I'm am currently in my final year of study in a BMus music degree, and am looking in to career opportunities. I would like to become a singing teacher but am not sure what qualificatons i need to do this. I am also thinking of maybe applying to study a PGCE.

Could you please tell me what qualifications i need to become a singing teacher and weather or not a PGCE would benifit me in this chosen career.

Hi Kirsty, it would definetly be in your interest to do a PGCE, teaching diploma's like the DipABRSM, LRSM or FRSM can always come later.

Kirstyann

A PGCE is one of the wisest investments you could make. Sadly in this world different educational establishments value different qualifications.
Nearly all my career I have been discriminated against because I don't have a PGCE. I am effectively barred against working in certain environments, so my skills are overlooked because of a piece of paper. As it happens I bypassed all the regular teaching avenues and now work almost entirley in the 'specialist' field. I am happy, but to be good enough to teach at the sharp edge/top level of music training and yet not qualified to work with everyday children/pupils....well you can imagine....disappointing.

T_D

If you are thinking of doing a PGCE then it may well be an advantage, depending on what type of institution you wish to work in as a singing teacher. To work in schools (i.e. employed by the LEA/County Music Service), a PGCE is not essential but can affect how much you are paid! But then again so can other qualifications too.

For example, I am a violinist with a BMus(hons) degree, a PGDip from Music college, and the DipABRSM, which already has put me further up the pay scale than others. In my Music Service, PGCEs tend not to count too much, as they don't teach you anything about instrumental teaching (unless if you are a string player you do the combined one between the RNCM and Manchester Met - highly recommended for anyone serious about string teaching!). However for my boyfriend ( a cello teacher with similar qualifications as me), there is a limit to how far up the pay scale he could go with his Music Service because of not having a PGCE. However, neither of us are at the bottom of the pay scales, and do not feel worse off for not having a PGCE.

I am a fairly young teacher who has always kept up to date with teaching methods/practices, I embrace the use of 'A Common Approach' (now widely used as a type of instrumental curriculum), and partly because of not having a PGCE, always attend the training days offered by my Music Service in order to keep up with common practices to do with working in schools etc. There is probably a lot you can learn from a PGCE, but I feel I have learnt a lot on my own just by being open to all the information available, and realising that as a teacher you still do a lot of learning, partly through trial and error!

Good luck with your decision-making!