FAQs

Buckingham International School of Education (BISE) is the sole international partner for the University of Buckingham, Faculty of Education in Asia.

All BISE’s teacher training and education programmes are delivered by the University of Buckingham and all students will receive their diploma from the University of Buckingham upon graduation.

Applying through BISE, provides you with:

• A free application screening, making application success more likely.
• A dedicated Asia based admissions team. With teams in Beijing and Hong Kong, we can assist you with your application on your time zone.
• A tight-knit Alumni network and community, including information tailored to Asia-based teachers and invitations to webinars and events on Asian time zones.

If you have any questions, you can fill out our contact form or contact our dedicated admissions team at:

• [email protected]
• [email protected] (Mainland China only)

You can see the university term dates here.

For full details on how to apply, visit the application information page

Our admissions team is also always on hand to answer any of your questions. Get in touch with us for our application top tips and a tailored application checklist. 

You can apply throughout the year. Each course has one or two intakes per year as well as an application deadline for that intake. Please see the individual course pages for the intakes and deadlines for your particular course.

If your application deadline has passed, do get in touch with us as the university may be able to accommodate late applications, provided all the required documentation can be provided before the course start date.

We do, however, recommend that you apply as early as possible – you can even apply before your first degree or other entry qualification has been awarded.

Our qualifications and degrees are delivered and certified by the University of Buckingham, a leading institution for teacher training in the UK. Degrees from UK universities are recognised all over the world. 

As our courses are delivered primarily online, it is advisable to check that this study mode will meet your personal requirements. 

For example, BISE understands that some Chinese nationals may require a statement of comparison from their local government to verify the qualification. This statement of comparison is only available for in-person courses.

The university does not encourage students to undertake two courses at the same time due to the workload required. 

The majority of our courses are designed to be taken part-time alongside a teaching role in a school or role in an education-related field. The Assessment Only Route to QTS is the only exception.

Yes, you can study a Doctoral Programme in Education (EdD) with BISE. An EdD is the same level as a PhD. 

This three to six year part-time degree is a rigorous course of study delivered through the University of Buckingham and promotes and endorses the highest level of knowledge, skills and experiences of leaders in schools and education.

For more information on our EdD programme, click here.

Taking one of our online courses enables you to access internationally recognised, expertly designed and professionally run qualifications delivered by a UK university without the need for relocation. 

As our courses are part-time, you will be able to fit your learning around your busy schedule. Your learning journey will depend on your course, but will involve attending regular online study sessions, online meetings with your course supervisor, reviewing online learning resources and completing independent study tasks all facilitated through an online learning platform.

To learn more, read our step-by-step guide to studying with BISE.

You can also learn more about the different courses on our course pages. 

Detailed entry requirements for each course are listed on the individual course pages.

Here are some examples of what you might be asked to provide:

• A copy of your Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree certificate
• For any degrees completed outside of the UK, you will need a 'Statement of Comparability' from ENIC. More details on ENIC can be found here. 
• If you are not from an English-speaking country or your academic degree was not delivered in English, you will be required to provide evidence of English Language proficiency. More information on language requirements can be found here. Doctorate applicants may be waived of this requirement at the discretion of the university.
• To be eligible to take our PGCE and iQTS courses, you will need to be employed as a teacher at the time of study and be able to meet certain requirements on teaching hours and class sizes. 
• Master's programmes require you to be working in an educational context, which can apply to a wide range of circumstances. 
• Our doctorate programme requires applicants to have a minimum of 3 years' experience working in the education sector.

The short answer is yes, but it varies from course to course. 

For the teaching qualification courses such as PGCE or iQTS, for the course duration, you do need to be working in a school and meet its respective requirement of your teaching role to be eligible to apply. And yet, it’s not rare for our past applicants who were not employed when they considered their application but find a suitable teaching post and smoothly enrolled on to the course. Many schools would gladly support new teachers’ PD study. Talk to the school HR about your intention to do the PD course on their teaching post, and the school may be the one for you. 

For degree courses, you do need to be working in education-related industries, preferably in schools, to be eligible to apply. As long as your position will enable you to have enough resources to do the thesis research for your Master's, you’re eligible to apply.

To ensure you get the most out of your study experience, there is a minimum English language level requirement all applicants must meet. These are the English language level requirements and are applicable to all postgraduate courses currently offered by the University of Buckingham through BISE.

Subject to the university's approval, students who have previously acquired a degree fully through the medium of English may be exempted from having to provide a certificate proving English language ability.

There is a one-off non-refundable course registration fee of £300 payable to the University of Buckingham, which needs to be paid upon submission of your application to the university. 

Once you have been accepted onto a course, you will also need to pay the tuition fees for that course. All tuition fees are stated on the individual course pages and payable directly to the University of Buckingham upon receipt of an invoice.

All fees are paid directly to the University. BISE is a partner of the University and does not charge additional fees to applicants for our services.

You will receive an invoice for the tuition fees at the beginning of the course. If you do not want to pay in one lump sum, termly instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department of the university upon receipt of the invoice.

All fees are to be paid directly to the University of Buckingham in the UK in GBP. 

Applicants are advised to use their own bank account to make the transfer, if possible. If the fees are paid through someone else's bank account, please make sure to detail your name and surname in the payment reference otherwise, your payment may be difficult to match to your record.

The fees must be paid directly to the University of Buckingham in the UK in GBP. The University will issue an invoice following successful acceptance on to the course.

Unfortunately, there are currently no scholarships available at this time for BISE courses.

The Education Bureau of Hong Kong stipulates that “any person who teaches in a school has to be either a registered teacher or a permitted teacher”. *

A teacher can gain registered or permitted teacher status by applying to the Education Bureau in Hong Kong.

The difference between a registered and permitted teacher is that to apply for registered teacher status you must hold a teaching qualification, while to apply for permitted teacher status you can hold any academic qualification.

*Private schools offering non-formal curriculum may be exempt subject to their compliance with conditions specified in the Education (Exemption) (Private Schools Offering Non-formal Curriculum) Order. Please discuss this with your place of employment.

To apply, you must be a Hong Kong permanent resident or hold a valid Hong Kong employment visa, possess a landing slip bearing the conditions and limit of stay in Hong Kong or hold a HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes.

To apply for RTS, you need to fill out an application form, which is available on the Education Bureau’s website.

You must also supply a number of supporting documents, including:

• A copy of your Hong Kong Identity Card or a copy of your valid Hong Kong employment visa, landing slip bearing the conditions and limit of stay in Hong Kong or your HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes.
• A copy of all academic certificate(s), qualifications or diplomas held, including transcripts.
• If you hold non-local qualifications, you will also need a copy of a qualifications assessment report issued by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) or similar.
• A photograph meeting EDB requirements.

For full details, please visit the EDB’s website.

You can hold a local Hong Kong teaching qualification or a teaching qualification obtained from another jurisdiction. As mentioned above, if you hold a non-local teaching qualification, you must provide an additional qualifications assessment report issued by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) or similar.

To review the requirements of the HKCAAVQ, please visit their website.

Yes, a number of our students have successfully been awarded RTS in the past. As long as you meet the requirements of the HKCAAVQ and the Education Bureau, you will be able to apply for RTS.