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Secondary school teacher: Career development

Career progression may be through a specialist curriculum or pastoral role, or by moving into management. Teachers may become heads of department, heads of year, or coordinators of a cross-curricular area, such as special needs or careers education. Classroom expertise has recently been recognised by the creation of the status of advanced skills teachers (in England and Wales) and chartered teachers (in Scotland). Advanced skills teachers are recognised through external assessment as having excellent classroom practice and they share their knowledge and expertise with colleagues in their own schools and other schools in the locality. They receive additional pay and increased non-contact time. See TeacherNet for details.

Fast Track Teaching is an accelerated leadership development programme designed to enhance the careers of especially talented teachers, offering early responsibility and higher salaries for qualified teachers. It is possible to reach deputy head/head level within ten years, or even sooner for those in designated Fast Track Teaching positions (see the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) .

A recent development has been the introduction of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). From 1 April 2009 it will be mandatory to have completed the NPQH prior to appointment to a first headship. Details are available from the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) .

Some teachers move out of schools and into other related jobs, such as further education lecturing, school inspection with The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED) , teacher training, or administration in local education authorities (LEAs) or examination boards. Organisations such as museums, art galleries and zoos employ teachers as education officers. There are some opportunities for self-employment, which include private tutoring, writing educational materials or running a small private school.

Employers outside education value many of the skills gained through teaching. Some teachers retrain for other careers, such as social work, the police, guidance work or management roles within the public or private sector, where they continue to use the skills acquired in teaching.

AGCAS

Written by Rebecca Maxwell, AGCAS

Last updated:

December 2008

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