Teaching opportunities & challenges in the UK

For a start things are changing in the world of teaching. Recent reforms give teachers better rewards, better career prospects and more opportunities to develop and update their skills and knowledge. These changes are reflected in the numbers of people going into teacher training.

Over 29, 000 people are expected to start initial teacher training courses in England this year which represents a rise for the second year in succession and the highest number of trainees since 1994-5.

But it's not just better prospects that get teachers out of bed. Even though we took it for granted at the time, teachers like to teach. What other job can give you the opportunity to make a difference to so many young people's lives?

Teaching is now a challenging, rewarding profession with better prospects than ever before. It's also better paid. Under the new salary scales for teachers in England and Wales, a good experienced classroom teacher can earn up to £31,000; a teacher in senior management role up to £36,800; an advanced skills teacher up to £44,600; and a headteacher up to £78,800. There are additional allowances of up to £3,000 for posts in London so a newly qualified teacher in inner London would start on £20,000 (the national basic is £17,000).

So, if you're interested - how do you start training?

If you are looking to combine your degree - usually a BEd, BA or BSc - with gaining Qualified Teacher Status, two basic choices are available to you:

Full-time study - combine your subject and professional studies with school-based training of at least 24 weeks for three year courses and 32 weeks for four year courses. Part-time study - certain Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers offer five year part-time courses. You will need to check availability with the provider you are hoping to train with.

To find out more call the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 for details about the undergraduate routes to QTS and for names of ITT providers who offer the training. For more information on choosing a provider then visit the TTA website www.canteach.gov.uk. If you already know which specific course you are interested in, the UCAS handbook provides a list of all available undergraduate courses. You can view the list on their website: www.ucas.ac.uk.

Application forms are also available from your school or college, or direct from UCAS. The UCAS website now enables you to keep track of the progress of your application. (http://www.ucas.ac.uk/appenq/index.htmlll)

Applications to all teacher training courses are considered on their own merit against an agreed and published selection criteria.

If you are unsure about which age group you would like to teach or whether life in the classroom would be suitable, you might find a taster course useful. These usually last around three days and are aimed at under-graduates and mature career changers. There are courses for different subjects and for primary and secondary teaching. Call the Teaching Information Line for more details (0845 6000 991).

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