School Teacher
Further Information

What is the work like?

Teachers play an important role in helping children and young people to achieve their potential.
In England and Wales, teachers are required to teach the National Curriculum and have to decide on the most effective teaching methods depending on the age and ability of the pupils. In Scotland, the curriculum is not set by law, although there are guidelines on its structure.
Teachers usually specialise in teaching a particular age group within three main types of school:

• Nursery and primary school nursery classes (three to five year olds). Teachers have overall responsibility for one class and the emphasis is on developing children’s social, communication and numeracy skills through play and creative activities.
• Primary (5 to 11 year olds in England and Wales, or 5 to 12 in Scotland). Teachers usually teach most or all subjects to one class, although they may teach a specialist subject to other classes. Priority is given to developing literacy and numeracy skills.
• Secondary (11 to 16 year olds in England and Wales, 12 to 16 in Scotland - this is 11 to 19 if the school has a sixth form, 12 to 18 in Scotland).

Teachers usually teach one or two subjects to different classes. The focus is on preparing pupils for external examinations.
Teachers spend the majority of their time teaching classes, although they are involved in a range of other activities, which may include:

• planning lessons and preparing materials
• setting and marking coursework and exams
• providing constructive feedback to pupils
• assessing, recording and reporting on the progress and attainment of pupils
• maintaining order and discipline among the pupils
• promoting social inclusion by identifying pupils who may be at risk of dropping out or underachieving
• providing advice and guidance to pupils experiencing personal or educational difficulties
• communicating with parents/carers, teachers, governors and other professionals, both formally and informally
• supervising the work of other staff, eg teaching assistants/learning support assistants
• contributing to displays and general presentation in the school
• undertaking self-evaluation and professional development activities
• organising activities such as field trips, educational visits, sporting events and work experience
• attending meetings and parents’ events, often out of school hours.

Teaching is a challenging career, as teachers have to meet the needs of pupils with a wide range of abilities within a rapidly changing environment. Their performance may be measured by pupils’ examination and test results.
Further information on some of the specialisms within teaching is available as separate articles, Nursery School Teacher and Special Educational Needs Teacher.
The starting salary for teachers ranges from £18,558 to £22,059 a year in England and Wales. The starting salary in Scotland is £18,522.

Hours and environment

School hours vary, but are usually between the hours of 8.45am to 3.40pm. In England and Wales, teachers are required to work for 1,265 teaching hours in any school year, just under 32.5 hours a week. In Scotland, the amount of class contact time is gradually being cut to a maximum of 22.5 hours a week. Teachers are required to work outside of these hours to prepare lessons, mark work and attend meetings.
Teachers in state schools are contracted to work for 195 days a year (39 weeks).
Local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales are now permitted to change their school year to a six-term year.
The majority of teachers’ time is spent in the classroom, although PE teachers are likely to spend a substantial amount of time outdoors supervising sports and games.
Teachers may spend some time off the school premises on field trips, cultural visits (both in the UK and overseas) and sporting events.
Depending on the activity, teachers may sit, stand or walk around. Lifting and carrying teaching materials and equipment is often required.

Salary and other benefits

These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.
England and Wales
• The starting salary for teachers ranges from £18,558 to £22,059 a year.
• The maximum salary for experienced teachers ranges from £33,978 to £40,071 a year (£48,657 to £54,747 for advanced skills teachers).
• Headteachers’ starting salary ranges from £36,432 to £42,525, up to between £90,360 and £96,450 a year, depending on the location and size of school.
Salaries are highest within the inner London area.
‘Golden hellos’, which is a £4,000 taxable benefit, may be available to teachers who successfully complete their induction period and are teaching a priority subject.
Experienced teachers may be eligible for a sabbatical to further their learning.
In Scotland
• The starting salary for teachers is at least £18,522 a year.
• Chartered teachers earn a maximum of £36,219 and principal teachers earn up to £41,574 a year.
• Headteachers earn between £36,531 and £71,310 a year, depending on the size of the school.•
All salaries quoted apply to state schools only.

