Teaching Career

Teaching is something that always pops into my mind when I'm unsure what to do in terms of a career path and after some further encouragement I think it would be unwise of me to ignore this constant nagging feeling about becoming a teacher. So I've decided to do some research into the requirements needed to become a teacher.

First of all, In terms of teaching I'm more interested in both extremes with regards to age groups, kids (primary/nursery) and adults (college/university). Out of the two I'm more interested in working with a younger audience just because I love kids and also I would like to be there to make a good impression on them at an early stage. I have been told by various friends, colleagues and superiors that I have a good make up for a teacher and the correct temperament. I do feel like I would make for a great teacher myself but I've never known where to start looking and with so much support and encouragement I think maybe the role of a teacher would suit me very well.

Now onto my research and findings on how to become a teacher..

First of all, because I want to work with a younger audience I'm to take a DBS previously known as a CBR check. This is a test that shows I'm clean (no criminal record) and suitable to work with kids.

I also need to take a Initial Teacher Training course (ITT) in order to become a teacher in the UK. These courses also involve spending time as part of school for several weeks. 24 weeks for a secondary school and 18 weeks for a primary school. There are many different ways of achieving the ITT qualification and I'm especially interested in School Direct.

This is the description of their training programme...

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School Direct

The School Direct Training Programme offers places in some of the best primary and secondary schools in the country, and your school will have a job in mind just for you. There are two School Direct routes to choose from, depending on your circumstances:

• The School Direct Training Programme is for high-quality graduates who want to be part of a school while training. You'll pay fees but could be eligible for a bursary of up to £20,000 or a £25,000 scholarship to help you along the way.
• The School Direct Training Programme (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality graduates with at least three years' work experience (in any field), so is a good option for career changers. On this route, you will earn a salary while you train.

School Direct programmes generally last for one year and successful completion leads to qualified teacher status (QTS); many also include a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE).

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As you can see though, although it's great for career changers it does require up to 3 years of experience in any field. But this does mean that I could revisit this idea at a later point in life and get myself sorted out in the here and now so it is something to still take into consideration.

I really like the idea of taking this on at some point if I decide to go down a different route in the meantime because upon successful completion it offers all the qualifications needed and also some valuable experience working within a school.

There are of course various other and quicker ways of becoming a teacher because in the 3 years of waiting to build up experience for the above programme I could take night classes to get a PGCE (post graduate certification in Education) and a QTS (Qualified Teacher Status).

Now onto wanting to be a teach specifically for a primary school.. There are certain subjects that I am required to have basic knowledge of which are the key stage 2 subjects which are listed below.

National curriculum subjects for key stages 1 and 2

Status	Subject
Core subject	English
	maths
	science
Non-core foundation subject	design and technology (D&T)
	information and communication technology (ICT)
	history
	geography
	modern foreign languages (MFL)
	art and design
	music
	physical education (PE)

As well as basic knowledge of these subjects a degree is also required but not a specified one so I would able to get into primary school teaching with a bit more ease as they also provide training. Specialist training for subjects such as PE for example may still require similar experience and training.