By Dr Simon Mantell, Deputy Head of the Careers Service
Want a career where you work with people to improve their life outcomes, have independence, use your communication skills and where no two days are ever the same? Perhaps teaching is for you! Read on to find out more about the main career opportunities available in primary and secondary teaching.
The vast majority of people have attended a school and have experienced lessons delivered by teachers. However, delivering lessons is a very different experience to receiving them. There are many different education settings within the UK and the setting influences the requirements of the jobs.
All teaching jobs in mainstream state schools have duties that include planning and delivering lessons compliant with the national curriculum. All Teachers in State Schools will also have performance targets based on the attainment of their pupils.
Primary Schools
Primary school teachers teach students from the age of 4 to 10. Primary School teachers focus on Literacy and Numeracy but also need to be able to teach basic science. Lesson planning is often intensive because different ability groups in the classroom require different work. Catering to different learning styles and engaging communication of the curriculum are critical for student success. Primary School teachers often manage the activities of teaching assistants in their classes.
Secondary schools
Secondary school teachers teach students from the age of 11 to 18 and require good subject knowledge, especially A level teachers. Pastoral work, assessment and writing reports also take up significant amounts of time. For new teachers, classroom behaviour management is a common concern, however, almost all acquire these skills after a short period of time. One of the challenges for new secondary school teachers is planning large numbers of lessons.
Special Schools
Approximately 2% of school-age children attend a special school. Children who are educated in special schools have been identified as having a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made for them. Often these schools have small class sizes and do not teach the national curriculum. Differentiated lessons, effective use of teaching assistants, collaboration with specialist staff (eg speech and language therapists) and an ability to make learning accessible are important skills. Multiple lesson plans and of assessment of student progress by panels of professionals may be required.
How do you become a Teacher in state schools?
Firstly, you will need to get accepted onto an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Course, after this you will gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which will allow you to apply for a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) position. On successful completion of the NQT period, 2 years from Sept 2021, you will then be qualified to teach in any state school. Independent schools are not required to have staff with QTS, headteachers can hire whoever they wish. However, it is common for new teachers without QTS to get the qualification within a few years of starting teaching.
Applying for Teacher Training
There are different types of ITT, the government changes bursaries and application processes regularly. To get up to date information on processes, go to the teacher training section of gov.uk. ITT training can either be university based or school based, both will involve an element of learning how to teach (pedagogy) and classroom teaching experience. University based ITT typically has a greater emphasis on pedagogy and less time spent in the classroom than the school based routes. Deciding whether a school or university based route of ITT would be appropriate for you can be complex. If you are unsure, please book an appointment with a Careers Consultant.
What do Teacher training Providers Look for?
All teacher training providers will want to see that you have spent some time in schools observing lessons, can pass an enhanced DBS check, have GCSE English and Maths and a degree level qualification. After that, requirements will differ. Some ITT providers will want you to have a degree in the principal subject you are teaching. Others will take you on if you have the appropriate A level, possibly combined with a subject knowledge enhancement course. It’s important to have conversations with an ITT provider if you are unsure whether you meet their criteria.
Teaching is often on the TV, and not always portrayed in a positive light. TV programs about schools have been set up to provide interesting viewing, not to provide a balanced picture. So, if you are interested in teaching, when the pandemic allows, contact some schools and spend some time observing lessons. You’ll soon decide whether it’s the right option for you!