Graduate Careers in Teaching

Graduate careers in teaching are an increasingly popular choice of career. Record numbers continue to enter the profession, coming from all manner of backgrounds. More than 41,000 people began initial teacher training last year, with one in 10 from a minority ethnic background and one in 20 with a declared disability. There are many reasons for the popularity of teaching. The pay for graduate careers in teaching is enough to rival many other industries with newly qualified teachers starting on a salary in September 2007 of at least £20,133 outside London and £24,168 in inner London. Depending on the size of school, pay can rise to more than £90,000 for head teachers – equivalent to the leaders of a sizeable business. And the progression to headship can be swift. Good teachers enjoy excellent career prospects, with heads in their 30’s not uncommon.

Teaching is also a well-supported job. Thorough training ensures teachers are fully prepared before they enter the classroom with newly qualified teachers benefiting from personal mentors. Classroom assistants are widespread and all teachers have half a day out of the classroom a week for planning, preparation and assessment. Subject associations and fellow teachers ensure that there is a substantial network that people can turn to for support and advice.


But what makes teaching different from other careers is the opportunity it offers to work with young people. They make teaching a creative and challenging career in which no two lessons – let alone days – are the same. Passing on your knowledge and enthusiasm and seeing a young person understand something for the first time is a uniquely rewarding experience. Above all, though, teaching is enjoyable. Psychologists were recently sent into classrooms in a variety of schools around the country and found that teachers break into a smile on average 10 times every half an hour and laugh out loud four times during the same period.

How do I become a teacher?

There are several different ways to train to teach, suiting a broad range of circumstances.

All training routes lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS) which is a requirement for teaching in a state maintained school in England.

You can train at a university or college, in a school, or on the job.

You will need to have a degree or equivalent, which should relate to the subject you want to teach. If you’re looking to become a primary school teacher, that means the core subjects of the national curriculum.

All teachers must have also achieved a standard equivalent to at least a grade C in GCSE English language and mathematics and if they want to teach primary or Key Stage 2/3 (ages 7-14), a grade C or equivalent in a GCSE science subject.

Undergraduate routes

There are two ways to compete your degree at the same time as qualifying to teach. You can study either:

• A bachelor of education (BEd) - an honours degree in education, which will give you qualified teacher status in addition to a degree.
  

• A bachelor of science (BSc) or bachelor of arts (BA) with QTS - these are honours degrees that also incorporate initial teacher training.

Like most degrees, BEds and BAs or BScs with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) usually take three or four years full-time. They are run at various universities and colleges around the country and their content varies accordingly. A BEd is a popular choice for people looking to teach primary years but is also an option for people looking to teach secondary.

Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)

The most popular way for graduates to become a teacher is to complete a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE), which focuses primarily on developing your teaching skills.

These are usually one-year courses taken at university or college. If it suits your circumstances better, they can be taken as two-year part-time courses and in some cases via flexible distance learning. PGCEs can also be studied in a school through a school-centred initial teacher training course (see below).

School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT)

School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) courses are postgraduate initial teacher training programmes designed and delivered by groups of neighbouring schools and colleges. As such, they are also often tailored towards the teaching needs of the local community.

Taught by experienced, practising teachers, SCITT courses allow graduates to complete almost all of their training in a school environment. This makes the SCITT route a good option if you would prefer to spend more of your training time in the classroom, putting theory into practice and developing confidence through contact with pupils and other members of staff.

Graduate teacher programme (GTP)

The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) is a good choice for people who want to become teachers but need to earn while they train. It is a programme of on-the-job training, allowing graduates to qualify as a teacher while they work.

Training is tailored to your own individual needs and leads to qualified teacher status (QTS). Training takes from three months to one school year, depending on previous teaching experience.

Registered teacher programme

The Registered Teacher Programme (RTP) allows non-graduates with some experience of higher education to complete their degree and qualify as a teacher at the same time. It is a mixture of work-based teacher training and study. To take part, you first need to be working in a school as an unqualified teacher. This makes the RTP another good option for people who want a teaching career but need to earn while they train.


Once on the programme your training will be tailored to your own individual needs and lead to qualified teacher status (QTS). Your school will also work with a local higher education institution to ensure that you receive suitable training to extend your subject knowledge to degree level.

Funding

There are a variety of funding sources available to trainee teachers, depending on the training route.

If you follow a PGCE or SCITT course, you will be eligible for a non-means tested grant of £1,200 and be able to apply for an additional means-tested grant of £1,500.

In addition, you will be entitled to a tax-free bursary of £9,000 (or £225 a week) if you are training to teach mathematics, science, English (including drama), ICT, design and technology, modern languages and RE. For all other subjects and primary teaching, the bursary is £6,000 (or £150 a week).

If you choose the GTP or RTP route, you will be paid an unqualified teacher’s salary of at least £14,040, which can be higher depending on responsibilities, experience and location.

If you complete any of the postgraduate routes you may be eligible to receive a one-off, taxable golden hello. These come at the start of your second year of teaching, once you have successfully completed your induction period. A £5,000 golden hello is available for maths and science teachers, and a £2,500 golden hello for English (including drama), ICT, design and technology, modern languages, music and RE teachers.

Graduate careers in teaching are amongst the most challenging but rewarding careers you can have. The profession boasts some of the UK’s most innovative, creative and enthusiastic people doing a job that they love and that really makes a difference. To find out more information on graduate careers in teaching visit www.teach.gov.uk Alternatively, call the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 / 992 for Welsh speakers (minicom 01245 45 43 43).