The Essential Guide to Teaching Courses and Careers in the UK
T TEACH UK
How to get your first Teaching job? The rewards of teaching Teaching – which school?
www.studenttimes.org/st_teach
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How to get your first Teaching job? Wanda Marshall from educate. org.uk tells you what to expect from your first interview. ------------------------------------------------------------Before the interview If you are short listed for interview, do some further research about the school. One place you can do this is in Schoolsnet Schools Guide. Another good idea is to visit the school (also to check the journey time) and you can get a good impression of the school by looking at the bus stops around the school at 3.30pm and see how the pupils are acting. You should start to think of questions to ask at the interview - think about what you want from the school, as well as what you can offer. Sample questions might include: • What kind of induction programme does the school run? • What can the school offer in terms of
professional development? •W ill I have my own form right from the start? • Will I have my own classroom?
Training Opportunities in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes The Grand Union Training Partnership is a school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) consortium centred on a group of 11 – 18 comprehensive schools situated in villages and small towns West of Northampton and in Milton Keynes. We provide Secondary PGCE courses validated by The University of Leicester in: English, History, French, German, Science, Mathematics and Business Studies We aim to give trainees, whom we refer to as Associate Teachers, as much practical experience of working in the partnership schools as possible. Each Associate Teacher’s work and programme of study is supervised by a Mentor who will take a close interest in their development as a subject teacher and colleague. This part of the course is complemented by a general professional studies programme provided in co-operation with The University of Leicester. Our overall aim is to produce reflective professionals, confident in applying for and starting their first jobs as secondary school teachers. Over half of our Associate Teachers take up their first teaching posts in the scheme’s partnership schools. Promoting excellence in teaching The Grand Union Training Partnership is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
Contact details The Grand Union Training Partnership, Sponne School (Lead School), Towcester. NN12 6DJ Telephone: 01327 350284 e-mail: training@gutp.org.uk
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Another good idea is to practice answering questions you might be asked. These could include the following: •W hy do you want this job? •D escribe a successful lesson - why was it successful? •D escribe an unsuccessful lesson - why was it unsuccessful? •W hat could you do to motivate reluctant learners, particularly boys? •W hat aspects of your teaching practice have you particularly enjoyed/disliked? •W here do you see yourself in three/five/ ten year’s time? You might also be asked to teach a lesson, or part of one. In this case the school should provide you with copying facilities or an overhead projector, but obviously you should check first to see exactly what’s available. On the day itself leave with masses of time to spare, take an umbrella and the contact details of the school in case of emergencies. It is advisable to wear a suit, or at least some sort of jacket/skirt/trouser/tie combination (as you see fit). The interview It has been long acknowledged that getting a teaching job is one of the most daunting and old-fashioned procedures. Generally the day (and it is often a whole school day) will include a tour of the school by some pupils, lunch or coffee with the department you are applying to and an informal chat with the head of the department. You need to remember that you are probably being assessed the whole time and even the pupils who show you round might report back on the kind
of questions you asked and your attitude to what you were being shown. The main, full-blown interview is generally in the afternoon, with the head, one or all of the deputies, the head of department and sometimes also a governor. On rare occasions you might have more than one governor and other senior staff present, but that is unlikely for a first teaching post. The main feature of the day is usually the waiting around. After all the candidates (usually there will be about five of you) have had their interviews, the panel will retire for anything up to an hour and a half to reach their decision. All the candidates have to sit in the staffroom and wait during this time. Sometimes you will be sent home and telephoned later that day or the next, but the most common occurrence is that the head will come into the staff room and summon one of the candidates (the person being offered the job) back to the interview room. At this point, the unsuccessful candidates still can’t leave, as the chosen one might not accept the job. You may also get feedback at this stage. Accepting or rejecting the job If you have been offered the job, don’t take it if you have any doubt about the school or what you will be required to take on or teach. Even if your rationale is “it’s only for a year”, if you’ve taken an immediate dislike to your head of department, it can be a very long year. Obviously if you’re teaching in certain subject areas you may not be able to be too picky, but if you’ve applied to teach English and you are suddenly being asked to teach four periods a week of year 8 history (which you did do at A-level, but to teach it would require an enormous amount of extra work), you would have decent grounds for turning the job down. It is at this stage that you can try to bargain for better position in terms of salary. Again, depending on your subject area schools may be prepared to throw in all sorts of “perks” if they really want to recruit you. They may offer you an extra point for retention and recruitment, or offer you a few weeks work in July and then pay you through your August holiday. After accepting Make sure you read through the contract and to check that it’s what you agreed at the interview, as it’s far more difficult to change things after signing.
Are you interested in training to teach at a top-ranked School of Education? Ranked as one of the top 15 Schools of Education in England and based on the £120m purpose built de Havilland campus, we provide state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities as well as some of the best university-based sporting and fitness facilities in the country. We offer a range of full-time and part-time PGCE Secondary programmes including: • Modern Foreign Languages (French, French with Spanish, French with German and German with French) • Science • Maths • Art and Design • English • Business Education
We also offer Primary PGCE full-time and by distance learning. The University encourages applications from under-represented groups. For more information on courses, please visit
go.herts.ac.uk/education T: 01707 285732 E: admissions@herts.ac.uk
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Teaching – which school? Once you’re at the stage of gaining hands-on experience teaching, it will be time to pick a school. Not only will the choice of school affect your daily life, it will also affect how much you enjoy your job. Choose carefully and see below for a breakdown of schools.
