The teaching profession is exciting and challenging.

Teachers act as role models,

mentors, caregivers and advisers. They can have a profound effect on the lives of their
students.

Primarily, teachers will impart knowledge to their students to help them learn new things
about a specific group of subjects. They find new ways of supporting their students’
learning styles and are mindful that students, especially young people, will learn at a
different pace and speed to their peers. Because of this, teachers need to be highly
adaptable and flexible with their lesson plans.

A creative mind, a listening ear and strong communication skills are essential to
succeed in the role of a teacher. Individuals who are resilient and tenacious are
particularly in demand.

Teaching is a career path that is available to anyone that has an undergraduate degree
and is able to commit to achieving Qualified Teaching Status (QTS). There are several
possible routes to QTS, including on-the-job training in a school where you can earn as
you learn.

Most importantly, teaching is a great career choice for those who want to make a
difference in the lives of young people and who are passionate about lifelong learning.

What is the role of a teacher?

The role of a teacher is to inspire, motivate, encourage and educate learners. Learners
can be of any age and from any background. However, for the purposes of this guide,
teachers refer to those who educate young people of school age (roughly 4-18).

Teachers serve many roles within a school environment. Gone are the days when a
teacher was merely seen as a classroom educator; someone who just teaches a core
subject to a classroom full of children and then goes home for the day – job done.
Teachers can work across a variety of subjects which they may bring to life with the
assistance of modern and interactive technologies.

A teacher’s role is to “shape the life chances of young people by imparting knowledge –
bringing the curriculum to life,” says Harry Cutty, headteacher of Cantell School and
vice chair of Aspire Community Trust. “When you have the right culture and systems in
place, it’s more than just a job. When you get passionate teachers, they can hugely
inspire young people no matter what their background. Great teachers support young
people not just in education, but in life and vocation choices.”

The teacher job role is expansive. From imparting knowledge to safeguarding children’s
welfare, inspiring critical thought and moral values, teachers play a central position
within the community. They are often passionate and dedicated individuals with a strong
desire for lifelong learning.

“I have a continuous hunger for improving and extending the knowledge of young
people,” says Francesco Milano, teacher of modern foreign languages at Trafalgar
School in Portsmouth. “By improving someone’s knowledge, you are improving the
world – not just the big world – the one that exists within the community in which you
live.”

As long as you hold a degree, teaching is an accessible career path to anyone, at any
stage of their career. Education offers the potential to shape the young lives of the next
generation. It’s a profession in which you can move forward and gain promotion swiftly if
you achieve rapidly. Your salary will rise in line with your increased responsibility, and
once you gain experience, your career path can take you in many different directions.

Teaching is also one of the very few professions where you are equally celebrated if
you choose to remain a classroom teacher and not to follow the leadership path.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a

teacher?

The responsibilities of a teacher are far-reaching and can significantly vary depending
on the school in which you teach, your specialist subject and the surrounding
community. For example, a primary teacher in a private school with a classroom of six-
year-olds will have an entirely different job and career to a history teacher in a state-
funded academy school. However, there will always remain some similarities across all
teaching roles.

Callum Thompson, from Crab Lane Primary in Manchester, explains how “making

children good members of society,” is crucial to his role as primary school teacher. “In
my community, there is a high level of social ambiguity, so it’s important for me to
ensure the children can communicate well and form an opinion. I teach speaking,
listening, manners and communication.

“One of the toughest parts of the job is encouraging children to use their imagination
and challenging them to develop consistency, empathy and emotional intelligence.”

The duties of a teacher can include:

 Teaching students based on national curriculum guidelines within your specialist

subject areas.
 Planning, preparing and delivering lessons.
 Encouraging student participation in lessons and in other school-related
activities.
 Supporting the leadership team to implement the school’s development plan.
 Assessing and reporting on the behaviour of students.
 Providing educational and social guidance to students and/or signposting them to
specialist areas of advice when needed.
 Ensuring the highest standards of quality and applying the most up-to-date
teaching methods.
 Taking part in opportunities to boost your own learning and continuous
professional development (CPD).
 Attending and taking part in staff meetings to support the smooth running and
administration of the school.
 Collaborating with parents, carers, guardians, support workers, and other
professionals to safeguard and ensure the educational welfare of statemented
students who may have special educational needs (SEN).

