List of Teaching Colleges and Courses in South Africa 2023

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Are you interested in teaching and looking for teaching schools in South Africa? South African universities and colleges offer a wide range of courses in different subjects. These include educational business, arts, social sciences, engineering, and natural sciences. In this article, we take a closer look at the best teaching colleges in South Africa and the courses offered.

Teaching Colleges in South Africa

Education and teaching is a great field to grab. There are a number of wonderful courses in South Africa. Students can choose to study full-time or part-time. It depends on what fits your schedule.

Teaching Colleges and Courses in South Africa

1. Embury College: Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching

The Foundation Phase Teaching qualification is ideal for those looking to work with young children. Foundation Phase consists of teaching children in Grade R to Grade 3.

Embury College focuses on theoretical and practical ideologies. This assists future teachers when in the classroom. Furthermore, this teaching course in South Africa takes around four years to complete.

Students will also get the opportunity to experience a classroom environment whilst studying. During this period, they will be mentored by a senior teacher.

2. Damelin: Foundations of Teaching in Early Childhood Care and Education

Damelin specializes in a variety of teacher courses in South Africa. One such course is the foundation of teaching in early childhood care and education.

Here, students can learn how to teach and assess babies and toddlers. There are a total of 10 modules in this teaching course. Furthermore, the modules in this course were created to educate childcare practitioners, caregivers, and parents. The duration of this course is roughly around 10 weeks.

Moreover, this course covers a wide range of topics. This includes the necessary regulations and norms that govern ECE centers. Students will study the many approaches used in early childhood education. In addition, they will also learn about the importance of observation and assessment.

Lastly, students will acquire an understanding of the importance of early childhood care.  Upon completing the course students will receive a Damelin Certificate of Competence.

Website: https://damelinonline.co.za/product/foundations-of-teaching-in-early-childhood-development-online-short-course/

3. University of Johannesburg:  Advanced Diploma in School Leadership and Management

The Advanced Diploma in School Leadership and Management was created to help school principals and aspiring principals. This course will help acquire skills and data to succeed in today’s rapidly transforming educational environment.

In addition, this program aims to provide knowledge in the field of teaching management. Here, teachers can implement these ideas in their workplace.

This diploma focuses on the following aspects:

  1. Developing knowledge in the educational leadership system
  2. Management within the school system

There are a total of nine modules in this course. Furthermore, this course is only available to current educators.

For more information visit https://online.uj.ac.za/online-advanced-diploma-in-school-leadership-and-management/

4. Rosebank College: Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education

Rosebank College offers a full-time online program for teaching courses. The IIE Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education will enable you to enter the field of Early Childhood Education as a teacher or facilitator (birth to 4 years).

This qualification will provide students with the knowledge, abilities, and applied competencies indicated by education experts. Furthermore, this can benefit employees entering the field of Early Childhood Education.

Once students have completed the course they will receive a certificate. Thereafter, they will be able to attain a diploma/ degree. Studying at Rosebank College could also lead to other higher-level qualifications.

The following is a breakdown of the course:

  • Block 1 consists of a two-week observation period.
  • Block 2: Attendance requirements for 4 weeks of Teaching Practical Lectures

This is one of the many teacher courses in South Africa.

Attendance requirement:

It’s important to note that the IIE Higher Certificate has an attendance condition. They require students to attend at least 80% of the lectures of the required modules.

5. Rosebank College: Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching

The IIE Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching is a teaching course. This course is aimed at individuals interested in pursuing a teaching career in grades R through 3.

For schools worldwide, this IIE qualification generates highly-skilled, innovative instructors. Furthermore, students can pursue a variety of other education-related occupations. Graduates in Foundation Phase Teaching will be able to support children’s overall development. Furthermore, this can be done in a way that is sensitive to their specific needs.

Graduates will also be able to manage a class of young children. This experience will enable each child to reach their full potential. Lastly, this course will help teachers adapt. It will teach them the art of lesson planning and evaluation to track each learner’s progress.

For more information visit https://www.rosebankcollege.co.za/qualifications/full-time/bachelor-of-education-in-foundation-phase-teaching

6. TEFL Teaching course

TEFL courses are excellent for teachers looking to teach English overseas.

The TEFL course covers everything you need to know about teaching. This includes:

  • Lesson planning
  • Classroom management
  • Grammar
  • Teaching techniques
  • Observation
  • Teaching practice
  • Textbook evaluation and more.

The TEFL course focuses on the real-world abilities needed to teach in the EFL/ESL sector.

Furthermore, the TEFL South African institution has built a good reputation. Thousands of students have graduated from the course and are successful teachers. TEFL courses are internationally accredited.

Why choose TEFL?

TEFL is a good option to choose if you would like to teach English abroad. Usually, TEFL teachers teach English as a second language to foreign students. TEFL teachers cannot teach other subjects, as they might not have the knowledge to do so.

For further information visit https://www.tefl-southafrica.co.za/index.html

7. Varsity College School of Education

Varsity College is one of the most popular colleges in the country. Here, students receive a lot more one-on-one attention compared to universities.