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------------------------------------------------------------here is no such thing as a typical school. The kind of school you choose to work in will make a significant difference to the kind of experiences you will face as a teacher.
Mainstream schools In England and Wales, 90 per cent of children are educated in state-maintained schools, of which the majority are what you might refer to as mainstream or ‘ordinary’ schools. Their prominence means that there are more teaching positions available in such schools than in any other kind.
Mainstream schools share a lot in common – for instance, they all receive public funding and are required to teach the Na-
Can you keep your head and teach with us? An LA with clear direction, working well together with our schools High achieving pupils who are keen to learn and want to get on Real support for your professional training and development
Are you a qualified teacher?
Come and teach in a Local Authority where Ofsted have found that ‘Levels of attainment at all Key Stages are above the national average and no schools achieve below the government floor targets’. Contact us for details of our vacancies and ‘brokerage system’ for filling these.
Are you a graduate looking to change to a career in teaching? Contact us for details of our very successful Graduate Teacher Programme for graduates wanting to gain Qualified Teacher Status.
Contact us Website: Phone: Email: Post:
www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 796628 ian.skelton@rbwm.gov.uk Recruitment & GTTP Manager Children’s Services, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF
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tional Curriculum but you will find that each school has its own individual characteristics and emphasis. Most visible are the variations in size, location, age group and gender of pupils, presenting both subtly and completely different teaching challenges. Just as significant though is the school’s ethos. Different kinds of schools are run in different ways, implementing different policies and serving different educational needs. For instance, grammar schools select all or most of their pupils according to academic ability – with the intention of catering for relatively high achievers – whereas comprehensive schools are open to children of all abilities. Although rare now, secondary modern schools tend to emphasise practical, vocational skills over academic skills, while church and faith schools incorporate more religious and spiritual elements into the schooling of their children. However, perhaps the biggest single influence on how a particular school is run is its headteacher. Individual personalities and visions vary from head to head, but they always set the tone for what happens both in the staffroom and in the classroom.
Other state schools In addition to ordinary mainstream schools, you may be interested in the varied challenges available at other kinds of state schools. These include: • Special schools, which cater mainly or
wholly for children with statutory statements of special educational needs. • Specialist schools, which teach the whole curriculum but with a focus on a particular subject area. •C ity technology colleges (CTCs), which focus on science, mathematics and technology and offer a wide range of vocational qualifications alongside A-levels and equivalent qualifications. • City academies, which are set up as part of a wider school reorganisation or where there is an unmet demand for school places And • Pupil referral units (PRUs), which cater for children of compulsory school age who may otherwise not receive suitable education, focusing on getting them back into a mainstream school.
Independent schools The remaining 10 per cent of children attend independent schools, usually paying fees set by the individual school. Independent schools are not required to teach the National Curriculum and only some are approved by the DfES to cater for pupils with special educational needs. You do not require qualified teacher status (QTS) to be employed by an independent school, but QTS is well regarded and gives you the flexibility of working in either state-maintained or independent schools.
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Case Study - Amira Devenney (age 25) Amira graduated in English but moved into a career in banking. After 2 years in the role she felt unvalued and frustrated by the profession and explored the opportunity of retraining to teach. Now she teaches Maths and loves the rewards and fun of the challenge of teaching. ----------------------------------------------------------“After graduating from university in 2004 in English Literature I started working for Lloyds TSB as a personal account manager with no real career direction. After working for Lloyds TSB for 2 years I decided that although I was successful in the role I felt that I was not valued enough and did not like such a sales orientated career. Many old school friends were training as teachers at the time and I decided to look at a career in teaching. The main reason I was attracted to teaching was to
make a difference. I have always loved working with children and wanted to be able to teach them tools that they could use for life. I did not just want to be one of a number but become involved in a profession that was recognised as valuable to the next generation and society. I got in touch with a PGCE (Postgraduate certificate in education) lecturer at St Mary’s University after enquiring about training as a secondary school teacher in maths. He provided me with the guidance and encouraged me to train as a mathematics teacher. As I did not have a maths-related degree, I did a TDA-funded Mathematics Enhancement Course that lasted 6 months and was part of SWELTEC (South West London Teachers Education Consortium). I found this invaluable and
