Path to QTS

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Supermag
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:43 am

Path to QTS

Post by Supermag »

Hi all,

I’m new to this forum and hoping for some help.

I’m from the UK and have a bachelors degree in business. I moved to Vietnam 4 years ago and have been teaching here since. I started teaching ESL and am now at an “international” school which aims to become CIS accredited but is not currently.

I want to obtain QTS in the most cost-effective and efficient manner in order to progress my career and open doors to higher tier schools. I would like to become qualified but moving back to the UK isn’t an option.

I’ve seen a few posts about the Moreland University (Teach Now) program and the DC certification. Members have commented saying that the DC certification obtained through Moreland doesn’t qualify for QTS. Everything I’ve read online suggests it does due to mutual recognition. The TRA require, as per their website, undergrad or postgrad certification, transcripts of degree, initial teacher training, identification and letter/statement of professional standing, for applicants with a teaching qualification from the USA.

Some posts have suggested that the TRA could reject applications made via this route but I believe it, on paper at least, appears to fill the requirements. All and any information is much appreciated. Has anyone here completed a teacher preparation program, taken the praxis tests and then used their DC certification for QTS? Thanks!
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Well it did at one time, not anymore, at least not by the time you would finish with Teach Now and be in a position to apply. Even now if you were applying your application would be denied. Its a some what long story but essentially the OTT (Overseas Trained Teacher) scheme waives induction (and induction is now 2 years not 1). Induction is still a one time you either pass or fail, no repeats outcomes and now youve got to do it over two years and not one. Its one thing for US, CAN, AUZ DTs/ITs to waive that requirement its very much another for leaving this big loophole that gets UK DTs out of having to do induction. So what would happen now is youd go to the application portal and on page 2 youll see under where you trained the DC (the District of Columbia) is first in the list, you select that then you insert the name of your EPP/ITT provider and if you select Teach Now or Moreland University being a British citizen/subject you will get a nice little letter asking you to provide details of your ITT/EPP field experience and if that letter isnt from a DS/IS in the US your application will be denied, no QTS for you. The reason why is at one time there was a memo circulating that concluded that completing an ITT/EPP program OS in the US meant completing ALL of the program in the US. Their rational is that being trained OS in one of the specific designated countries (US, AUS, CAN, NZ and GiB) was to mean ALL of your training including field experience was within the confines and borders of one of those countries. If its not than your werent fully trained in one of the designated countries and you dont qualify for mutual recognition as an OTT. The TRA is working on its country specific requirements document and will eventually include a larger number of US states with specific regional requirements which will include field experience verification for DC and HI.

Why this policy? They dont want to cut their own throats and gut their own system of preparing DTs. Who would do a two year induction program if they dont have to?
Theres a lot more behind it, Teach Now made some calls and got some people approved under an implied threat of litigation somewhat recently. Before that a business entity (supposedly connected to Teach Now at the time) was in the process of setting up an office in England to actively recruit local DT candidates, prior to the Teach First launch, to basically market the OTT pathway as a means for local DT candidates to skip induction.

If your IS in Vietnam utilizes the UK NC than AO is the best safe fail option. If your successful you will get QTS as an ECT (Early Career Teacher, new term that replaces NQT). As opposed to going the OTT route using Teach Now and carrying a significant risk of being denied QTS (though you will still have a DC or HI credential). If they dont then the next best option is going the QTLS route through the SET (Society Education and Training) a CELTA would meet the level 5 qualification requirement as would a Masters in Education. This is assuming your goal is solely focused on QTS. There are other US routes to a credential. There may be a way of going another route through Teach Ready then HI that might get you QTS, but thats more risky (though a different kind of risk).
unsure
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:15 pm

Re: Path to QTS

Post by unsure »

PG is quite correct.

Another thing that should be added is that all routes to QTS are not considered equal by all schools. Many IB/US schools may not know / care about the difference, but I know for a fact that the main British school in your country (for example) does both know and care.
Supermag
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:43 am

Re: Response

Post by Supermag »

