Graduate Teacher Development Programme

There are six places each year. Subject availability varies, but we are able to support graduate teachers in: Mathematics, Science, Computer Science, English, History, Geography, Economics, Modern Foreign Languages, Classics, Religious Studies, Drama, Design, and Art.

Two years, starting each September.

There are three strands to the programme, reflecting the three strands of school life: the academic, the co-curricular and the pastoral.

Academic

In Year 1 you’ll complete an in-house foundational course on teaching and learning based in our Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning (CIRL). Within your department (and with the close support of your mentor) you’ll progress from observing and assisting in lessons, to supporting individuals and team teaching. Immersed in the life of your department, you’ll undertake your own original Action Research Project into an aspect of the learning process that interests you most.

In Year 2 you’ll have sole responsibility for your classes and work towards a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) via the National Institute for Teaching Excellence (NITE) in partnership with the University of Coventry.

In both years, placements at our partner school, Holyport College, an 11-18 state boarding school, will give you invaluable cross-sector experience.

Pastoral

In Year 1, you’ll assist a boarding house team, perform a weekly evening duty, and learn about the school’s pastoral structures.

In Year 2, you'll be a Resident House Tutor, more fully integrated into house life, and you will take responsibility for a tutorial group of up to 6 pupils.

Co-curricular

We believe our pupils learn as much outside the classroom as within it. Depending on your interests and skills, you could be involved in sports coaching, drama and theatrical productions, outdoor education, debating, the Combined Cadet Force, or any number of societies and clubs.

At the end of the programme you’ll have a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You’ll be qualified to teach in both the state and independent sectors.

Yes. Accommodation is provided on-site and is rent-free (with a small tax liability).

• Year 1: you’ll live in a shared house with other graduate teachers, with en-suite bedrooms and communal areas, so you can get to know your graduate cohort and build strong bonds.
• Year 2: you’ll live in your own self-contained flat within a boarding house as a Resident Tutor.

As you’ll be living on site you will have free or heavily discounted access to the school’s leisure facilities, including the swimming pool and gym.

The starting salary is £25,000 per annum, paid over 12 months.

You’ll work around 40 hours across 6 days per week during term time. You are contracted for 37 weeks per year, which includes Summer Schools and pre-term preparation days.

You’ll be supported by your learning mentor, as well as your department and house colleagues. In your first year, you'll also live together in a shared house with the five other graduate teachers who join alongside you, to help ensure camaraderie and encouragement from each other on the programme.

We’ve also carefully created a very extensive induction and mentoring system to support you, including:

• Orientation days in the terms before you start at Eton
• Weekly structured reflection meetings with your departmental mentor
• Regular meetings with other new joiners as part of the induction programme
• Weekly Teaching and Learning sessions with the Director of Teaching and Learning
• Co-curricular specific mentoring
• The resources of our innovation hub, CIRL
• Access to teaching development events and networks

1. A good (2:1 or above) undergraduate degree in a subject relevant to the school curriculum and a passion for your subject.
2. A demonstrable interest in working with young people (such as experience of mentoring, coaching, or volunteering).
3. A willingness to get stuck into all aspects of life in a 24/7 boarding school.

Additionally, in order to meet the criteria to enrol on the PGCE and QTS (Apprenticeship Route) in Year 2, you’ll also need:

4. The right to work and reside in the UK for the past 3 years.
5. GCSE English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above)

During the application window (usually each October), you can apply online at jobsearch.etoncollege.com. Long-listed candidates will be invited to an online interview. Those then short-listed will be invited to an in-person assessment day at the school, which will include a group assessment, a presentation, and a safeguarding interview.

Yes. Eton is committed to inclusivity. If you require reasonable adjustments, contact recruitment@etoncollege.org.uk for support.