Funding
AET Schools Teacher Training is delivered in partnership
with Ark Teacher Training.
There are a number of ways of funding your training and covering your tuition fee.
Regardless of which funding route you take however, you will receive the same fantastic training experience and a full salary on the qualified teacher pay scale when you continue onto our Early Career Teachers 2 year programme.
Click on the options below to explore the different funding routes:
Bursary/Non-Salaried Route
The most common route for trainees, especially recent graduates
Government bursaries available for some subjects
Student & maintenance loans available
Tuition fee: £9,250
The vast majority of trainees, particularly recent graduates, are put on the Bursary/Non-Salaried route.
Being able to train on this route puts you in a stronger position to be accepted onto the AET Teacher Training programme as our schools have a higher number of these places available.
The financial support available for this route consists of government bursaries for select subjects or student and maintenance loans if these bursaries are not available for your subject (this will depend on your eligibility).
Subject Bursaries
You may qualify for a tax free government subject bursary to help with the tuition fees and cost of living during your training year. To be eligible, you must have a 1st, 2:1, 2:2 degree, PhD or Master’s, and the exact amount you receive will depend on your degree class and the subject you want to teach. For some subjects, this could be anywhere up to £28,000.
For more information and a full list of subjects eligible for government bursaries in 2024/25, click here. If your chosen subject is not listed, bursaries are unfortunately not available this year.
Student & Maintenance Loans
If your subject does not have a government bursary available, you may also qualify for a variety of student and maintenance loans in the first year to support you while you complete your training.
Did you know? There are additional perks available to you as an AET teacher trainee, including…
Travel and student discounts
Council tax rebate (if living with other teachers)
Wellbeing services (& for family too!)
AET support and rewards
Free lunch at some schools
Scholarships
Require 1st, 2:1, PhD or Masters
Up to £30,000 available (tax free)
Extra perks
If you have achieved a 1st or 2:1 Degree, a PhD or Masters, you may be eligible for a scholarship to fund your training year.
This scholarship replaces the bursary that you would receive from the government and comes with extra perks, such as access to resources for your subject and a network of other trainees.
For more information on scholarships and how to apply through the relevant organisation, click here. If you do not see your subject listed, unfortunately there are no scholarships available at this time.
Apprenticeship (Salaried) Route
Receive a salary while you train
Tuition fee paid for by your school
Highly competitive
You’ll receive a salary on the ‘unqualified teacher’ pay scale while your school pays the tuition fee of £9,250. The exact salary you receive will depend on your chosen subject, the school you work in, the location of the school and the previous experience you have. Regardless of which route you take, the teacher training programme and quality of training is identical, and you will qualify at the end of the year with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a PGCE.
There are very few places available on this route, so the Apprenticeship route is strongly recommended if you require a salary to train.
Earning a Qualified Teacher Salary
Regardless of which funding route you take, when you continue onto our ECT (Early Career Teachers) 2 year programme, you will move onto the qualified teacher pay scale and receive a full salary.
As a fully qualified teacher, the amount offered will begin at:
£30,000 nationally (eg. Essex, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber)
£34,514 for outer London
£36,745 for inner London