Scott Simmons, managing director for education at London Teaching Pool Ltd, a
specialist recruitment agency for teaching staff across London and beyond, believes
that a teacher should be responsible for catering to every student’s needs.

“As a teacher, you should have the mindset that ‘every child matters’,” he says. “We fill
many temporary assignments with requirements for teachers to be strong in the
classroom and competent with their subject matter.”

But Simmons also believes that the responsibilities of a teacher are deeper than that:
“Helping children through their life journey, acting as a confidant and making a
difference to their lives, is paramount.”
Why should I become a teacher?
So, why be a teacher? For those with a love of learning and imparting knowledge to
others, the role of a teacher may be a perfectly natural career choice. Teachers can
enjoy many benefits, including good salaries on a pay scale that climbs with experience,
longer than average holidays, and a tremendous sense of job satisfaction. See Teacher
salary section.

Not only are you imparting knowledge to others but you’re also learning about
behaviours, different ways of thinking and challenging pupils. “You need to inspire
others to want to learn – it’s not a profession you go into because it’s something to do,”
says Kay Sanderson, programme manager for the UK government initiative Transition
to Teach.

Some people leave university with a defined career path into the teaching world,
whereas others discover teaching much later in life. If you’re wondering if you should
become a teacher, then it’s worth knowing that anyone can join the profession, at any
stage in life.

Having experience as a teacher can also lead to a huge number of opportunities.

“We call it the ‘teaching jungle gym’,” says Hannah Wilson, executive headteacher
at Aureus School & Aureus Primary School. “There are now so many different
pathways!”

If you have teaching experience, you can explore career options in places such as
charities, social services, local authorities and councils, private or special education, or
even abroad as a teacher of English as a foreign language. See the Where do teachers
work? section.

“Teaching is not a career to enter in to just for the money,” suggests Sarah Vaughan,
founder of homeschooling resource network, The Do Try This at Home School. “People
are often born to teach. Children will remember their best teachers and it will stay with
them throughout their entire adult life. I became a teacher because my grandparents
were teachers and it’s in my blood. My grandparents had their own private school and
they were a huge influence on me. I didn’t ever want to be anything else.”
Francesco Milano, teacher of modern foreign languages at Trafalgar School in
Portsmouth, believes he has always been a great coach and communicator, so it was a
natural career choice.

“I am truly passionate about developing young people,” says Milano. “I believe that
you’re not just good because you’re a teacher; you’re a teacher because you’re good.”

What is the best part of being a

teacher?
Being a teacher is a highly rewarding role. Many teachers will attest that teaching is one
of the few professions where you can genuinely make a difference in the lives of others.

When asked what the best part of being a teacher is, Callum Thompson, primary school
teacher at Crab Lane in Manchester, says: “Getting kids to be passionate about
learning, especially in the tougher subjects like maths or science. And seeing kids make
progress and be proud of themselves is a highly rewarding experience. Kids are
amazing; they make me laugh every single day.”

The best part of being a teacher for Fran Crampton, year three teacher at St John the
Baptist School in Spalding is doing something completely different every day. “There is
never a day when I don’t want to go to work. We are very lucky as my colleagues are
my best friends and we’re a big family. Someone is always laughing or smiling, and
there’s always someone there for support.

“I have friends who have worked at schools and then left, and regretted it. The
relationship that teachers have with each other is typically very close.”

