Job Description
Secondary School Teachers are responsible for teaching students aged 11-19, helping them shape their futures and develop their career options. They will normally specialise in one or two subjects and will prepare lesson plans in line with the national curriculum, this could be in a state or independent school. They will teach students of different abilities and prepare them for exams such as GCSE's and A Levels. Other responsibilities will include taking registers and writing reports, talking to parents and carers about their child's progress and following safeguarding guidelines to provide a safe and healthy environment for students.
Entry Requirements
To become a secondary school teacher you could:
- do an undergraduate degree that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS)
- complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) if you have a first degree without QTS
- Take a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship
- Work towards the role
University
Examples of undergraduate degrees that lead to qualified teacher status (QTS) are:
- Bachelor of Education (BEd)
- Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS
You will usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
- and 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
You could complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) if you have a first degree without QTS. This could be done at university or on a school-based training programme.
You will need
- A first degree in any subject for a PGCE
Apprenticeship
You could take a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship
You will need a degree.
Work based route
You could start as a teaching assistant or learning mentor and take a part time degree, once you have your degree, you can move onto a postgraduate teaching course to qualify as a teacher.
Further information
You will usually need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in a state school in England
You will need to pass numeracy and literacy skills tests
You will need an enhanced background check
You can find out more from Get into Teaching
Required Skills
- Enthusiasm for your subject and a strong desire to teach others
- Creativity to create interesting lesson plans which will keep students enthused
- Good communications skills and the ability to develop good relationships with parents, pupils and colleagues
- Patience and a good sense of humour
- The ability to manage a class full of young people and deal with any challenging behaviour
- Good problem solving abilities
Salary Range
£24,373 to £40,490
