Industry insights - Teaching and education
The teaching and education sector can be divided into the following main areas:
Education and training also takes place in non-school settings such as hospitals, prisons and the workplace.
Although teaching is the main area of work, opportunities also exist in teaching-related roles, such as teaching assistants in schools and trainers and educational psychologists who work throughout the sector. Opportunities also exist in areas such as policymaking, administration and technical support.
The primary and secondary education systems in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are similar in their curricula and administration. Scotland has a different system, with its own curriculum and qualifications.
There is a fairly constant demand for graduates in teaching, although over recent years there have been shortages of teachers in science, mathematics, technology and languages. The availability of teaching posts varies between the regions and nations of the UK.
Opportunities exist in direct teaching or training roles and in various kinds of administration and support.
Teaching and training posts are available in:
Teachers can also work as private tutors on a one-to-one basis, on a freelance basis or by being employed by a tutoring company.
For more information on teaching in schools see the Teaching Agency , and for further education lecturing see the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) .
There is a wide range of administration and support roles available, often in HE and FE institutions. These include:
For those who are not attached to a specific institution, there are roles available in:
The teaching and education sector is a challenging, rewarding and inspiring area in which to work. Many educators enjoy their work because of the great satisfaction that comes from imparting knowledge about a subject they are passionate about and helping individuals to learn and develop. Salaries in education, including teaching, are comparable to those of other graduate jobs in the public sector and related professions.
Working hours in education are generally Monday to Friday and usually between 8am and 6pm. Teachers in school often spend some evenings and weekends preparing lessons and marking students' work. Teachers are entitled to 13 weeks' holiday a year, and lecturers in FE and HE usually have at least 35 days' annual leave plus public holidays. University lecturers are expected to pursue research and scholarship outside teaching hours and in vacations. Find out what an academic career is really like at An Academic Career .
Administration and other support staff in educational institutions usually have the same working hours as similar roles in other sectors, though some overtime may be required at busy periods. Part-time hours and flexible working are often available.
In January 2010, there were over 500,000 registered teachers and over 26,000 schools in England and Wales (General Teaching Councils for England and Wales, 2010). Scotland has over 80,000 registered teachers and 2,722 schools (General Teaching Council for Scotland, 2010).
In the UK in 2010, there were over 220,000 teaching staff in 414 FE colleges (Institute for Learning, 2010) and over 175,000 academic staff in 165 HE institutions (University and College Union, 2010).
There are opportunities in all areas of education and education support throughout the UK. Most teaching qualifications from the UK are accepted in other European Union countries. For further details see opportunities abroad.
The following profiles are examples of key jobs that exist in the teaching and education industry. To find the job roles that best match your skills and interests, login to what jobs would suit me?
For even more career ideas, take a look at types of jobs.
Most jobs are advertised. For vacancies in the sector generally, see:
Vacancies in universities and colleges are also advertised on Jobs.ac.uk and in the Times Higher Education (THE) . For vacancies in independent schools, see Independent Schools Council (ISC) .
Specialist recruitment agencies, such as Capita Education Resourcing and e-teach.com , handle vacancies for a range of jobs in education, both temporary and permanent.
Vacancies are advertised throughout the year. For school teaching roles, the peak recruitment period is April to August.
The largest number of vacancies in education is for teaching positions, but demand varies according to location, key stage and subject taught. Currently, the need is greatest for teachers of maths, physics, chemistry and modern languages. In post-compulsory education, there is a need for teachers of literacy and numeracy.
If you are seeking a post as a higher education (HE) lecturer, making contacts through conference attendance, participation in national subject area networks and membership of relevant associations will help.
For non-teaching roles you are unlikely to find formal graduate training schemes. Most graduates seek an opportunity suited to their skills and experience and progress by a combination of on-the-job training and appropriate courses.
Find out more about applying for jobs.
For student-facing roles, experience of working with young people is essential. For other roles, experience in your professional field is more relevant. Experience of working within an educational setting is an advantage for all roles.
There are opportunities for teachers and lecturers to progress to managerial roles through taking on wider responsibilities. This could be for their subject, such as a head of department role in a school or programme leader in HE, or additional non-teaching responsibilities, such as being a head of year or admissions tutor.
Alternatively, you could consider a career move into teaching outside the traditional education setting. Opportunities exist with training companies that deliver training to groups of learners in their own workplace or at a training centre. You could also use your teaching skills as an education officer organising educational programmes for museums, art galleries, libraries, theatres and nature reserves.
In non-teaching roles, career development usually depends on pursuing your own interests and looking out for opportunities. Administrators may move into more specialist posts such as human resources or finance. Competition for senior posts can be intense. Formal professional qualifications can improve promotion prospects and a willingness to relocate may be necessary, especially in HE.
SMEs are organisations with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £44million. They are less prevalent in education than in other sectors.
There are not many opportunities for self-employment in the education sector. Opportunities do exist, however, to work as a private tutor. It is also possible to work on a freelance basis as an examiner marking papers for examination boards. In addition to recent and relevant experience as a teacher, you will also need networking skills and a good marketing strategy, particularly when you first start out.
It is possible to set up your own training company and offer training courses to companies or institutions. This is particularly common in the IT industry and for equal opportunities/human resources issues. There are also some opportunities to work on projects in schools for artists, writers and performers.
Find out more about self-employment.
