Amplifying voices of international PGCEs trainees and ECTs

What drives international PGCE trainees to choose England and what keeps them here? This session shares early findings from an ongoing longitudinal study exploring the motivations, challenges, and workplace experiences of international teacher trainees and ECTs across four cohorts. The session will include presentation of preliminary findings, followed by small group discussion on practical ways to make teacher training more inclusive. Attendees will reflect on their own institutional practices and take away evidence-informed strategies to better support international trainees across all disciplines. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: •Identify key barriers and support needs faced by international PGCE trainees and ECTs in England, from pre-arrival to early career. •Engage in informed dialogue on how current ITT curriculum and practice may unintentionally exclude or disadvantage international trainees. •Take away practical suggestions to apply in their own ITT programmes or school contexts to improve inclusivity, recruitment and retention of international PGCE trainees and ECTs. This session will: •Share early findings from a longitudinal study tracking international PGCE trainees and ECTs from pre-arrival to employment. •Identify barriers to enrolment, employment, and retention faced by international trainees across bursaried and non-bursaried subjects. •Facilitate professional dialogue around building a more inclusive, sustainable international teacher workforce in England. England faces an ongoing teacher recruitment and retention crisis, with severe shortfalls in key subjects such as Physics and MFL (DfE, 2023). In response to these shortages, the DfE (2023) introduced financial incentives, including bursaries of up to £29,000 for physics and MFL for international applicants to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programs to plug the teacher shortage in England. An additional £1,000 International Relocation Payment (IRP) was also briefly available but has since been withdrawn. These initiatives have resulted in a significant surge in international applications to PGCE courses across a broader range of subjects, including those without financial incentives. However, there is limited understanding of how international trainees fare once they enter the profession. To address this, we embarked on a research project to investigate the lived experiences of international PGCE trainees and Early Career Teachers (ECTs). A unique feature of the study is its longitudinal design, tracking participants from four distinct cohorts over three years, including those training before and after the introduction of bursaries. The research explores recruitment motivations, pre-arrival barriers and needs, training experiences, employment challenges, and issues of racism and bias in professional settings. The study also investigates how curriculum design and workplace culture impact international trainees’ sense of belonging, preparedness, and long-term retention. By giving voice to participants across time, this research offers critical insights for ITT providers, policymakers, and school leaders.