Skills and personal qualities

A school teacher should:

• be passionate about their subject and keep up to date with new developments
• be committed to teaching, as it can be very challenging
• be able to involve and motivate pupils
• be well prepared and have strong organisational skills
• be able to manage challenging behaviour
• have good presentation skills
• be innovative in the teaching methods used to cater for a full range of abilities
• have sound spoken and written English (and Welsh where appropriate)
• have effective communication skills
• be able to develop a good rapport with the age group being taught
• have the ability to relate well to a wide range of people including parents/carers, colleagues, governors and other professionals
• be able to work both independently and as part of a team
• be able to work well under pressure.
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Interests

It is important for a school teacher to:

• enjoy working with children and young people
• have an interest in educational issues and a desire to pass on knowledge
• be interested in the learning problems of the less able as well as the gifted and talented.

Getting in

There are nearly 470,000 full-time teachers in state schools in England and Wales and 79,000 in Scotland. There are also many part-time and supply teachers.
Schools vary from large secondary schools with over a thousand pupils, to small village nursery schools with just a few pupils.
Most jobs are in state schools, but teachers can work in other organisations such as:

• sixth-form colleges
• city technology colleges
• independent schools
• young offenders’ institutions or secure units
• the Armed Forces.

In England and Wales there is a reasonable demand for teachers, although there are regional variations, with more vacancies in London, eastern and south-east England. In Scotland, more than 2,000 new teachers are likely to be needed each year for the next few years. In secondary schools there are shortages of teachers in some subjects: English, mathematics, science, modern languages, information and communication technology, design and technology, and, in Wales, Welsh. Scotland experiences similar subject shortages and in addition, Gaelic, religious and moral education and music.

In the coming years there may be a slight decrease in demand for teachers in some areas, as the number of school-age children is falling.
Vacancies for teachers in England and Wales are advertised in The Times Educational Supplement, daily national newspapers, The Teacher, local newspapers, religious and ethnic newspapers and through agencies looking for supply teachers. Some LEAs issue vacancy lists, and jobs are increasingly advertised on the internet. In Scotland, vacancies are advertised in The Times Educational Supplement (Scotland) and daily Scottish newspapers.

Entry for young people

Teaching is a graduate profession and to teach in a state school or a private special school in England and Wales teachers must have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or a Teaching Qualification (TQ) in Scotland. Many independent schools and city technology colleges also require this.
QTS/TQ is obtained by completing Initial Teacher Training (ITT), or Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Scotland. General entry requirements for this are:

England and Wales
• GCSEs (A-C) in English and maths (or equivalent qualifications)
• GCSE (A-C) in a science subject (or an equivalent qualification) to enter primary or Key Stage 2/3 training, for people born on or after 1 September 1979.

Scotland
• A National Qualifications Course award in English at Level 6.
• A National Qualifications Course award in maths at Level 5 (for primary teaching only).
• Additional requirements include:
• ability to read effectively, communicate clearly and accurately in spoken and written standard English
• physical and mental fitness to teach, in accordance with set standards
• lack of a criminal background that would prevent the applicant from working with children.

Applicants are also required to have some experience of working with children. This can be obtained by becoming a regular volunteer at a local school or through work experience. Work in youth clubs or with holiday activity groups is also a useful way of gaining experience. The Teaching Training Agency (TTA) can arrange for a potential applicant to talk to a practising teacher, visit a school or attend a taster course in England and Wales.
There are two main routes to qualifying as a teacher:

• Undergraduate - Batchelor of Education (BEd), BA/BSc with QTS, or a combined/concurrent degree leading to a TQ in Scotland. These degree courses are three or four years full time in England and Wales, or three-and-a-half or four-and-a half years in Scotland, and combine study at degree level with teaching practice in schools.
• Postgraduate - trainees study a one year full-time (or two years part-time) Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).

Entry requirements for these courses may vary slightly, depending on the higher education institute, but are usually:

England and Wales
• Undergraduate - at least two A levels (one must be in a National Curriculum subject), plus at least three GCSEs (A-C) in other subjects. Qualifications such as BTEC national diplomas and AVCEs (Advanced Vocational Certificates of Education) may be accepted as long as they relate to the primary or secondary school curriculum. The CACHE Diploma in Childcare and Education may also be accepted for applicants wanting to teach in nursery or lower primary schools.
• Postgraduate - applicants need a first degree - usually relevant to the National Curriculum or in the subject they wish to teach. Applicants with a Foundation degree need at least 60 additional credits at higher education Level 3. Eligible trainees on a PGCE course leading to QTS receive a £6,000 bursary while on ITT.
• Fast Track is an accelerated professional development programme towards leadership positions in education. Students can apply to take an enhanced one-year PGCE with a Fast Track ITT provider.

