PGCE (Hong Kong)

This course has been submitted for registration with the Hong Kong Education Bureau and subsequent accreditation by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ). 

Applications will open upon successful registration.

Register your interest for this course and be the first to receive priority updates and access to crucial course information.

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About the Course

This Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme is aimed at teachers based in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The course is designed to develop critically aware teachers who have a clear understanding of child development and how children learn so that they can reflect on how it impacts pupil learning and informs their practice as teachers. 

By the end of the course, students will cover all aspects of teaching and learning, including:

• Child development and learning
• Educational theory
• Curriculum and assessment frameworks and delivery
• Applying subject-specific pedagogy
• Practical solutions to teaching and learning problems
• Classroom management

Teachers do not need to have undergone a period of formal training to take this course.

Course Highlights

• If you pass at Level 7, you will attain 60 Masters credits, which can be put towards studying for a Master’s at a later date.
• The course is offered in a wide variety of subjects to all age levels.
• The course is delivered online and is designed to be taken part-time alongside a teaching role.
• You will be supported throughout the course by an in-school mentor and a university tutor.
• A tutor will visit you in Hong Kong twice to observe lessons and support your learning.

Course Breakdown

The PGCE programme consists of 3 modules. All modules are practice based and aim to enable trainees to develop and refine their ability to teach and play a full part in the life of a school. The practical aims will be supplemented by the learning of key aspects of educational theory and policy together with fundamental aspects of assessment and teaching practice.

1: Educational Principles –The Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning (20 credits)

Trainees will be required to demonstrate awareness of how children learn, basic philosophical principles underlying educational theory and teaching practice. All students will study a core of educational topics that are central to the work of a critically reflective practitioner. These topics will be delivered across the course and assessed through a written assignment at the end of the course.

2: Development of Effective Practice (20 credits)

Trainees will be required to demonstrate understanding of the complexities and diversity required in teaching and assessment for learning. Assessment will be through a written assignment.

3: Consolidating and Reflection (20 credits)

Trainees will be required to reflect on their learning as well as professional development and show how educational theory is linked to teaching practice. Assessment will be through a written assignment.

The three modules enable students to:

• Research their own practice and reflect on effective strategies for effective teaching and learning
• Critically analyse, engage in and reflect on educational issues, philosophies and initiatives
• Take responsibility for their own learning and study independently
• Function as independently-minded professionals capable of contributing to wider educational debate

Training and Assessments

Teaching Methods

The PGCE is a 37-week school-based course. All applicants must be employed by a school for the duration of the course and be able to put into practice knowledge and skills gained from the course content.

Trainees will be guided through each stage of the course:

• Two online induction sessions in August will introduce you to how the course will run. 
• You will work under the guidance of a mentor (appointed by the school in which you work), who will organise lesson observations and meet with you weekly to review progress and set targets. 
• You are allocated a University of Buckingham tutor who will meet you and your mentor regularly (approximately once a month) online to track progress and guide your development.
• A tutor will visit you twice during the course in Hong Kong to observe lessons and support your learning.
• You will participate in regular live lectures, which are important to attend as a condition of the course.
• All resources for the course are provided online and there will be a weekly programme of readings and reflective tasks to engage in.

Training dates for academic year 2026/27 will appear here when finalised.

Assessment Methods

You will need to meet each of the Teacher Standards as set by the Department for Education in UK in order to pass the course. Every week you will meet with your school mentor, agree targets, be observed teaching a lesson, do some academic reading. Every week you and your mentor upload evidence of these achievements on the university’s online platform.

In addition, you will write three academic essays which require you to think critically about the relationship between academic theory and your experience in school.

• • UK degree (2.2 or above) or equivalents. Please check on UK ENIC which provides advice on comparability & equivalency.
  • You must be employed as a teacher in an international school in Hong Kong that teaches the English National Curriculum or the International Baccalaureate (IB) and be in sole charge of a full-size class for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
  • International applicants may need to demonstrate proficiency in English. Full details are available on our Language Requirements page

In addition, you must:

• Obtain a commitment from your school to provide a suitable mentor.
• Show the physical and mental fitness to teach.

The employing school must be able to fully support a candidate through the course, enabling them to demonstrate all of the English Teachers’ Standards and releasing them for the compulsory live online lectures on Thursdays.

Tuition Fee: £5,500
Registration Fee: £300 (non-refundable)

Fees can be paid in termly instalments or in one lump sum. Termly instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

The difference between the cost of taking our PGCE for International Trainees course and our PGCE (Hong Kong) course is due to the difference in course content and the in-country tutor visits.

This course has been submitted for registration with the Hong Kong Education Bureau and subsequent accreditation by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ). 

Applications will open upon successful registration.

Register your interest for this course and be the first to receive priority updates and access to crucial course information.

Register interest