Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Incentive Schemes (Welsh Government)

What you get

These are three separate grants from the Welsh Government for people training to become teachers in Wales. You never repay them, and the money arrives in stages as you pass each milestone. You can qualify for more than one at the same time, so they can add up.

• Priority Subject grant: about EUR 23,000 (£20,000) if you train to teach a shortage secondary subject.
• Welsh-language (Iaith Athrawon Yfory) grant: about EUR 5,800 (£5,000) if you train to teach through Welsh or to teach Welsh as a subject.
• Ethnic Minority grant: about EUR 5,800 (£5,000) if you are from an eligible ethnic minority background.

The money comes in instalments: part after your first term, part once you finish your PGCE and gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and a final part after your induction. Your induction is your first supervised period of teaching, which you must complete at a state school in Wales within three years of qualifying.

Who can apply

• Course: You are on a postgraduate teacher-training programme in Wales that leads to QTS, usually a PGCE. Full-time and part-time both count.
• Not yet a teacher: You do not already hold QTS. You are not employed as a teacher when your course starts.
• Not a salaried route: You are not on an employment-based scheme such as the Salaried PGCE, and not on a PGCE PCET (post-16 further education route).
• Funding eligibility: You qualify for student financial support under Section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998.
• Priority Subject grant: You hold a degree graded 2.2 or higher, and your main teaching subject is Biology, Chemistry, Design and Technology, Digital Technology and/or Computer Science, Mathematics, International languages, Physics or Welsh. Your degree does not have to be in that subject.
• Welsh-language grant: Your secondary teacher-training programme lets you teach through the medium of Welsh or teach Welsh as a subject.
• Ethnic Minority grant: You tell your training provider that you belong to one of the eligible ethnic minority groups. These cover a wide range of Asian, Black, mixed and other backgrounds, including Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Roma, Jewish, Arab and Kurdish.

How to apply

You apply through your training provider (the university or partnership running your course), which confirms whether you qualify. The application window is 1 September to 31 October 2026 for the 2026/2027 academic year. You claim the final induction instalment directly from the Welsh Government once you finish your induction.

How realistic are your chances?

These are entitlement grants, not a contest. If you are on the right course and meet the conditions, you get the money rather than competing against other applicants. The one catch is that funding can run out once a programme fills its intake, so check with your provider early and apply within the autumn window. Since all three grants can stack, someone teaching a priority subject through Welsh could claim more than one.