Teaching is a career like no other.
There aren’t many jobs where you go home each day knowing you have made a real difference to someone’s life. You could teach children at a primary or secondary school, or share your skills with students aged 16+ with further education colleges and independent training providers.
Here are 5 reasons why you should consider teaching and some information about where to start.
1. Inspire the next generation and shape lives
Everyone remembers a teacher who made a real difference to their life. Teaching allows you to use your knowledge, skills and passion to help students unlock talents they didn’t know they had.
2. Endless variety
Every day is different with never a dull moment in teaching. Teachers are encouraged to think of creative ways to engage their students and you’ll be able to use your experience to help bring your subject to life.
3. Financial support while you train
Depending on the subject you want to teach, there is plenty of financial support available during your teacher training.
- find financial support for teachers in England on the Get into Teaching (external website).
- find financial support for teachers in Scotland on the Teaching in Scotland (external website).
- find financial support for teachers in Wales on the Discover Teaching (external website).
- find out about earning straight away and do funded training on the job as a FE teacher on the Teach in Further Education (external website).
4. Competitive salary and career progression
Visit the Get Into Teaching (external website) to find out about the competitive salary you will earn and the wealth of other benefits including a generous pension scheme you will have access to. And once qualified, there are lots opportunities for you to climb the career ladder in teaching. You can find more details about career progression (external website) on the Get into Teaching website.
5. You won’t be alone
Every year thousands of people make the change and use their experiences and passion for their subject to inspire the next generation. Read about people who have made a career change into teaching (external website) on the Get into Teaching website.
To be eligible to teach you’ll need to meet some standard criteria, like GCSE level qualifications in English and Maths, and usually an undergraduate degree. This may vary in different parts of the country.
In some jobs, you will need to pass a DBS check. For more information visit the gov.uk (external website). Learn more about the DBS process with this guide on YouTube (external website).
Find out more on the Get into Teaching (external website) in England, Teach in Scotland (external website) or Discover Teaching (external website) in Wales. If you’re already a qualified teacher, these sites also include details of teaching jobs available.
Events offer a brilliant opportunity to find out more about teacher training and what a career in teaching has to offer search the Get into Teaching website to find teaching information events happening near you or online (external website).
Visit the National Careers Service for detailed career profiles (external website) and discover what each job involves.
Teaching in Further Education has different entry requirements and application processes to traditional early years, primary or secondary teaching routes. Make sure to explore the Teach in Further Education (external website) to find out more.
