PGCE (Secondary) - Modern Languages - French German or Spanish – (Grad.Cert.)

Requirements

At least part of your degree should be in French, German or Spanish. You should also have some knowledge of one of the other languages: ideally as a subsidiary subject in your degree or at A-level, but GCSE or O-level is a help as a starting point.
If you have EU A-level-equivalent qualifications from a country other than the UK (Baccalauréat, Abitur and so on), providing a breakdown of your marks for each subject on the GTTR form will speed up the processing of your application. If you were educated in France, Germany, Spain, or another Francophone/Hispanic country you must have a degree from a university there. This does not have to be a degree in the language, but usually it should be in a subject which requires writing clear, grammatically accurate coursework/assignments/dissertations. A degree in English from such a country is also acceptable since it requires translation and good, grammatical understanding.

The requirement to have some grasp of two of the three languages (French, German or Spanish) is because:

* most of the Partnership schools used for Teaching Practice find it easier to timetable lessons if you have two languages, even if one is at a basic level
* there are many more posts requiring two languages, even if the second language is only offered at beginners´ level, than for just one language
* in terms of long-term career prospects, most Heads of Department have two languages in order to be able to advise/lead the rest of the department.

We do take a very limited number of students with French or Spanish or German only. However, we advise them to apply early as there are very few of these places. If you have no second language, or only a limited knowledge, we expect you to make every effort to develop this before the programme starts (eg through evening classes, courses abroad, holidays abroad, self-study).
If you have lived outside the UK and have not worked in a British school (for example as a Foreign Language Assistant), it is very helpful if you arrange to visit a secondary school for a day to observe lessons, before you submit your application. You can then refer to this visit on your application form.

As well as British qualifications, we accept many equivalent overseas qualifications: if you would like to know whether your qualifications meet our requirements, please contact the Admissions Office.
You must have GCSE Grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics (or recognised equivalents). Please note that English Language proficiency exams such as TOEFL, IELTS or the Cambridge First or Advanced Certificates are not acceptable.
If you do not have - or are not currently studying for - a GCSE in English or Mathematics, you may be eligible to sit the internal College tests; we advise you to apply early. We regret that these tests may not be used to overlook recent failure in GCSE examinations, and that you can only take the tests once. You cannot take the Goldsmiths English test if you are applying to study English, or the Goldsmiths Mathematics test if you are applying to study Mathematics.