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Helping you find a career in the teaching industry

Working in teaching you see you helping everyone achieve their full potential, no matter the age or subject. As a teacher, you'll be responsible for a whole class or as an assistant you will likely dedicate your attention towards specific students. It's an incredibly rewarding career choice, but it's is not without its difficulties.

Teachers have to be patient and creative in their teaching to make sure that all different learning styles are accommodated for. This is applicable whether you work in special education, adult colleges, universities or state schools.

To become a teacher you have to undergo teacher training, in which you will cover two key stages. The key stages are:

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) - 0-5 year olds; nursery and reception Key Stage 1 - Ages 5-7; Years 1-2 Key Stage 2 - Ages 7-11; Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 Key Stage 3 - Ages 14-16; Years 10 and 11

After you have completed your teacher training you will have qualified teacher status (QTS), which means that you can teach any age in a school. Typically, teachers will stay within the age ranges that they trained in although you do have the option to move around.

In primary schools (Key Stage 1 and 2) you will be required to teach a range of subjects, whereas for secondary school (Key Stage 3) you usually specialise in one or two subjects.

Alternatively, if you prefer teaching adults, a position as a lecturer in a university or adult college may be for you.

Most teachers will also rely upon a teaching assistant in the classroom, either for general assistance or to provide extra help for those who may need it. For this, you do not require a degree but will still be responsible for helping students achieve their full potential.

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Skills & interests required for a career in Teaching

To be a teacher you need to be creative to cater for the different learning styles that the pupils in your classes will have. People don't learn in the same way and it's important to be able to explain concepts in a variety of ways so that everyone can understand.

In order to do this you'll need a deep understanding of the subjects that you teach and it'll also help if you're passionate about it. If you find it boring then you can guarantee that your students will too!

Teachers have to be able to bring their A-game every day. You might be tired, or hungry, but you still need to muster up the energy to deliver engaging lessons and help students learn.

Teaching requires an incredible amount of dedication and resilience. Whilst it is an incredibly rewarding career, it can be challenging to get students to learn when they don't feel like it.

Other skills that will help you as a teacher are:

Time management
Organisation
Flexibility
Communication
Patience

Graduate schemes & other typical career progression routes in Teaching

There are numerous different career progression routes for teachers. One option could be taking on extra responsibilities within a school, such as being a head of a year group or department. Eventually this could lead to becoming a deputy head and then a head teacher.

Alternatively, many choose to move into the education sector of the government after teaching for a while. Through this you would be more involved with the delivery of education on a national level and ensuring that standards are maintained, reviewing syllabuses and ensuring that our education system remains competitive with other nations.

As a lecturer you can also take on more responsibilities through more students, running your own courses, and conducting research. All these things will be key to making yourself noticed and moving up to department heads or the head of a school.

You could also decide to pursue a career as an academic author.

Tips for getting into the field

Source as much work experience as you can. Contact local schools and youth groups and try to gain experience with the age ranges that you would like to teach.

How much can graduates earn in Teaching?

As a qualified teacher, you will earn between £22,917-£33,824 per annum. If you work within London you will earn between £28,660-£39,006 per annum.

As a leading practitioner you could earn between £39,374-£59,857 per annum, or between £46,814-£67,305 in London.

As a head teacher you could earn anything between £44,544-£109,366 per annum.

Further education teachers can earn between £24,202 and £36,524, which will rise to around £43,000 with experience. With a position of leadership within a university, for example the head of a school, you could earn close to £90,000.

You will also be paid additionally for taking on extra responsibilities such as after school clubs, head of department or exam marking.

The average salary for a teaching assistant is £12,022 per annum, although this will be more if you work within London. With extensive experience this can rise to £23,000.

What qualifications do I need for a career in Teaching?

To achieve Qualified Teacher Status you must complete an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme through either a university or school. This usually takes around a year to complete. After this, you will be a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) and have to take an induction year.

However, there are some conditions that you need to meet in order to get onto an ITT programme:

A 2:2 degree or above
GCSE grade C in English and Maths (Primary school teaching also requires you to have a C in a science)
Pass a professional skills test in numeracy and literacy
Pass a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check If you want to teach in a secondary school and specialise in a specific subject, your degree should be related to it. However, there are subject knowledge enhancement courses available for those who want to teach a different subject.

The route to becoming a higher education teacher, ie a lecturer, is a little different. You must complete a PhD in the field that you wish to study. After this, you'll need teaching experience in a university setting in order to secure a position as a full-time lecturer.