PG Study > All courses > Mentoring and Coaching Teachers PGCert

2025

Mentoring and Coaching Teachers PGCert

Full-time: Not available
Part-time: Up to 18 months
Start date: September 2025
UK fees: £3,467
International fees: £8,100
Entry requirements: 2:2

Course overview

There is an increased focus on mentoring as the key to facilitating the professional growth of teachers. However, many teachers are made mentors without the training that focuses on what mentoring is and how to get the most out of a mentoring relationship.

This course enables you to explore what is known about mentoring and coaching in the context of education. You will examine your own, and others’ practices, and develop your professional skills to implement a mentoring plan.

At the heart of the programme is a drive to embed mentoring as one of the most effective routes to teacher development. It considers the needs of the individual at all times – both the teacher who is being mentored and the teacher who is doing the mentoring.

Through exploring what is known about the subject and current models of delivery, this course will enable you to build your confidence and knowledge. It will support you to make informed decisions that strengthen your mentoring relationships and benefit both you and your mentee.

Why choose this course?

Experienced teachers

Taught by teacher educators, passionate about professional development

Credit-bearing course

that specifically focuses on the mentoring and coaching of teachers

Blended approach

allowing study alongside a busy career

Top 50

in the world for education

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024

Over 100 years

of experience in the field of education

Course content

This course is made up of two 30-credit modules. It can be completed in approximately 18 months.

The two modules intertwine theory and practice so you are constantly thinking about, and developing, your own practices in your professional setting.

Course leader

Stefanie Sullivan (contact for academic enquiries)

Modules

Year one

Core modules

Available face-to-face only

Mentoring Teachers

The module content is designed to develop your mentoring practice in support of teachers and to support your own professional and academic development as a mentor.

This is achieved through a series of taught sessions that are closely linked to your day to day practice as a mentor to teachers, and which provide support to develop theoretically underpinned rationales for mentoring activity. In this way, you will develop your practical skills in mentoring teachers and develop a theory of action for your mentoring practice.

Experience required: You must be working as a mentor to teachers or have negotiated agreed access to a mentor/mentee arrangement in a school or college.

Available face-to-face or online

Practice-Based Inquiry

The content will involve you in active critical consideration of participating in and leadership of practitioner inquiry in relation to professional context mapping and workplace learning.

These processes will be achieved through:

conceptualising different kinds of practitioner inquiry relevant to work-based understanding and development (purposes, processes, contexts, dilemmas, outcomes)
examining a range of approaches to educational inquiry, with an emphasis on action research
developing an inquiry into your professional context

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Thursday 27 June 2024.

Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

Lectures
Tutorials
Seminars

You will learn through a range of activities, including taught sessions, collaborative group activities and independent study.

You'll develop your own professional mentoring skills through thinking reflectively upon your own and other’s mentoring practice and critical engagement with contemporary theory.

How you will be assessed

Coursework

Each 30-credit module is assessed by a comprehensive written assignment or equivalent. To complete the PGCert, you must achieve a pass of 50% on each assignment.

Contact time and study hours

Each module requires an equivalent of 30 hours of teaching, plus 270 hours of independent study, assignment preparation and tutorial support.

The Mentoring Teachers module is a year-long module with six three-hour twilight sessions, one per half term, and four online units of work.

The Practice Based Inquiry module can be studied online or face-to-face. If you select face-to-face you will attend 10 three-hour twilight sessions.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Undergraduate degree2:2 (or international equivalent)

Work experience

You must also be working as a mentor to teachers or have negotiated access to a mentor/mentee arrangement in a school or college

Undergraduate degree2:2 (or international equivalent)

International and EU equivalentsWe accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world.

For information on entry requirements from your country, see our country pages.

Work experience

You must also be working as a mentor to teachers or have negotiated access to a mentor/mentee arrangement in a school or college

IELTS6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)

English language requirementsAs well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English.

Meeting our English language requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.

For on-campus presessional English courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations. For online presessional courses, see our CELE webpages for guidance

Visa restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

Alternative qualifications

We recognise that applicants have a variety of experiences and follow different pathways to postgraduate study.

We treat all applicants with alternative qualifications on an individual basis. We may also consider relevant work experience.

If you are unsure whether your qualifications or work experience are relevant, contact us.

Assessing your application

Admissions may, at their discretion, ask applicants to provide further information in order to assess their application fairly and accurately. This can include CVs, references (academic and professional) and clarifications regarding their previous and current education. In such cases you will be contacted by admissions with a more information request.

Applying

Start date	Application deadline
22 September 2025	1 August (international applicants) 18 August (home applicants)

Our step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about applying.

How to apply

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Where you will learn

Jubilee Campus

Jubilee Campus has eco-friendly buildings, alongside green spaces, wildlife and a lake.

This campus is home to our business, education and computer science schools, as well as a sports centre and student accommodation.

You can walk to University Park Campus in around 20 minutes or catch a free hopper bus. Nottingham city centre is 20 minutes away by public bus.

Fees

Qualification	PGCert
Home / UK	£3,467
International	£8,100

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

As a student on this course, we do not anticipate any extra significant costs, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.

You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies, which you would need to factor into your budget.

Funding

This course is not eligible for Student Loans Company funding.

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students.

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Graduate destinations

Our graduates are mostly employed in schools and colleges while undertaking part-time study for professional development in their role as a mentor to trainee/beginning teachers.

Progression to MA

If you successfully complete this course, you will have the opportunity to further your studies by using your PGCert credits to progress to MA Education or MA Education (Online).

Career progression

95.2% of postgraduates from the School of Education secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £28,108.*

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020/21 data published in 2023. The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time, postgraduate, home graduates within the UK.

Two masters graduates proudly holding their certificates

" The sessions have been inspirational! It is such a cherished opportunity to meet like-minded professionals who value the space and structure to learn new ways to better their practice. "

Natalie Willsher, PGCert Mentoring and Coaching Teachers

Related courses

This content was last updated on Thursday 27 June 2024. Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur given the interval between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.