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Teaching

All the advice you need to kick off your graduate career in teaching: your training options, how to apply for teacher training and teaching jobs, getting work experience and more.

In partnership with:

AGCAS

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Your future in teaching

Teaching will require hard work, stamina and a high level of commitment, but graduates in the teaching profession talk enthusiastically about the joys of developing the potential of future generations and inspiring their pupils. Get the key information you need to help you decide if you’d like to pursue a teaching career, including what QTS is, the subjects taught at primary and secondary level, application tips and the surprisingly many options available to you both in terms of training and job roles. This advice has been written in partnership with AGCAS , The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

Advice from AGCAS

Routes into teaching: your options

Get experience and qualifications

Learn all about the qualifications you need to become a teacher and how to get the work experience required to teach in a primary or secondary school.

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Money matters

Funding and training

The good news is that there are many options available when it comes to funding your teacher training Help is available, if you’re eligible, in the form of bursaries, scholarships and student finance… discover which might work for you. When it comes to your first teaching job, your salary will vary depending on your experience and where you are based in the UK. Find out up-to-date information about the pay and additional benefits you can expect as an early career teacher .

Lock in a training position

How to apply for teacher training

The first steps to applying

How to write a winning application for teacher training and how to create a personal statement that will wow.

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Teaching alternatives

TEFL teaching

Many graduates decide they’d like to teach English as a foreign language – sometimes as part of a gap year, combining it with travelling, or as a longer-term career. Read our TEFL teacher job description and our advice on how to choose a TEFL course and find work after qualifying . In addition, you’ll find first-hand accounts from TEFL teachers on targetjobs, describing what their jobs are like.

Secure a role

Getting a teaching job

Ace your application

All about applying for a teaching job, from where to find them advertised, CV checklist to writing a convincing personal statement.

Employers in Teaching

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Featured employers

Active employers looking for graduate talent all year round.

And many more

Other employers who are active on targetjobs , regularly posting new opportunities and events during peak seasons.

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FAQs in teaching

The simple answer is yes. You do not need a PGCE in order to be able to teach, but you do need Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teach in many primary and secondary schools.

Education in the UK can broadly be divided into state and independent schools. State schools are funded through the government or local authority and are defined by who employs the staff, controls admission and owns the land and buildings: they include many different types of schools, such as academies, free schools, grammar schools and faith schools, to name a few. Independent schools are funded through fees.

Like any profession, teaching can have its stressful moments, and it will suit some personalities more than others. It’s important to remember the support you will receive as a newly qualified teacher from colleagues and mentors. The key is to learn about what to expect before you apply for teacher training: check out the webinars and articles on targetjobs where current and former teachers talk candidly about the profession.

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