Every child needs a teacher

Teaching is considered to be the mother of all professions and it requires lots of understanding and patience. We tell you what you’ll need to qualify as a teacher.  

What you need to do

If you want to study to become a qualified teacher, you have to meet 1 of 2 requirements:

1. You’ll have to complete a Bachelor of Education degree (National Qualifications Framework [NQF] exit level 7, 480 credits, 4-year full-time course).
2. If you completed a general undergraduate degree or approved diploma, you will have to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (NQF exit level 7, 120 credits, 1-year full-time course).

​A world of teaching opportunities

Before you start teaching, you’ll need to remember the particular age group you prefer working with:

• Foundation phase: (±5 to 9-year olds): Grades R - 3
• Intermediate phase: (±10 to12-year olds): Grades 4 - 6
• Senior phase: (±13 to 15-year olds): Grades 7 - 9
• Further Education and Training (FET) phase: (±16 to 18-year olds): Grades 10 - 12

If you choose to teach Intermediate, Senior or the FET phase, you can choose the subjects you want to teach. These subjects include languages, mathematics, the sciences, technology, business and management, and the humanities field.

Funding your studies

Getting the money to pay for your studies can be challenging, however the following bursaries are available if you’d like to study education:

1) The Funza Lushaka bursary programme

The Funza Lushaka bursary programme promotes teaching as a profession and is available to students studying for a teaching qualification in Foundation phase (Grades R-3), Intermediate phase,  Senior phase (Grades 4-9) and FET phase (Grades 10-12). Recipients of the bursary will need to work at a public school for the same number of years they’ve received the bursary for. Applications for the bursary started from 1 October 2015 and will close on 8 January 2016. For more information, visit the Funza Lushaka website.

2) Western Cape Education Department bursaries

The amount of funds available for bursaries through the Western Cape Education Department varies from year to year. If you want to find out more, visit the Western Cape Education Department website.

3) Education, Training and Development Practices - Sector Education and Training Authority (EDTP-SETA) bursaries

For more information about available funding, you can visit the EDTP-SETA website.

4) The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) loans

NSFAS offers loans to students that can be converted into bursaries should their academic performance meet the requirements for the conversion. To find out more, you’ll need to visit the NSFAS website.

5) Bank loans

Some banks offer student loans but you will need to understand the repayment terms and conditions before making a final decision.

Studying teaching in the Western Cape

You can study teaching or education at the following universities or tertiary institutions:

University of Cape Town School of Education
Tel: 021 650 2769
        021 650 2772

Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Mowbray Campus 
Tel: 021 680 1500
Wellington Campus
Tel: 021 864 5200

University of the Western Cape: Faculty of Education
Tel: 021 959 2276

University of Stellenbosch
Tel: 021 808 9111