“For me, it’s when someone has learned something that I have taught them,” says
Francesco Milano, teacher of modern foreign languages at Trafalgar School in
Portsmouth. “When, at the end of the day, a young person comes to me to say they’ve
learned something today. It’s beautiful. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Houlia L’Aimable, a retired headteacher, now a teaching volunteer at St. Elizabeth’s

School in Hertfordshire – a Pupil Referral Unit for children outside of the mainstream
education system – has a different opinion to offer. “I loved being in the classroom and
loved doing magic tricks in science lessons. To see the children love the lessons you
are teaching is a real joy.

“Gaining the confidence and trust of children with additional needs, and working with
their families to bring the children back into education, are experiences that you simply
wouldn’t get in a different job.

“I have helped blind children take to the slopes of Austria and France – an experience
that was out of this world. Even helping some children to learn how to brush their teeth
gives such a sense of achievement. You don’t go into teaching for the money, you do it
for the passion.”

Teacher salary
So, how much is a school teacher salary?

The average salary for a teacher in the UK is around £37,500. Like with most
professions, teachers pay is entirely dependant on where in the country you work, the
type of institution you work in – a school, college, university or specialist area of
education – and the subjects in which you specialise.

According to the National Education Union teacher salary scale, teaching roles in

London are typically paid at a higher rate than the rest of England and Wales. For
example, a newly qualified teacher in London could be paid a salary of up to £30,000 –
whereas this figure is approximately £23,720 in other areas of the country.

As your experience and length of service increases, so will your salary. Experienced
teachers are typically paid between £36,500 and £48,000, depending on location and
type of expertise.

With progression also comes opportunities to explore various leadership roles within the
teaching profession, such as deputy head and headteacher positions, and education
leadership roles with private organisations, or with local authorities. These posts are
often highly paid and it is not uncommon for the most senior leaders to earn well into six
figures.
For more information about the average salary for teacher jobs in the UK, use the
Totaljobs Salary Checker. You can also search for teaching jobs in your area on
Totaljobs to get a sense of local opportunities.

Where do teachers work?

Because of the national demand for good teachers, there is no shortage of opportunities
for qualified candidates.“We recruit across a mix of primary and secondary schools and
we also provide staff to SEN schools,” says Scott Simmons, managing director for
education at London Teaching Pool Ltd. “We were once asked to recruit home-based
tutors for a company that specialises in whiteboards and lesson resources for teachers.”

The most common places for teachers to work, include:

 State primary schools and secondary schools.

 Academies.
 Private schools.
 Colleges.
 Universities.

However, schools are not the only places where teachers can work. In fact, according to
a BBC report, upwards of 48,000 children across the UK are homeschooled; a figure
that has risen by 40% in just three years.

Additionally, there are more than 20,000 pupils in ‘alternative provision’ – the umbrella
term for Pupil Referral Units or PRUs. These specialist units support children who have
been excluded from mainstream schools, or who are “unable to access education
through the classroom environment,” explains Houlia L’Aimable, a teaching volunteer at
St. Elizabeth’s School in Hertfordshire.

“I work with children who have had issues with gangs or drugs, who are not able to
manage in a classroom environment – children who are highly anxious or who have
experienced trauma. I help them to believe in themselves and support them with
integration into a college or succeed in life.

“Nowadays there is lots of gang culture, peer pressure and bullying, and parents are
unable to deal with the situation because of their child’s issues in the mainstream
schools. PRUs are places where we can manage behaviour through strategies that are
tailored to the children.”

As well as these specialist provisions, there are many other public and private sector
organisations who employ teachers. Sarah Vaughan, founder of The Do Try This at
Home School believes that a teaching degree can open up many opportunities. “You
can apply the skills from teaching to work in charities, children’s centres, social services,
and special education schools,” she says. “You can also establish your own business
independently selling lesson plans or as a tutor in the private sector. Or you can travel
or move abroad teaching English as a foreign language. The opportunities are truly
endless!”

Types of teaching jobs

As we’ve discovered, there are many types of teachers and equally as many school
teacher jobs. However, all of them have the same basic requirements: to impart
knowledge to students and support them with their educational journey.