Furthermore, Varsity College offers students a variety of different teaching courses. Here are some of the courses they offer:

  1. An IIE Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching
  2. IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education
  3. An IIE Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase Teaching
  4. IIE Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching
  5. An IIE Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education

Varsity College offers students the option to study full-time or part-time.

For more information visit https://www.varsitycollege.co.za/programmes/full-time/iie-higher-certificate-in-early-childhood-care-and-education

Universities offering teacher courses in South Africa

South Africa is known for having some of the best universities on the continent. With that said, most universities offer teaching courses. However, it’s important for students to research their options.

Each university has different entrance requirements.

Here are some of the universities that offer teaching courses.

1. Unisa

The University of South Africa, or Unisa for short, offers Teaching credentials through its open distance learning system. It combines online and self-study. If you’re interested in studying teaching at Unisa, you’ll be able to explore a wide range of options. From Higher Certificates to Postgraduate programs, Unisa also provides a wide choice of teaching courses.

2. Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)

The Tshwane University of Technology also offers teacher courses in South Africa.  TUT focuses on the principles of education, training and development.

3. University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town (UCT) offers several teaching credentials. This includes the following.

  • Advanced Certificate in Education
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education
  • Higher Education Studies Programs
  • PGDip in Educational Technology
  • Bachelor of Education Honors.

UCT’s School of Education also offers a postgraduate teaching certificate. The School is committed to being an inclusive department. Furthermore, it encourages students and staff to participate in a community of practice.

4. University of Kwazulu-Natal

The University of Kwazulu-Natal’s School of Education is the University’s largest School in the College of Humanities. Science and Technology Education, Mathematics and Computer Science Education, Social Sciences Education, Education Studies, Education, Development, Leadership and Management, and Language, Arts and Media Education are the six clusters that makeup UKZN’s School of Education.

5. Nelson Mandela University

The Faculty of Education at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) offers education degrees. NMU offers a wide range of educational opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to doctoral degrees.

6. University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Education takes pride in having a multi-racial and culturally diverse learning environment. Their collaboration with the Department of Basic Education and other departments and faculties within the University strengthens UP’s programs. They also have a variety of credentials from UP’s Faculty of Education:

  • BEd Foundation Phase Teaching
  • BEd Intermediate Phase Teaching
  • Also, BEd Senior and Further Education and Training Phase Teaching, and Higher Certificate in Sports Science Education.

Teaching in South Africa

Teaching is one of the most important careers in any country. Pursuing a career in teaching offers a tremendous service to society. Furthermore, it’s an extremely rewarding career path.

There are plenty of teacher courses in South Africa. These courses all focus on fundamental educational aspects. However, it can be challenging to decide exactly what teaching course you’d like to study. Therefore, it’s important to have this determined before applying.

Most teachers in South Africa either work in public or private schools. Additionally, they can opt to do home-schooling.

Types of teaching qualifications

Students can choose between two teaching qualifications

Degree in teaching

A degree holds far more opportunities than a diploma. Students usually study an undergrad teaching course. This takes around four years to complete. Thereafter, graduates can opt to complete a post-grad teaching degree.  This can take an additional two years to complete.

Diploma in teaching

A teaching diploma is a lot quicker and easier to get. However, diplomas are not on the same level as degrees. Usually, students attain diplomas from colleges and other technical educational institutes. On average, a diploma takes around18 months to complete.

What are the requirements to study teaching?

Every university requires students to have passed matric. However, each university has different entry requirements. Therefore, students should always revise these details.

On the contrary, this might not be the case if you’re applying for a diploma in teaching. Certain colleges do not require students to have completed matric.

What are the best teacher courses in South Africa

Teacher Course South Africa

There are so many different teacher courses available in South Africa. With that said, it can easily become confusing when picking which course to take. Therefore, there are a few things that students should consider.

What area would you like to specialize in?

This can be determined by asking yourself what age group you would like to teach. As previously mentioned, there are several different phases. The first is the foundation phase, the second is the intermediate phase, and the last is the senior phase.

Foundation Phase

Teaching foundation phase entails teaching younger children. Teachers who study the foundation phase will have the knowledge to teach Grade R-3.

Furthermore, teaching in the foundation phase helps develop a strong educational base. Teachers in this phase will teach children to read and write. In addition, they will help children develop skills in numeracy.

Intermediate Phase

The intermediate phase consists of teaching Grades 4-7. Most intermediate phase courses enable teachers to teach a range of subjects. This includes language, math, science, art, etc.

Senior Phase

The senior phase teaching enables teachers to teach Grades 8-12. You will need to specialize in 2 school subjects if you want to be a senior phase teacher. Furthermore, you will also need to take two methodology courses.

Conclusion

However, there are plenty of teaching courses in South Africa. Students can look into studying a variety of different courses.

Furthermore, students can opt to study a degree, diploma, or certificate-based course. It’s safe to say that a degree holds the most power. Therefore, we would advise our readers to study bachelor’s in education.

If getting a degree is not an option then you can look into the other options. For instance, TEFL courses don’t require much time. Students can become TEFL accredited within 120 hours. Furthermore, the opportunities are endless.

Lastly, it’s always important to look into teaching courses of interest. This will help you decide whether or not the course is for you.


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