Scotland
• Undergraduate - National Qualifications Course awards at Level 6 in at least three subjects and at Level 5 in two other subjects. Alternative qualifications may be accepted, such as SQA modules, a BTEC national award, GSVQs Level III, AVCEs, an SQA/BTEC higher national award, International Baccalaureate, A levels and GCSEs.
• Postgraduate - applicants need a first degree relevant to the subject(s) they want to teach. Some funding may be available for this route.
• For primary teaching, applicants should have studied at least two of the following subjects: science, social studies, expressive arts, religious and moral education, technology and modern foreign languages.
• For secondary teaching, there may be specific entry requirements for some subjects.

Entry for adults

There is no upper age limit. Mature applicants are encouraged and the average age of students entering ITT courses is currently 27.
People without the qualifications for ITT/ITE courses may be able to:

• study an Access course at a local college
• upgrade their qualification to a degree through the Credit Accumulation and Transfer scheme (CATS)
• study a two-year BEd degree course if they have completed at least one year in full-time higher education (England and Wales only).
• In England and Wales there are other ways into teaching for adults, such as:
• Graduate/Registered Teacher Programmes - for people who have either a degree or two years of higher education such as an HND
• Flexible training
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) (England only).

Training

Many universities and colleges of higher education in England and Wales offer ITT courses. In Scotland, seven universities offer ITE courses.
In England and Wales, trainee teachers train to teach at least two consecutive key stages:

• Early Years and Key Stage 1 - age 3 to 7
• Key Stage 1 and 2 - age 5 to 11
• Key Stage 2 and 3 - age 7 to 14
• Key Stage 3 and 4 - age 11 to 16
• Key Stage 4 and post-16 - age 14 to 19.

Trainees must meet standards on each component of ITT. These include:

• knowledge of subjects and curriculum
• teaching practice - the skills for planning lessons, teaching and assessing pupils
• professional values and practice.

In England they must also pass QTS skills tests in literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT).
Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) have to successfully complete a one-year induction period.
In Scotland, new teachers must register with The General Teaching Council for Scotland before they can teach in a Scottish state-funded school. They complete a one-year probationary period in a school before applying for full registration.

Getting on

Promotion is possible in most schools.

• Primary - teachers can take on responsibility for co-ordinating an area of work such as literacy, numeracy or special needs. They can also move into a management role becoming a deputy head or headteacher. There may also be limited opportunities for progress to advanced skills teacher status (principal teacher or chartered teacher in Scotland).
• Secondary - teachers can take on a specialist area of responsibility (eg careers, personal, social and health education (PSHE), or citizenship), become an advanced skills teacher (principal teacher or chartered teacher in Scotland) or take on a management role such as head of department or year, deputy head or headteacher.

Some experienced teachers specialise in teaching students with special educational needs. Others move into work related to teaching, such as teacher training, educational advisory work, educational research and writing, schools inspection, running a playgroup or nursery.
There may also be opportunities to work overseas with a number of organisations, including:

• Voluntary Services Overseas
• Teachers’ International Professional Development Programme - teachers can take part in short-term study visits to other countries
• The British Council’s Education and Training Group - arranges a variety of programmes including teacher exchange programmes throughout the world.

Further information

Department of Education Northern Ireland (DENI), Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. 028 9127 9279. Website: www.deni.gov.uk
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), Clerwood House, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT. 0131 314 6051. Website: www.gtcs.org.uk
Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ. 0870 11 222 05. Website: www.gttr.ac.uk
Independent Schools Council Information Service (ISCis), Grosvenor Gardens House, 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0BS. 020 7798 1560. Website: www.iscis.org.uk
Scottish Executive, Education Department (SEED), Area 2A, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. 0131 244 7930. Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/education/ teaching
Teacher Training Agency (TTA), Portland House, Stag Place, London SW1E 5TT. Teaching Information Line: 0845 6000 991 (for English speakers) 0845 6000 992 (for Welsh speakers). Websites: www.tta.gov.uk and www.teach.gov.uk
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ. 0870 11 222 11. Website: www.ucas.ac.uk

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School Teacher Further Information

School Teacher
Further Information