Teacher training is the beginning of a long journey. Poised on the starting blocks, it can seem like there are already countless hurdles in your way - at this point, the last thing you want to be worrying about is money.

Luckily, you’re in a strong position. In the UK, there’s a shortage of new teachers entering the profession, especially in certain subjects, such as maths and science. Partly because of this, there are some pretty lucrative funding options available for potential trainees.

Here is a breakdown of some of your funding options:

Bursaries and scholarships

• You can apply for a tax-free bursary or scholarship to support your training. To be eligible, you will typically need a 2:1 degree or above in the subject you want to teach (or a closely related subject). The funding available varies by subject and degree classification.
• Bursaries of £26,000 are available for in-demand subjects - physics, chemistry, languages, computing, geography, biology and Classics.
• Scholarships of £28,000 are available for physics, chemistry, languages, computing and geography.
• Bursaries of between £4,000 and £15,000 are available for other subjects, varying by subject and degree classification.

Salaried training

• School Direct (salaried) and Teach First are employment-based training programmes for graduates with higher-class degrees. You’ll earn a salary while you train and won’t need to pay any tuition fees.
• With Teach First you will be offered a two-year, paid position in a school, which will include a fully funded Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Leadership (PGDE). In the first year, you will receive at least the basic salary for an unqualified teacher (£17,208-£18,339), rising to the newly qualified teacher salary in your second year (£22,917-£28,660).

Teachers’ student loan reimbursement

• Student loan repayments are available for those teaching languages or sciences in regions suffering from a particular shortage of teachers in these subjects. The DfE website offers more guidance about this.

Tuition fee and maintenance loans

• To help fund your training and cover tuition fees, you could receive a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan, which is up to:

• £9,250 tuition fee loan to pay for your course.
• £11,354 maintenance loan to pay living costs.
• Postgraduate and undergraduate trainees are entitled to the same student finance options. If you’re looking to train on a non-salaried programme and you’re not eligible to receive a bursary or scholarship, you can still apply for a student loan to cover your training programme fees and living costs. You can apply here.

Funding for EU students

• Graduates from inside the EU/EEA applying for teacher training programmes in 2018-19 and 2019-20 may still be eligible to apply for a tax-free bursary or scholarship, and tuition-fee loan. The financial support from a bursary will depend on your degree classification and your nationality or residency status.

Additional financial support

If you have children or a disability, extra funding is available through a number of avenues, such as:

• Childcare Grant.
• Adult Dependants’ Grant.
• Disabled Students’ Allowance.
• Child Tax Credits.
• Parents’ Learning Allowance.

Find out more about the various routes into teaching.