Course duration
12 Months + 3 month EPA
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
In-school placement
4 days a week
Teacher Training
1 day a week
Personal Tutor visits & observation
Full-time (minimum of 30 hours a week)
What is the French Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship?
The French Teacher Apprenticeship is a school-based training programme designed for those passionate about bringing language and culture to life in the classroom.
Unlike other teacher training routes, there are no fees for the Teacher Apprenticeship. That’s right—nada, zero, zilch! All training costs are covered by the Apprenticeship Levy.
During your training, you will be employed by a school and receive a salary on the Unqualified Teacher Pay scale (UNQ1) of £20,598 to £21,933 (depending on location).
Successful completion of this programme will award Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship Qualification, which will qualify you to teach in all schools in England.
- Learn in the classroom from Day 1
- Become a qualified teacher in just 12 months + End Point Assessment
- Earn a yearly salary of at least £21,731 while you learn
- Training costs are covered by the Apprenticeship Levy
- School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) (Learn more)
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Once qualified, start on a salary of £31-£43k (dependent on location)
100% of our 2023/24 graduates have secured teaching roles
How will I train to become a French teacher?
Apprentice French teachers can start their training in either June or September 2025. Over 12 months, you will complete practical training while being employed in a school. Throughout the programme, 1 day a week (20%) of your time will be dedicated to off-the-job training delivered by Best Practice Network.
Following the 12 months of teacher training and the recommendation of QTS, you will undertake a three-month End-Point Assessment (EPA). Upon successful completion of the EPA, you will be awarded the Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship qualification.
- Induction: you will have your first day of learning and ITT Induction before the start of your training to help you prepare for the programme
- Term 1: you will be in your host school this term. Training in school four days a week and attending online or in-person training one day a week
- Term 2: you will spend 6 weeks in a contrasting school placement. This placement will be organised by our placement co-ordinators
- Term 3: you will return to your host school to prepare for the recommendation of QTS
- Term 4: End Point Assessment for Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship Qualification
What will I be teaching?
You will teach the national curriculum for modern foreign languages. The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
- Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
- Can write at varying lengths, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
- Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied
Why become a French teacher?
Bonjour! Are you passionate about the French language and culture, and eager to share it with others? Then becoming a French teacher could be your dream career! Here's why:
Open doors to new worlds: French is a global language, spoken on five continents! By teaching French, you'll equip students with the skills to travel, study abroad, and connect with a rich culture.
Spark a lifelong love of learning: French isn't just about grammar drills. You'll design engaging lessons that bring the language to life through films, music, literature, and cultural exploration, fostering a love for lifelong learning.
Nurture well-rounded citizens: Learning another language promotes intercultural understanding and empathy. As a French teacher, you'll help students develop these vital skills, preparing them to be citizens of the world.
How do teachers make a difference to young people's lives?
Why choose Best Practice Network for your teacher training?
Ofsted Outstanding: provider of the DfE’s full teacher progression pathway, supporting student teachers from entry into teaching through to executive leadership.
20+ Years Experience: Delivering teacher training and professional qualifications for teachers, school leaders, support staff and early years professionals.
Subject & Phase Specific Groups: As a leading national provider our enrolment enables student teachers to train alongside peers specific to their phase, subject and specialism.
Local Placement: Our network of 500+ schools provides our student teachers local access to in-school placements.
Supporting Wellbeing: Our pathway is QTS-only helping support student teacher capacity and wellbeing on their journey into teaching.
Award-Winning: Best Practice Network has been named Education Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year for the past two years.
100% of our 2023/24 graduate teachers have secured employment for September
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Apply to be a French Teacher
What qualifications do I need to train to be a French teacher?
- Hold a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any subject with a minimum 2:2 classification*
- Have achieved at least grade 4 (C) in GCSE English and mathematics (or equivalent)**
- If applying for Primary specialism, have also achieved grade 4 (C) in a science subject
- Must have held residency in the UK for the last three years***
*If your degree is an ordinary, or 3rd class, your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis by our team.
**Please note applicants who have achieved or are taking an equivalence test, or hold other evidence of maths and English attainment that intend to undertake the Post Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) will need functional skills qualifications or equivalent qualifications at level 2 in mathematics and English to meet the apprenticeship gateway entry criteria.
***If you are not a British citizen, you will need to be able to evidence that your visa is valid for the entire duration of the programme.
Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE)
If you are considering choosing geography as a specialism, you may need to do a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course before you start your teacher training to top up your subject knowledge.
SKE courses are fully funded by the DfE, and eligible candidates receive an SKE bursary. As part of your interview, we will review your subject knowledge and if we identify you need to enhance your knowledge prior to starting your training. This will form part of your condition of entry to the programme.
You can find out more about SKE courses in this SKE Trainee Brochure.
How can I prepare for a French teacher training interview?
You can apply directly through our website below. After an initial check, we will then contact you to arrange an interview. Once a successful interview has been completed and you have accepted a place to train to teach with BPN, we will then search for a school placement for you (if you do not already have a school that is willing to support your training).
How can I prepare for French teacher training?
- Read the National Curriculum programmes of study for KS2 and KS3 Language
- Read the GCSE specifications for French for Edexcel and AQA from September 2024 (these are taught the most in schools currently)
- Engage with the A level specifications for French for both AQA and Edexcel
- Visit the following websites: Association for Language Learning (ALL) and the Institut Francais
How can I prepare for a secondary teacher training interview?
- Consider why you want to teach in a secondary school and why you want to train to teach your subject
- Reflect on why you've chosen to apply for either the teacher apprenticeship or fee-funded route
- Identify some personal qualities or characteristics that you possess that would make you a suitable secondary teacher
- Think about some examples of skills or knowledge from your education or work history that you could share at interview that demonstrate your potential to train to teach, e.g. your knowledge of your chosen subject, previous experience of working with children or young people etc
- Familiarise yourself with the Secondary National Curriculum and your chosen subject's Programme of Study and use these to identify your strengths and areas for development in terms of your subject knowledge
- Research lesson plans and resources that are available for teaching your chosen subject using Oak National Academy or BBC Bitesize as a starting point
- Brush up on your literacy and numeracy skills so you are well-prepared for the Maths and Written Tasks
- Where possible, talk to current teachers or trainees so you can find out more about the teaching profession and the role of a secondary school teacher
- Research current issues in education using Schools Week or TES and think about how these might affect pupils, teachers and schools. Prepare any questions that you want to ask us about the Secondary ITT programme and/or training to teach
- Think about whether there's any important information that you need to share with us that would help you to access the programme, if you are offered a place. This could include reasonable adjustments, a learning support plan, or anything else you feel you may need support with.
Apply Here
Funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, the Teacher Apprenticeship will allow you to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship Qualification in 12 months + End Point Assessment.
During your apprenticeship, you will be employed by a school and receive a salary of at least £21,933 per year on the Unqualified Teacher Pay Scale (UNQ1).
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