher training and the avenues you could take to make your dream a reality.
Regardless of where you are in your career, it is important to understand your funding options. While the funding for academic year 2022/23 is yet to be announced, our latest guide on how do you fund teacher training uses financial information from the academic year 2021/22 to give you a rough idea.
Tuition fees and maintenance loans
Tuition fee and maintenance loans can be used to fund your teacher training application. You could apply for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 to cover your training - so you do not need to pay for course fees upfront.
If you need to live away from home during your course, you can apply for a maintenance loan of up to £12,382.
Funding for the academic year 2022/23 hasn't been released just yet. Check the Get into Teaching website regularly for more information.
The great thing about tuition fees and maintenance loans is you can still apply for them regardless of whether you get a teaching bursary or scholarship. If you apply for loans, you will not make any repayments back until you start earning.
Useful links
For those starting an undergraduate course in academic years 2020/21 and 2021/22, use GOV.UK's student finance calculator to learn how much you could get.
Bursaries and scholarships
Depending on what subject you choose to teach, you might be eligible for a teaching bursary or scholarship when you train to teach. These are different from tuition fee or maintenance loans as you do not need to pay them back. To qualify, you will need a first, 2:1, 2:2 degree or a PhD or master's degree to be eligible for a bursary. Don't forget to check the bursary terms and conditions to ensure you are eligible.While the information on this page has been provided by the Get into Teaching website, it always pays to speak to training providers in Portsmouth who can provide you with localised information.
What bursaries and scholarships are there?
Based on bursary and scholarship information for 2021/22, you may qualify for the following subject areas: | Subject | Bursary | Scholarship |
| Chemistry | £24,000 | £26,000 |
| Computing | £24,000 | £26,000 |
| Maths | £24,000 | £26,000 |
| Physics | £24,000 | £26,000 |
| Classics | £10,000 | N/A |
| Languages | £10,000 | N/A |
| Biology | £7,000 | N/A |
Options, options, options...
If you are considering teacher training but unsure about your funding options, the Get into Teaching website is the ultimate resource for you. We hope our guide will give you an idea of what you may receive in the future. There are also other funding options that may apply to you.
- If you are former military personnel, you may qualify for a £40,000 bursary under the 'troops to teachers' programme. To qualify, you would need to be teaching biology, physics, chemistry, computing, maths or modern foreign languages as well as doing an undergraduate degree leading to QTS in England.
- If you have children or other caring responsibilities you may be able to get extra financial support through the following grants and schemes: childcare grant, parents' learning allowance or adult dependants' grant
- If you are disabled, you may be able to get support if you're a
student, have a learning difficulty or health problem.
Start your teaching journey
At this point, you'll have many things to consider. We hope our how to guide helps you answer the question 'how do you fund teacher training?' As you research, you'll discover more information about the profession and the rewards it brings. Start your teaching journey in Portsmouth using our helpful route finder to learn more about the training providers based in the city and the routes you could take.