I want to work in ..... teaching

 

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For an overview of the teaching sector, including job roles, qualifications, entry and training and current trends, see:

Routes into Teaching


Anyone who wants to teach in a state-maintained school in England or Wales needs to gain qualified teacher status (QTS). To achieve this award, you need to complete a period of initial teacher training (ITT), which will enable you to meet the professional standards for QTS; a formal set of skills and qualities required to be an effective teacher.
www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/faqs/becoming-a-teacher/qualified-teacher-status.aspx

A copy of the AGCAS booklet Routes into Teaching, including information on making applications for a PGCE as well as the other initial teacher training routes, can be downloaded here

QTS can be achieved through various routes.

The “traditional” route – the PGCE

The PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) is a one-year course which focuses on developing your teaching skills. It is available at universities throughout the UK on a full-time or part-time basis, and includes time spent in schools on teaching practice. Applications for PGCEs should be made at the beginning of your final year through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) which is the equivalent of UCAS for these courses www.gttr.ac.uk.

Bursaries are available for PGCE courses depending on your subject of study and your class of degree – see www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/funding/training-in-england/postgraduate-funding for details.

 

The GTTR scheme will undergo a number of changes for 2014. The main changes are:

For full details of the changes, see www.gttr.ac.uk/providers/conferences/2012gttrreview

Schools-based routes

“By 2015 well over half of all training places will be delivered in schools whether through direct provision, Teach First, School Direct or our new employment-based route” (Michael Gove, Education Secretary, June 2012) www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00210308/michael-gove-at-the-national-college-annual-conference

School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programmes

Graduate Teacher programmes

School Direct programme

 

Teach First

For further information, see the booklet Teacher Training – click here to download a PDF copy.

Which is best for you – PGCE or Schools-based?

How happy are teachers?

See our information on
Happiness in different careers

Entry requirements

Funding for a PGCE

Better financial incentives will offered for the higher degree classifications. These range from a £20,000 bursary for a Maths graduate with a  first class degree, to £5,000 for a primary PGCE candidate with a 2:1. Fee changes mean that PGCE courses will charge between £6,000 and £9,000 – trainees will still have access to students loans for fees and maintenance and some will be able to access means tested maintenance grants, and higher or re-instatement of training bursaries.

PGCE Bursaries for 2012

Subject First class degree 2:1 degree 2:2 degree

Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Modern Foreign Languages

 £20,000 £15,000 £12,000

Primary, Art, Design and Technology, Drama , Economics, Engineering, English, Geography, History, ICT, Music, Biology, PE, RE

 £,9000 5,000 0

General science, Business studies, Health and social care, Psychology, Citizenship, Leisure and Tourism, Media Studies

 0 0 0

 

"From 2012/13, Teaching Agency will prioritise primary courses that offer a specialism, particularly in the sciences, mathematics or modern languages. For 2013/14 we expect to adjust financial incentives for trainees to favour trainees on specialist primary courses with a good A-level in mathematics, a science, or a language, over those on generalist courses."

Getting Teaching Experience


‘It’s only by gaining experience of teaching and the world of education that you can rationally decide whether teaching gives you the ‘buzz’ that will make all the hard work worth it. I would strongly advise any prospective applicant to build up a meaningful and broad portfolio of experience of school life before applying. This ideally should involve: inner city teaching v rural, secondary v primary, special needs, extra-curricular activities, pastoral (e.g. counselling) and the administrative and management side of teaching.’’ 

(PGCE tutor)

All PGCE applicants are expected to undertake a recommended period of at least ten days, preferably in a UK state school, observing the age group and curriculum relevant to the PGCE programme for which an application is being made.www.canterbury.ac.uk/courses/prospectus/pgce/entry-requirements.asp

It's very important to get experience in a school before you apply for PGCE courses or training programmes – selectors will expect to see some relevant experience. Without this experience (seeing teaching from the teacher’s point of view!) and involvement with children and/or young people in the relevant age range, your application is unlikely to be able to demonstrate the required motivation and knowledge of teaching. This will also help you to make sure that teaching is right for you and to prepare for interview questions about your experience of teaching.

Don’t leave it until your final year but start in your second year at the latest.

There are various schemes to help you get an insight into teaching – see www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/school-experience.aspx for details

 

This not only builds up a higher level of experience than you can gain through short-term experience programmes but may help you to gain a trainee post in that school in the longer term. These posts are usually advertised on local websites or via recruitment agencies (see below)

Applying for Teacher Training

Competition is strong for places on all primary-level courses and for secondary-level courses in Humanities and Social Science subjects. You should ideally apply in September or early October of your final year, even though there is no official closing date for most secondary PGCE courses (the closing date for primary courses is 1st December).