“Starting at the beginning, you can become a trainee teacher at an apprentice level,”
says Hannah Wilson, executive headteacher at Aureus School & Aureus Primary
School. “You’ll then progress to a classroom teacher and then a teacher with
responsibility, such as a head of year. Then there are transitional teaching roles into
senior leadership, such as assistant/deputy head and headteacher. We also now have
newer roles such as the executive headteacher, who’ll look after more than one school.
The teaching career ladder is much longer and wider than it used to be – there are so
many different pathways.”

If you’re considering a teaching career, the most common types of teaching roles,
together with salary outlook, are detailed below.

Primary School teacher

What does a primary school teacher do?

“In a primary classroom you are trying to get the children to be confident and
communicative,” says Kay Sanderson, programme manager for the UK government
initiative, Transition to Teach. “If a child can communicate and can ask questions, it sets
them up for secondary school. The early years’ experience is crucial.

“The role of the primary school teacher is to carry on the work of the parents/guardians.
Children need a deep-rooted learning experience that a primary teacher can build on.”

Fran Crampton, lead teacher, believes that more so now than ever before, when more
and more parents are working and don’t have as much time for their children, the role of
a primary school teacher is to “be in a good mood.”

“You are the lifeline for the children and they look up to you. Motivating and inspiring
children, and ensuring they are engaged, is really important. A primary school teacher
will spend more time with the kids during the day than the parents do, so if the kids are
upset about something they’ll tell you about it. It’s our job to listen.”

Primary school teacher salary

The starting salary for a primary school teacher is “around £24,000 with an increase
every year, paid holidays and a good pension,” says Kay Sanderson, programme
manager for the UK government initiative, Transition to Teach. “The teaching profession
can be ‘time rich’, not necessarily ‘money-rich’. Teaching is probably one of the safest
jobs available these days if you’re looking for job security.”

Fran Crampton, year three teacher at St John the Baptist School in Spalding advises
that a newly qualified teachers’ salary can rise quite quickly after the NQT year. “Every
year you’ll receive an increment allowance of £1,000 until you reach the tip of the pay
scale. Performance management thresholds can take you up to around £35,000. Maths
and science teachers can also get additional tax allowances, too.”

Consider exploring primary school teacher roles on Totaljobs to get a sense for what’s
available in your area.

Secondary School teacher

What does a secondary school teacher do?

The role of a secondary school teacher is to “carry on the coaching theme and settle the
kids into the transition from primary to secondary school,” says Kay Sanderson,
programme manager for the UK government initiative, Transition to Teach. “You need to
build on organisational skills and identify children that may need extra support. And
then, later on, your role is to help the children to think about their future options.

“Teachers should be innovative, make links with industry and partners and think outside
the box about what children need to prepare for the future. Secondary teachers should
engage with parents and share best practice to foster and develop the passions of the
children they are teaching.”

Francesco Milano, who teaches modern foreign languages, believes a teacher is an

“educator who should inspire, motivate and prepare children for life outside of
education.”

“Don’t just focus on what you teach,” he adds. “Encourage the children in all of their
subjects: languages, PE, history, geography. In each of their subjects, kids can find the
path for life. You should be an advisor every day, developing yourself to be able to
improve your students.”

Secondary school teacher salary

Salary scales for a secondary school teacher are very similar to that of a primary school
teacher and can start at around £24,000. However, salaries will rise rapidly depending
on whether you teach in London – which has a higher salary rate than the rest of the UK
– and what subjects you teach.

There can be additional bonuses for more difficult subjects such as maths and science.
Plus, you could receive teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments if you take
on other responsibilities over and above the standard classroom duties.

The average salary for a secondary school teacher in the UK is £39,000. However, it is
not uncommon for seasoned secondary school teachers to be paid more than £45,000.
To find out about opportunities for secondary school teachers in your area, search the
Totaljobs website.

Head teacher

What does a Head teacher do?