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the future is a long standing ethos at Bath Spa University Are you thinking of becoming Teaching is an important and increasingly train to teach. If this is a shortage subject you a teacher the future popular choice of career and whatever your mayof also be eligible to?receive a ‘golden hello’ circumstances – whether you’re about to bonus of between £2,500 and £5,000 once At Bath Spa University we offer teacher training PGCE courses in a wide graduate or looking for a change of direction you’ve completed your first year of teaching. choice of subjects for both Secondary and Key Stage 2/3. – now is the perfect time to start a new and You will receive excellent support from dynamic and highly committed truly rewarding career. PGCE events course tutors, a tax free training bursary of up to £9,000 Teaching is a job where you can inspire Bath Spa University regularly holds PGCE plus a golden hello bonus in some subjects at the inquisitive minds by bringing your own events for those wanting to find out more about end of your first year of teaching. knowledge and creativity to your subject. It becoming a teacher and the full range of PGCE If you feel you can turncourses your talent to teaching offers job security and a structured career on offer. The next one is an open please join us for a coffee to find out more. path, particularly important in the current morning at the Francis Hotel in Bath on 25 April. We have a PGCE Open Morning in Bath on economic climate. Spa also recognises the importance 25 April 2009 – see websiteBath for full details. of building a teaching profession that reflects applications Wide choice of subjects We particularly welcome society’s wide from range of ethnic and social groups under-represented in teaching, Bath Spa University has a long tradition groups and will be running a free taster course notably black and minority ethnic candidates. of Initial Teacher Training and each year a for candidates from a black and minority ethnic Tel: 01225 diverse group of trainees are recruited to 875624 background from 18-20 May. There will also teaching@bathspa.ac.uk PGCE programmes in a rangeEmail: of subjects. be a free taster course for men interested in These include art and design, www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/teaching design and becoming a primary teacher from 8-10 June. technology, English, ICT, mathematics, music, In addition there will be specific events in modern languages, PE, RE and science. May and July for those interested in teaching one of the priority subjects such as maths, Financial incentives science, ICT, music, modern languages and You will also receive generous funding while you design and technology. For further information train, in the form of a tax-free training bursary of visit www.bathspa.ac.uk, email teaching@ up to £9,000, depending on the subject you bathspa.ac.uk or telephone 01225 875624.
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would recommend it to anyone. It was great to get back into mathematics, which I hadn’t done since A-level. The course also provided me with great tools for my PGCE years as it hinted at
pedagogy and we had to prepare for frequent presentations to the rest of the cohort. Teaching mathematics is great fun and rewarding but can be challenging at times, as it is a difficult subject for many children. I have worked with children with special educational needs in my training and my NQT year and its been interesting to adapt your teaching style to different children’s needs. There are so many opportunities for continuing professional development with teaching which is great – you just keep on learning and developing yourself as well as pupils.
Make a difference
Teach. Are you thinking of becoming a teacher of the future?
At Bath Spa University we offer teacher training PGCE courses in a wide choice of subjects for both Secondary and Key Stage 2/3. You will receive excellent support from dynamic and highly committed course tutors, a tax free training bursary of up to £9,000 plus a golden hello bonus in some subjects at the end of your first year of teaching. If you feel you can turn your talent to teaching please join us for a coffee to find out more. We have a PGCE Open Morning in Bath on 25 April 2009 – see website for full details. We particularly welcome applications from groups under-represented in teaching, notably black and minority ethnic candidates. Tel:
01225 875624
teaching@bathspa.ac.uk www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/teaching Email:
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TEACH UK
The rewards of teaching Teaching has many rewards, not only the joy of seeing a pupils’ face light up when they understand a complicated subject. It also offers competitive wages, as well as the chance to access to key worker housing. -------------------------------------------------------------
Pay and benefits
You may be surprised by how rewarding a teaching career can be. With starting salaries matching what you’d receive in many other professions, your experience and performance can see you achieve rapid progression, and enjoy the financial rewards to match. All qualified teachers are paid according to pay scales, updated each September by the Government. You will start on the ‘main’ pay scale and each year, subject to performance, you will move up a step until you reach the maximum level or move on to a scale associated with a different position or level of experience.
Starting salary
location, as well as on your individual school. Compare pay scales.
Once you have completed your initial teacher training and achieved qualified teacher status (QTS), from September 2008 you can expect to start as a newly qualified teacher in England and Wales on £20,627 a year (or £25,000 if you work in inner London).
Teaching benefits In addition to your basic salary, you will also receive a range of benefits, including: • teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments – additional money if you take on additional responsibilities • teachers’ pension – the second largest public sector pension scheme in the country, and • holidays – more days than many people in other professions, although don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll have long hot summers in which to enjoy putting your feet up. Teachers work for 195 days per year in school, and do work during their holidays.
Main pay scale including NQTs • London fringe: £21,619 to £31,138 • Outer London: £24,000 to £33,544 • Inner London: £25,000 to £34,768 • Rest of England and Wales: £20,627 to £30,148
Leadership and headship pay scales For the first few years of your career, you might find yourself progressing to a leadership pay scale, or even a headship pay scale. These pay scales apply include:
Housing and home ownership • headteacher pay scale.
• advanced skills teacher pay scale • excellent teacher pay scheme • leadership group pay scale, and
Where you fit into these scales will depend on your position, experience and
As key workers, teachers may be eligible to join home ownership schemes for help buying a home. Find out more on Direct.Gov.uk.
Brighter Brighter school careers. school careers.
Career Opportunities in Schools Career Opportunities in Schools Teaching and Support Staff Teaching and Support Staff
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