The booklet “Applying for a PGCE” is a mine of information about the different routes into teaching, funding and entry requirements, tips on choosing a course, completing the GTTR application and going for interview. Click here to download a PDF copy.

Teaching specific subjects:

The National Curriculum for England

Subject Knowledge Enhancement Courses

If you are interested in teaching Chemistry, Physics, Maths or a modern foreign language, have reached A-level standard in the subject but do not have a relevant degree, there are various courses available that can help to bring you up to the required standard before starting a PGCE.

For further information, see :

Special Educational Needs Teaching

It is not possible to train and work as a special needs teacher from the outset (although Special Needs is offered as a subsidiary subject on some PGCE courses and there is a special educational needs element to all initial teacher training courses). The usual pattern is to gain a general teaching qualification and experience and then develop a career in SEN teaching through in-service training.

Teaching outside England

For other countries, see our Teaching Abroad links www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tefl.htm#other

 

Independent Schools and education alternatives

Further Education

 

Subject to approval by parliament, from April 2012 schools will be able to employ, as qualified teachers, holders of qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) status. QTLS is the professional status for teachers in further education. Head teachers will have the freedom to employ the qualified teacher that best meets the requirements of the job, regardless of whether their background is in schools or further education.

For information on working as a lecturer in higher education, see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/university.htm

Getting a teaching job

Vacancy sources

Recruitment agencies

Further Information

Jargon buster

Playing calming music can help motivate students and improve concentration and study skills. Research at the London Institute of Education found that children doing memory tests whilst listening to classical music performed better than children performing the tests in silence or listening to jazz.

They also found that playing calming music such as Bach and Pachelbel's Cannon to disturbed children helped them achieve higher scores in maths tests

Like every other profession, teaching and teacher training have their own vocabulary. Here are some of the most commonly-used acronyms you will come across:

 

A comprehensive jargon buster can be found on the TES (Times Educational Supplement!) website www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storyCode=6000010

What makes a good teacher?

“No-one forgets a good teacher”, according to a past teacher recruitment campaign, but what is it that makes a good teacher? Here are two summaries of the essential skills and personal qualities for you to assess whether you have what it takes:

A good teacher is:

‘Teaching is a demanding career, physically, emotionally and intellectually. It calls for energy, dedication, patience and enthusiasm. You must have enthusiasm for your subject, and, far more important, you must be able to form a relationship with and control the class. Class management skills are essential. You also need to be able to think on your feet. This is not a nine-to-five job. There will be a lot of preparation and marking to do in the evenings and week-ends. There are also exams to prepare, invigilate and mark. All this calls for good time management, self-discipline, administration and organisational skills as well as good supervisory and leadership skills.’

And the final word on what makes a good teacher should come from the most important people: the children!

1. Know the subjects very wellteach
2. Be smiley
3. Be kind
4. Bond with the children
5. Not be boring, be a bit funny or tell some jokes sometimes
6. Be respectful
7. Have a good expressive reading voice
8. Know the children’s names

http://drbadgr.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/childrens-view-on-what-makes-a-good-teacher

A teacher teaching Maths to Petra who was six years old asked her, “If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”

Within a few seconds Petra replied confidently, “Four!”

The dismayed teacher was expecting a correct answer (three).  She was disappointed.  “Maybe the child did not listen properly,” she thought.  She repeated, “Petra, listen carefully.  If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”

Petra saw the disappointment on her teacher’s face.  She calculated again on her fingers.  But within her she was also searching for the answer that would make the teacher happy.  Her search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make her teacher happy.  This time hesitatingly she replied, “Four…”

The disappointment stayed on the teacher’s face.  She remembered that Petra loved strawberries.  She thought maybe she doesn’t like apples and that is making her lose focus. This time with a twinkling in her eyes she asked, “If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?”

Seeing the teacher happy, young Petra calculated on her fingers again.  There was no pressure on her, but a little on the teacher.  She wanted her new approach to succeed.  With a hesitating smile Petra enquired, “Three?”

The teacher now had a victorious smile.  Her approach had succeeded.  She wanted to congratulate herself.  But one last thing remained.  Once again she asked her, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?”

Promptly Petra answered, “Four!” The teacher was aghast.  “How Petra, how?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating Petra replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”

“When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don’t necessarily think they are wrong.  There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.”

 

Last fully updated 2012