New bursary to get veterans into teaching

Pupils across the country are set to benefit from the leadership and world-renowned expertise of our armed forces – as the government unveils a £40,000 bursary for ex-service personnel to retrain as a teacher.

From September, courses at universities nationwide will offer the incentive to veterans who have left full-time employment in the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy in the last five years, or anyone leaving before training begins.

The incentive will help ex-servicemen and women – who have spent their career honing the discipline, motivation and unique skills needed to become great teachers – make the transition to the classroom where they can share their expertise with the next generation.

The bursary has been developed as part of the Department for Education’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – the nation’s promise to those who serve or who have served – and will be offered on priority undergraduate courses in biology, chemistry, computing, maths or modern foreign languages.

The new bursary will replace the existing Troops to Teachers Programme, providing veterans with greater flexibility and enabling them to train with any Initial Teacher Training provider, while still receiving the same level of financial support.

The University of Brighton, which has delivered the Troops to Teachers Programme since 2013, has backed the move and will now draw on the experience of training 106 service-leavers to become fully-qualified teachers – with a further 96 trainees currently studying to deploy their skills in the classroom.

In addition to the bursary, trainees will also have access to further support through the government’s Get Into Teaching service and other financial incentives. Applications for 2018 courses are now open.

To read the full articles please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-bursary-to-get-veterans-into-teaching