There is a continuing demand for well-qualified and experienced UK teachers to work abroad. The majority of overseas education opportunities are in teaching or training roles, particularly teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). Overseas vacancies increasingly ask for a TEFL qualification, although there may be lower paid unqualified positions available. Those without a TEFL qualification may find it more difficult to obtain a visa. Prospects for TEFL are currently good, due to the continued demand for English as a global language of business. For more information on TEFL, including training, see English as a foreign language teacher and i-to-i TEFL .
Universities internationally advertise research posts and lectureships, although networks of collaboration are common routes to gaining overseas academic positions. These posts tend to ask for relevant experience and research focus. For jobs based in the UK, some work may be carried out in overseas research facilities, depending on the subject; however, a junior researcher may not get the opportunity to work abroad. Fluency in another language can be very useful, although in a significant number of overseas schools and universities the language of tuition is English.
Whilst European Union (EU) nationals have the right to work in other EU countries, current high levels of unemployment in some countries may mean it is more difficult to find a job.
Short-term opportunities are a popular way for students to gain education experience overseas. These include gap year and vacation jobs in summer camps, sports activities and education in the developing world.
Prospects for non-teaching posts in education overseas vary widely depending upon the kind of work, the qualifications, experience and language skills needed, and visa/work permit restrictions.
Students who complete a four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) or a degree plus PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) are qualified to teach in Europe, New Zealand, USA and Australia. Many countries prefer trained teachers with postgraduate-level qualifications, full qualified teacher status (QTS) and experience.
Long-term posts to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL) often ask for a diploma or postgraduate qualification in TEFL, as well as full QTS and post-qualification experience. A short course at certificate level may be sufficient for shorter-term posts.
For administration and support roles, a UK degree is widely recognised in both English and non-English speaking countries.
TEFL opportunities exist worldwide in countries where the national language is not English, for example, Japan, China and countries in the Middle and Far East. Employers include commercial language schools, mainstream schools and colleges, and multinational companies.
For teaching posts and posts in the education sector in general, opportunities occur in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, there is also a demand for UK qualified teachers in other countries, such as China. International schools globally recruit qualified teachers at primary and secondary level. However, depending on the type of school, there may not be an opportunity to complete the Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year.
Although service children's education has been reduced with recent cutbacks, there may be opportunities teaching in HM Forces schools abroad. For more information see Working for Service Children's Education .
Openings for voluntary work exist in a wide range of countries, including North America and Australia, where you can work with children in summer camps, providing pastoral care and leading sports activities. In developing countries, there are opportunities in informal teaching, community and welfare roles. Voluntary work opportunities for recent graduates are normally short term and volunteers may have to pay for living expenses as well as travel. For longer-term voluntary work you will usually need professional training and experience. Research any opportunities thoroughly to ensure you are happy with the project and terms and conditions on offer.
Government responsibility for educational matters is divided between the Department for Education (formerly the Department for Children, Schools and Families) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) . The Department for Education coordinates educational policy and is responsible for schools and other matters affecting children and families, including childcare and child protection. BIS is responsible for increasing the level of skills in the workforce, from basic literacy and numeracy to advanced level skills. It also funds and monitors the performance of further education (FE) and higher education (HE).
The education and public expenditure policies of the coalition government are likely to have an impact on employment within this sector. Non-school roles in education, for example, are being affected by a move to diminish the role of local authorities (LAs) in favour of greater autonomy for schools and to decrease the number of quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations) in the sector.
The coalition government is expanding the Academies Programme , increasing the number of schools with academy status. Academies have greater autonomy and freedom from LA control, including more discretion on budgets and employment of staff. It has also introduced Free Schools , which are non-profit making, independent, state-funded schools, newly established by partnerships which may include charities, businesses, universities, teachers and parents.
School standards remain a concern in education, with assessment and league tables occupying much attention. After many years with the focus on literacy and numeracy, there is now increasing attention on the numbers of students achieving the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), awarded for gaining GCSEs at grade C or above in English, maths, two sciences, a language and a humanities subject. This has led to an increase in pupils taking these core academic subjects, rather than more vocational subjects, which may have implications for teacher numbers in these areas.
The government has proposed reforms to teacher training, with a greater emphasis on schools-based routes than on university teacher training, and with higher entry requirements. At the same time there are proposals to fast-track ex-armed forces personnel into teaching and to exempt teachers in Free Schools from the requirement to have qualified teacher status (QTS). These changes, if implemented, will have implications for students and graduates considering becoming teachers.
The most significant issue in HE is the change to funding, with the introduction of student fees of up to £9,000 per annum from 2012. Further planned legislation will promote greater competition between universities, enabling new private institutions to receive government financial support, allowing degrees to be taught by one body and awarded by another and inviting universities to compete for extra student places. It is currently uncertain how this will affect student numbers and, consequently, the financial position of HE institutions and the employment prospects for their workforce.
Up until 2017, the numbers in primary education are expected to rise to their highest level since the late 1970s. Numbers in secondary schools have been declining since 2004 and are projected to continue to do so until 2016; from this date the current primary bulge begins to move up into the secondary phase. The government's commitment to raising the age of participation in education and training to 18 by 2015 will further boost numbers in secondary and tertiary education. These changes may in turn affect the numbers employed in the education sector, although several other factors also come into play.
The effects of economic changes are being felt in education at the present time but are much harder to predict in years to come. Current restrictions in public expenditure are likely to continue for some years, but governments are always keen to be seen to protect expenditure on education and services for children. School budgets have been largely protected, but many projects and services run by local authorities or charities have seen their budgets reduced. Overall, although the nature of employment may change, with more involvement of private and voluntary sector organisations, numbers employed in the sector may be more stable than in some other areas of public service.
