Becoming A teacher

Teaching is an important and increasingly popular choice of career for all kinds of people.

Whatever your circumstances – if you’re about to graduate, or looking for a change of direction – there are more ways to enter the profession than ever before. See www.tda.gov.uk for full details and opportunities

Find out from teachers themselves what a job in teaching is really like.

To ensure teaching is the right career choice for you, it makes sense to get some classroom experience. Training providers want to know that you have the skills and motivation to teach, and you will usually be expected to have experience of working with children of the relevant age, preferably in a school environment.

Some institutions do not interview candidates who have not had recent observation experience in a state school. For primary Postgraduate or Professional Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses, many institutions stipulate that you should have completed a minimum of two weeks’ observation experience before your interview. Some institutions require 30 days or more.

If you are not able to complete the experience quickly, do not delay sending your GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry) application, but state in the application that you have experience arranged in the near future.

How do you get work experience?
Use your contacts through family and friends. You can also contact schools direct to ask for work experience or to observe classes or shadow teachers. Work experience in schools is popular and it may take time to arrange a placement.

There are a number of programmes available to gain experience of working in schools:
• Student Associates Scheme (SAS): Allows current students to spend 15 days in a school working alongside experienced teachers and assisting in classroom teaching. It attracts a tax-free bursary of £40 per day. Find full details on the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website.

• Student tutoring programmes: Some institutions offer student tutoring programmes through which you go into schools to help with classes. This might be for one afternoon a week over a set number of weeks, or for a block placement. These programmes are often available through university careers services or students’ unions.

•Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS): If you are a maths, science, technology, engineering or modern languages undergraduate, your department may offer a classroom-based module, which involves students spending around 40 hours working in schools. Students keep a journal of their time in school and give a presentation of their experiences, both of which are assessed. At the time of writing, about 88 departments in 34 universities in England offer the Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS).

• Open Schools Programme (OSP): Participating in the OSP will give you the opportunity to spend a day observing your chosen subject or age range being taught at one of over 700 participating schools. Telephone Visit the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website to find out more.

• Taster Courses and open days: These are organised by universities and colleges offering PGCE courses to offer an insight into teaching and teacher training. Taster courses last three days and tend to be targeted at shortage subjects or candidates from under-represented groups. Telephone the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 or visit the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website to find out more.

• Paid work: You may be able to obtain paid work in schools as a cover supervisor, teaching assistant, laboratory technician or learning mentor, for example. These posts are usually advertised on local authority (LA) websites or recruitment agencies. The TeacherNet website has more information on teaching assistants.

• Voluntary work: Most local authorities (LAs) run schemes for voluntary mentors to work with pupils on a one-to-one basis. Contact your LA for more information. Many universities work closely with local schools to encourage pupils to consider higher education (HE). University students can mentor pupils and help run summer schools and other events that link schools and universities. Ask your university careers service or widening participation/access department if there are any activities you could get involved in.

Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks
In some cases you will need to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check done before you can undertake work experience. Explore this at an early stage when setting up experience, as the processing time for a check can sometimes hold up start dates.

Training Entry Profiles (TEPs)
If you have accumulated active classroom experience, it may be worth completing a Training Entry Profile (TEP). This is a web-based resource that enables all potential trainee teachers to record and reflect on their teaching-related experiences and achievements. Your TEP may be used by a teacher training provider to analyse your individual training needs both before and during your course.

Work experience tips
• Keep a diary of any work experience you do; this will be invaluable when it comes to writing your applications or preparing for interviews.

• Write notes about anything that you experience. For example, if a lesson did not work, think about how you would do it differently.

• Think about classroom control, different teaching styles and effective uses of presentation or technology.

For full information see www.prospects.ac.uk

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