PsyGuy wrote:
> Well it did at one time, not anymore, at least not by the time you would
> finish with Teach Now and be in a position to apply. Even now if you were
> applying your application would be denied. Its a some what long story but
> essentially the OTT (Overseas Trained Teacher) scheme waives induction (and
> induction is now 2 years not 1). Induction is still a one time you either
> pass or fail, no repeats outcomes and now youve got to do it over two years
> and not one. Its one thing for US, CAN, AUZ DTs/ITs to waive that
> requirement its very much another for leaving this big loophole that gets
> UK DTs out of having to do induction. So what would happen now is youd go
> to the application portal and on page 2 youll see under where you trained
> the DC (the District of Columbia) is first in the list, you select that
> then you insert the name of your EPP/ITT provider and if you select Teach
> Now or Moreland University being a British citizen/subject you will get a
> nice little letter asking you to provide details of your ITT/EPP field
> experience and if that letter isnt from a DS/IS in the US your application
> will be denied, no QTS for you. The reason why is at one time there was a
> memo circulating that concluded that completing an ITT/EPP program OS in
> the US meant completing ALL of the program in the US. Their rational is
> that being trained OS in one of the specific designated countries (US, AUS,
> CAN, NZ and GiB) was to mean ALL of your training including field
> experience was within the confines and borders of one of those countries.
> If its not than your werent fully trained in one of the designated
> countries and you dont qualify for mutual recognition as an OTT. The TRA is
> working on its country specific requirements document and will eventually
> include a larger number of US states with specific regional requirements
> which will include field experience verification for DC and HI.
>
> Why this policy? They dont want to cut their own throats and gut their own
> system of preparing DTs. Who would do a two year induction program if they
> dont have to?
> Theres a lot more behind it, Teach Now made some calls and got some people
> approved under an implied threat of litigation somewhat recently. Before
> that a business entity (supposedly connected to Teach Now at the time) was
> in the process of setting up an office in England to actively recruit local
> DT candidates, prior to the Teach First launch, to basically market the OTT
> pathway as a means for local DT candidates to skip induction.
>
> If your IS in Vietnam utilizes the UK NC than AO is the best safe fail
> option. If your successful you will get QTS as an ECT (Early Career
> Teacher, new term that replaces NQT). As opposed to going the OTT route
> using Teach Now and carrying a significant risk of being denied QTS (though
> you will still have a DC or HI credential). If they dont then the next best
> option is going the QTLS route through the SET (Society Education and
> Training) a CELTA would meet the level 5 qualification requirement as would
> a Masters in Education. This is assuming your goal is solely focused on
> QTS. There are other US routes to a credential. There may be a way of going
> another route through Teach Ready then HI that might get you QTS, but thats
> more risky (though a different kind of risk).

Thanks a lot for such a detailed reply, @PsyGuy.

I've read UK citizens claim to have successfully gone this route in the past 2/3 months on other forums. Admittedly I'm sceptical. Could it be that the TRA were cracking down on this at one point but the implied threat of litigation has kept the route open? Ive seen there are provisional plans to roll out an iQTS in the future, could this in some way have impacted the perception of field experience being conducted at distance? Perhaps i'm clutching at straws.

I would go back to the UK and do the PGCE, induction route but I have a partner and baby to consider. Please could you elaborate on the other US routes to a credential / Teach Ready?
Supermag
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:43 am

Re: Path to QTS

Post by Supermag »

unsure wrote:
> PG is quite correct.
>
> Another thing that should be added is that all routes to QTS are not
> considered equal by all schools. Many IB/US schools may not know / care
> about the difference, but I know for a fact that the main British school in
> your country (for example) does both know and care.

Thanks, @unsure. The main British school in VN? I have a Vietnamese partner and young child so unfortunately the PGCE / Induction route isn't viable.
unsure
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:15 pm

Re: Path to QTS

Post by unsure »

Supermag wrote:
> Thanks, @unsure. The main British school in VN? I have a Vietnamese partner and young
> child so unfortunately the PGCE / Induction route isn't viable.

If you are thinking of working for good British schools in the future, then I would suggest the AO route while working at a British school. Pick a shortage subject. It would likely be slightly better regarded than getting an American certification and getting QTS through some kind of mutual recognition.

That said, US/IB schools often pay more, and I know quite few non - shall we say 'classically trained' Brits working in Tier 1s around the world. So whichever way is easiest / cheapest would be the way to go.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@Supermag

I concur with @unsure, there are no small number of leaders in BSs who consider anything thats not a Uni provided PGCE pathway to QTS as being inferior.

Youre grasping at straws.
It might still be open if you were applying now, but not by the next summer.
Yes, there are provisional intentions to create an iQTS. The Dfe completed a survey on the matter, forming a working group this summer with plans for a pilot program in 2022. By the time summer of 2022 comes around though when you would be applying for QTS its not likely that pathway will exist anymore. The two issue of the current OTT scheme and the preliminary scheme for iQTS are unrelated to one another.

Well its more risky but there is another program called Teach Ready out of FL. FL doesnt issue credentials to non-citizens but they will issue a letter of EPP/ITT program completion which HI will accept as a route to the Standard (Professional grade) credential if your current experience is accepted to meet the three years of prior teaching experience. If it does then you get the HI standard credential and you could use that to apply for QTS listing Uni. of West Florida as the provider. That would have better probabilities of being accepted for QTS. The risk is if HI doesnt accept your experience then you end up spending the same amount of coin as you would for Teach Now, with nothing but a worthless EPP/ITT completion letter and no credential at all.
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