“The role of a head teacher is to ensure the environment is conducive to allow teachers
and students to maximise their opportunities,” says Harry Cutty, headteacher of Cantell
School. “In our school, we operate a culture of high expectations and no excuses. We
do the very best for our youngsters and help our staff to manage work-life balance. Our
staff are treated as our biggest asset.”

“A headteacher should foster the very best teaching and learning – research and
continued professional development is at the heart of everything we do. We allow staff
to take risks so we can deliver an exceptional learning experience for our youngsters,
day in and day out.”

“A headteacher sets very strong and robust systems and structure while allowing people
to be as creative as possible,” concludes Cutty.

As the executive headteacher for two schools – Aureus secondary and Aureus primary
school – Hannah Wilson works at the heart of a boom area where lots of new schools
are being commissioned. She believes a “headteacher is the figurehead of a team of
educators; they make sure the education needs of the whole community are met.”

“As a headteacher, you drive vision and values of the school. The buck stops with you!
It’s a hugely rewarding but very stressful role, and it takes around three to five years to
really find your feet as a headteacher.”

Head teacher salary

On average, head teachers earn a basic salary of between £32,500 and £47,500
depending on the type of school and where in the country they work. Head teachers
who work on an interim basis – stepping into a short-term role until a permanent
replacement can be found – can typically work on a self-employed basis and charge a
day rate of between £180 and £350 per day.

Explore head teacher job ads on Totaljobs to get a sense of what jobs are available in
your area.

Supply teacher

What does a supply teacher do?

Unlike a permanent teaching post, supply teachers are not directly employed by one
school. They are typically self-employed qualified teachers who prefer the flexibility of
choosing when and where they work. As well as having direct relationships with
schools, supply teachers can also work for an agency who will find the work on their
behalf.

“When you work as a supply teacher, you teach from someone else’s plans and
activities, filling in for teacher absences in schools,” explains Sarah Vaughan, founder of
The Do Try This at Home School. “Supply teachers need to be prepared for everything,
especially in primary schools where they can provide cover across multiple subjects.
The best thing about being a supply teacher is the flexibility to work when you choose.
You can also work in lots of different schools and learn best practice from across all
environments.”

Supply teacher salary

Because supply teachers are self-employed, they will typically charge a day rate to the
schools they work in. This day rate can fluctuate depending on the supply teacher’s
area of specialism, where in the country they work, and the type of school they’re
placed in.
“If you’ve done your QTS year, you can earn around £120 per day,” suggests Sarah
Vaughan, founder of The Do Try This at Home School.

“On a temporary basis, we’ll place supply teachers into schools at around £120 per day
on emergency day-to-day cover, or around £170 per day for a long-term supply
arrangement,” confirms Scott Simmons, managing director for education at London
Teaching Pool Ltd.

Find out about supply teaching jobs in your area, search Totaljobs.

Private teacher

What does a private teacher do?

A private teacher, often called a tutor, is typically self-employed and provides one-on-
one or small group lessons based on their specific area of expertise.

A private teacher can hold their lessons anywhere – in a school environment, at a

student’s house, or even online – and, if teaching a subject that is outside of the
educational curriculum, they are not necessarily required to have teaching
qualifications. Private tutoring sessions will typically last up to one hour and are
provided to help students with things like:

 Preparing for exams, for example SATs, GCSEs or A-levels.

 Literacy and numeracy foundation skills.
 Advanced skills in subjects such as English, maths and science.
 Music and language lessons.

Because a private teacher is often not associated with or employed by a specific school,
they can enjoy more flexibility in their working day than a traditionally employed primary
or secondary school teacher. Private teachers often set their own working hours,
negotiate their lesson plans with their students (or students’ guardians), and use
whatever teaching methods they feel are necessary to deliver the teaching
requirements.
However, private teachers are also responsible for making their own money, handling
their own tax affairs, and managing their own schedules to fit in around their student’s
requirements.

Private teacher salary

Private teachers typically charge by the hour. Depending on the complexity of the
subject they teach, their level of qualifications and how in demand their skills are,
private teachers can charge anywhere from £20 to £60 per hour.

