Lecturer (further education): job description

What does a further education lecturer do? | Starting salaries | Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Lecturers in further education (FE) teach students aged 16 and over. Their subjects can be academic (for example, English literature) or vocational (such as carpentry or hairdressing). Learners are likely to come from a wide range of backgrounds and have a wide range of career goals. Lecturers may also be known as teachers or tutors.

Typical duties include:

• lesson planning, preparation and research, including creating teaching materials
• having contact/teaching time with students
• checking and assessing students’ work
• encouraging personal development via tutorials
• arranging work experience placements
• attending staff meetings
• liaising with other professionals/employers.

Find out more about teaching careers in further education colleges .

Starting salaries

Your salary will depend on whether you’re a qualified teacher or not. According to the University and College Union, if you don’t have a teaching qualification, you’re likely to earn around £20,000 in your first job; if you’re qualified, you’ll earn around £25,000.

Some FE lecturers work on short-term contracts where pay is set hourly rather than as an annual salary.

Typical employers of further education lecturers

• State-maintained and private sixth-form colleges.
• Further education colleges.
• Adult and community education centres.
• The armed forces.
• The prison service.

Vacancies are advertised on local authority job sites and by individual education providers. Jobs are also advertised on national newspapers’ job sites and specialist sites such as Times Higher Education and the Association of Colleges’ site.

Qualifications and training required

You’re likely to need a degree if you want to teach an academic subject at FE level. For vocational subjects, you don’t always need a degree as experience is more important. However, whatever your subject, a teaching qualification will help you progress.

Graduates can work towards a PGCE (professional or postgraduate certificate in education) in secondary or post-compulsory education. Non-graduates can study for certificates in learning and teaching, which often have practical elements as well as academic work.

Search for a PGCE course provider .

Key skills for further education lecturers

• An understanding of how young people learn and the ability to apply this.
• Expertise in a particular subject area or areas.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Listening skills.
• IT skills.