Whilst a teaching career is a popular choice for graduates, and there is a wide range of training routes available to get into different areas of education, a key consideration is whether or not teaching is a suitable vocation for you.
This will involve identifying your own skills, motivations and qualifications to map your suitability for a role in early years, primary, or secondary teaching.
Key areas to consider
Age group and level: Are you confident you know which age group you want to work with?
In England, 3 to 5-year-olds are covered by the Early Years Foundation; 5 to 7-year-olds by Key Stage 1; 7 to 11-year-olds by Key Stage 3; 11 to 14-year-olds by Key Stage 3; and 14 to 16-year-olds by Key Stage 4.
These key stages are covered from nursery through to secondary school through compulsory education in England. Beyond these age groups, 16 to 19-year-olds are covered by post-compulsory education or training, including A Levels, T Levels and vocational qualifications, such as modern apprenticeships.
If you feel unsure about what age group you would be best suited to working with, we would encourage you to gain some experience in different educational settings to understand more about the requirements and demands of working with children and young people.
Academic qualifications: Do you have the right academic qualifications?
Work in most educational settings will require you to have a degree and/or a teaching qualification relevant to the age group you are working with. Therefore, you will need to ensure you are clear about the requirements for the level of teaching you are interested in.
To teach at primary and secondary level, you will need to have GCSEs at grade 4(C) or above in English and maths (and science if you want to teach Primary). You will also need a degree in any subject, or an equivalent qualification, to enrol on postgraduate teacher training. If you do not currently possess a degree, you can do an undergraduate teacher training course to work towards a degree alongside qualified teacher status (QTS).
You may also be eligible to do a teacher degree apprenticeship (TDA). You can find out more about qualification requirements through the Get Into Teaching website.
A varied skill set: Do you have good interpersonal, organisational and problem-solving skills?
Teaching as a vocation – regardless of the age group you are working with – demands a diverse set of skills to enable you to build positive and effective relationships with your learners, as well as manage a demanding workload.
Interpersonal skills, including excellent verbal communication and the ability to deliver content in a dynamic way are essential. You will also be expected to build relationships with parents, colleagues and other staff members supporting your learners. Your written communication skills will also need to be strong, as you will be required to prepare reports and other documents relating to your pupils’ development and progress.
Teaching – regardless of the level – comes with high demands on your time. Therefore, you will need to have great organisational skills, along with the ability to motivate others.
Resilience will also be an essential quality when developing approaches to behaviour management, providing varied delivery and assessment techniques, as well as addressing a range of challenges inside and outside of the classroom, such as safeguarding, health and safety, and administrative tasks.
The rewarding nature of teaching and a genuine commitment to bringing out the best in your learners will be driving factors in your decision to pursue teaching, and you will be provided with lots of support, training, and ongoing professional development to help you succeed. Find out more about the key skills needed throughout your teaching career.
Find out more about how to get into teaching, the different routes available, and how to get your applications underway through our dedicated article.
Your teaching career planning checklist
Before researching more about the potential routes into teaching and getting your applications underway, make sure you have asked yourself the following questions:
- What subject do you want to teach? This could be your degree subject, across disciplines, or relating to any industry experience you have as a potential career-changer.
- What age group are you interested in working with and do you have any relevant experience of working with them? This won’t only be important in terms of strengthening your applications, it is essential for your decision-making process.
- What is your motivation behind applying to teaching? Prospective training providers and/or employers will want to see your genuine commitment to the profession and any ongoing development opportunities.
- Are you willing to adapt your routine and schedule? Teaching – regardless of the level – will typically require commitment outside of “standard” working hours, such as marking and assessing learning outside of the classroom, supporting learners through extra-curricular activities, and attending progress meetings – whether that be with parents of learners or colleagues. Are you prepared for this?
Overall, teaching – regardless of the level and the age group you are working with – can offer an incredibly rewarding vocation. Though it comes with its challenges, if you are a proactive, resilient and empathetic individual, securing work in the education sector could offer a positive career path for you as a recent graduate.
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