The end of exam season marks the beginning of summer. We see the launch of graduation ceremonies and a period of endless celebrations. It begins a phase of reflection for many students and school leavers to start thinking about taking the next step of embarking on a new journey. Naturally, people see September as the start of a new academic year and therefore unsurprisingly, prior to this, people cease the opportunity to start thinking about a career they would like to go into or even, contemplate a complete change in career. Becoming a world-class teacher could be the right journey for you. This blog will look at some of the different routes to becoming a teacher as well as its advantages and disadvantages.
Routes to becoming a teacher
There are a few different routes into teaching, either a university-led programme or a school led route. Both have their advantages and both will prepare you for becoming a great teacher.
The school led programme is designed for those who learn better through hands-on experience. You will learn on the job quickly and spend more time in the classroom in comparison to the university led route where your time will be divided.
Through the University route, you will gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and is a one or two-year academic qualification. You will be taught the theory through a series of lectures and seminars and undergo various school placements to give you work experience allowing you to put that theory into practice.
The advantages of teaching
There is an abundance of benefits to a teaching career. Not only is there a growing demand for teachers, meaning job offers both part time and full time are more readily available. The career progression is also worth bearing in mind. The clear progression ladder offers massive opportunity. Teaching also offers alternative options for those looking for work on a more temporary basis such as becoming a supply teacher, assistant teacher or home tutoring etc.
A teaching career is extremely character building and will help to improve numerous key skills such as communication, leadership and management all of which are necessary for becoming a great teacher. In today’s society, a career change is a very common thing and therefore, having that experience working at a school developing on these fundamental skills will give you a solid foundation and a great stepping stone for future employment.
Teaching is a vocation where you can really make a difference in a child’s life; it gives you the opportunity to become a role model. In a recent survey, a high percentage of teachers said the difficulties of their job were completely outweighed when it came to helping a student get that ‘light bulb’ moment.
In addition to this, teaching allows you to have a sense of freedom to plan your lessons exactly how you desire. You can be as creative as you want to be in order to make lessons more enjoyable and more engaging for the children.
Disadvantages to a teaching career
As with all jobs, there are some less appealing aspects to a career in teaching. For example, some would argue that it is a lengthy education process which can be expensive. Luckily, there are alternative routes some of which are salaried so you can learn on the job while getting paid. It is advisable to spend some time looking at the alternative routes into education and selecting the best one for you. Speaking to teachers in various schools they would argue that the hours can be long due to the amount of marking and planning that is required. Becoming a teacher does take someone who is dedicated and disciplined; the key to the heavy workload is organisation and maintaining a good work-life balance.
Conclusion
Teaching is one of the most rewarding vocations of today’s society as it gives you the opportunity to really make a difference in a child’s life. As with any career, there are elements of the job that are less attractive however, we believe these are outweighed by the positives. If you are interested in a teaching career, please give us a call today so we can help you with your search. Alternatively, if you are a qualified teacher looking for a new challenge check out our vacancies or simply submit your CV and we will do our best to help you.