If a private teacher is contracted through an agency, then the agency will take a
commission from the teacher’s hourly rate. Private teachers are also responsible for
their own expenses such as stationary, travelling costs, and practice examination
papers. So this should be a consideration when calculating an hourly rate.

Search the Totaljobs for private teaching jobs.

What roles can I be promoted to

after being a teacher?
Because teaching is such a high demand profession, newly qualified teachers can
rapidly progress through the ranks and explore many challenging and exciting teaching
opportunities.

The number of available education jobs and the direction of a teaching career is almost
endless. Commonly, classroom teachers progress into management positions like head
of a department, head of a year, pastoral roles and senior positions in the school.

“In our school, promotion can include you can be given phase leadership roles where
you’re in charge of two or three year groups,” says Fran Crampton, year three teacher
at St John the Baptist School in Spalding. “Teachers can also specialise, or move into
roles such SENCO (special needs co-ordinators), safety leads, or school council lead. If
you progress to a leadership role, then you could rise up the pay scale quite quickly and
work towards a deputy head or head teacher position.

On the other side of the coin, there is always a need for teachers who are not following
a progression path within their teaching career, and simply want to remain as a
classroom teacher. Some may argue that there are not enough of these types of
teacher in the modern school system.

“Teachers who want to continue teaching and not go into leadership roles should be
celebrated within schools,” says Harry Cutty, headteacher of Cantell School.

Teaching career paths

Due to the nature of the teaching profession, there is no set career path for a teacher to
follow. Some teachers will quickly progress into specialisms such as special educational
needs (SEN), others will develop a leadership career path, while some are more
comfortable remaining in the classroom for the majority of their career.

However, the teaching profession is as exciting as it is challenging. Opportunities are

endless. And, once they have gained experience, a teacher can choose to work in many
environments that focus on child or adult education.

A linear career for a school teacher may look something like this:

Teaching assistant > Secondary teacher > Head of maths (or head of any subject) >

Interim or Deputy head teacher > Head teacher

How do I get a teaching job?

If you’re considering teaching as a career path, you may be wondering how to become
a teacher or if you meet the requirements for teaching.
The brilliant news is, because of the shortage of teachers entering the profession, the
government will often incentivise individuals who want to become a teacher with funding
opportunities.

“We need to start talking more about teaching as a profession and we need to do more
of that within our careers guidance at a much earlier age – from year nine onwards,”
suggests Harry Cutty, headteacher of Cantell School. “We need to give our young
people at university the opportunity for experience within the classroom and observe the
teaching and learning that’s taking place. They need to immerse themselves in a school
for a period of time, so they know that they can continue to teach for the majority of their
working life.”

Becoming a teacher is also much more accessible than perhaps it used to be. There are
now several different routes into teaching, so there’s a great range of opportunities for
on-the-job training. “There’s also a variety of roles within schools now, and schools are
far more innovative at creating roles that didn’t exist years ago,” suggests Cutty.

Scott Simmons, managing director for education at London Teaching Pool Ltd, suggests
that in the modern world of job hunting, the easiest and quickest route to getting a
teaching job is to go through an agency. He says: “As recruiters, we’re in the best
position to hire marketing professionals to help with teacher recruitment, and we will use
social media much more than schools do to search for the right people to fit the right
jobs.”

“If a good teacher walks through our doors today, by following a rigorous process we
could have them working tomorrow. The market currently is teacher-led, which is very
positive for jobseekers right now.”

But what if you’re a career changer? Is the teaching profession open to you, too?

“Absolutely!” says Kay Sanderson, programme manager for the UK government

initiative, Transition to Teach. “As a career changer you could approach us at Transition
to Teach – our organisation was set up to assist and support career changers into
teaching roles. You would be guided through the process to assess your eligibility and
we would support you to complete a UCAS form. The questions on the form will help
you to decide if you should take your PGCE at university or go straight to your Qualified
Teacher Status (QTS), which you would achieve through teacher training.”

“There are also salaried and nonsalaried routes, depending on your qualifications and
experience. Certain subjects will attract bursaries, such as languages, sciences and
maths. And, the government has recently suggested that changes are afoot with funding
which could, in the future, make financing of your second career much easier.”

What are the skills needed to be a

teacher?
When it comes to the skills required to be a teacher, Callum Thompson, primary school
teacher at Crab Lane in Manchester, suggests that “you have to be extrovert and
comfortable with standing in front of a class of 30 or holding an assembly for 150 kids.
You really need a sense of humour and humility. And understand that teachers are not
infallible, you’re allowed to make mistakes.”

Some of the most common teaching skills include:

 Strong written and verbal communication skills.

 Strong knowledge of the subject being taught.
 Organisational skills: you’ll need to juggle many simultaneous projects and
administrative tasks.
 IT skills.
 Numerical and literacy skills (GCSEs A* to C are required to enter the teaching
profession).
 Emotional intelligence and resilience.
 The ability to interpret the behaviour of children and judge when something may
be wrong or when they require extra help.

The skills you need to be a good teacher have changed a lot, says Hannah Wilson,
executive headteacher at two schools outside of Oxford. “Back in the day, teacher
recruitment was based very much on subject knowledge. Although this is still important,
a teacher is much more than the subject they teach. I recruit the right people for the
team, where their vision and values align with ours. Once we have the right people, we
can upskill where we need to.”

Houlia L’Aimable, a teaching volunteer at St. Elizabeth’s School in Hertfordshire,

suggests that communication skills are the most important. “You can have the brain of
the year,” she says. “But if you can’t communicate, then you can’t teach.”
What are the most in demand teaching
skills?

While many schools and other institutions require their teaching staff to have a set of
common skills, there are some that are more in demand than others.

“Resilience and organisation skills are always in demand,” suggests year three teacher
Fran Crampton. “Finding ways of managing the workload and not cutting corners.
Teachers can be under a lot of pressure, so resilience is key.”

Head teacher Harry Cutty has observed a great deal of time pressure on teachers to
deliver curriculum content and ensure students achieve certain grades. “Staff just need
to give themselves some time for reflection during lessons. They need to stand back
and watch. They need to see more of what the students are understanding and what
they’re not. Teachers that can take a step back, breathe and assess is somewhat
lacking in schools currently.”

Teachers with tenacity, grit and resilience are also in demand, suggests Hannah
Wilson, executive headteacher at two regional schools. “There is so much pressure on
children in our society, and as a school, you become the sponge for this. The staff that
fly in our school stay focussed and keep pushing forward, no matter what the setbacks.”

What qualifications do I need to be

a teacher?
Formal teaching qualifications are essential if you want to teach in UK primary or
secondary schools. Although in more recent years, the route to achieving the
qualifications needed to be a teacher is more accessible than ever.

All teachers need to reach Qualified Teacher Status if they want to teach at a state-
funded academy, or a primary or secondary school. There are several ways to achieve
this, including studying at university or on-the-job training.
You can also achieve QTS status by gaining the Post Graduate Certificate of Education
(PGCE) which is also obtained through university study. Having a PGCE is not
necessary to become a teacher, but it does allow for further study towards a master’s
degree in education.

“You will need Maths and English at GCSE grade C level or above. You’ll also need a
degree, preferably an honours degree as it attracts a bursary,” explains Kay Sanderson
of Transition to Teach. “It’s essential to have all of your original certificates or a
transcript. You’ll also need eligibility to work in the UK and have a DBS check to work
with children and young people.”

Executive headteacher Hannah Wilson confirms that you do need a degree to teach,
although “not necessarily in the subject you want to teach. You can do a B.Ed. or a BA,
and then a pathway course to obtain your PGCE or QTS status.

“You also need to be committed to lifelong learning. And then, depending on where you
end up teaching, there are often different programmes to follow, including leadership
development programmes if you want to branch out into leadership.”