How to Get Into Teaching: The Three Most Popular Ways

Working as a Teacher is one of the most rewarding and engaging job roles you can find. If you think you’ve got what it takes to become an inspiring Teacher who can transform the lives of our future generations, there are a few different routes on the path to becoming a qualified Teacher in a state school.

In our latest insights piece, we outline the three most popular pathways on how to get into teaching.

How to get into teaching

Becoming a Teacher can be a challenging process that requires a significant amount of dedication, preparation, ongoing learning and timing your teaching application correctly.

To become a Teacher, you typically need to complete a formal education program that includes coursework in education theory, instructional methods, classroom management, and subject-specific content knowledge. 

In addition to the academic requirements, being a successful Teacher also requires a range of skills and qualities, including effective communication, patience, creativity, flexibility, and the ability to work with diverse groups of learners. Teaching can be a demanding and stressful profession, and requires a great deal of time, energy, and emotional investment.

However, for many people, the rewards of teaching far outweigh the challenges. Teachers have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of their students, to help shape the future of society, and to continuously learn and grow in their own professional development.

In addition to the pathways outlined in this blog, you will also be required to complete Initial Teacher Training (ITT) which will grant you Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). 

• PGCE
• Bachelor of Education (BEd)
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)

PGCE

The PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) route is one of the most popular pathways to becoming a Teacher and it can provide you with the flexibility to teach internationally. A PGCE provides the student with a better understanding of teaching practices, educational research and theory. This course typically takes 1 year to complete on a full time basis or 2 years on a part time basis but the course can only be joined after an individual has already graduated with an academic degree. 

Bachelor of Education (BEd)

A Bachelor of Education (also known as BEd) is an undergraduate professional degree combined with ITT. The course typically takes 3-4 years to complete on a full time basis or 4-6 years on a part time basis. During a BEd degree, students will explore the different settings where learning takes place and the processes that underpin it. In the latter years of the course, students will gain practical first hand experience of working within a classroom through placements.

School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)

Another extremely popular postgraduate route to becoming a teacher is through SCITT. SCITT programmes are school or college-led teacher training courses which lead to QTS. The course typically takes 1 year to complete and during the course, students will get hands-on teaching experience in a minimum of two schools. 

The main difference between SCITT and a PGCE is that a PGCE slowly eases its students into becoming a teacher with more lectures and seminar-based learning in the earlier stages of the course.

Latest Teacher jobs at Spencer Clarke Group

If you’re searching for your next Teacher job, why not take a look at all the teaching opportunities available with Spencer Clarke Group now? 

Alternatively, why not speak with one of our specialist consultants who can discuss any upcoming opportunities. We work with hundreds of schools across the UK and can offer a range of opportunities including temporary, permanent and to temp-perm positions.

Who is Spencer Clarke Group? 

Since 2017, we've been changing the face of recruitment. From our employees, to the way we do business, to the culture within our office, we're determined to make a difference and create a positive impact on everyone around us.

Recruitment to us isn't just about matching candidates and clients; we’re passionate about finding candidates the perfect job which has the ability to boost their salary and standard of living, better their work life balance and improve their mental health. 

Similarly, we understand the impact which an experienced and skilled employee can make to a business and we love seeing clients thrive through the hard work of candidates which we have placed with them. 

We operate in two sectors:

Private Sector

Public Sector 

In eleven specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Education & SEND

Construction, Trades & Labour

Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing

Housing

Corporate Functions & Business Support

HR & Workforce Development

IT & Digital

Property & Asset Management  

Planning, Development & Regeneration 

Highways, Infrastructure & Engineering

If you’re searching for a new role, why not visit our job page to take a look at the latest opportunities? Alternatively, upload your CV and one of our experienced consultants will contact you when a relevant opportunity becomes available. 

If you’re struggling to fill a role, why don’t you give us a call on 01772 954200 to see how we can help? One of our consultants will be happy to listen to the challenges which you are facing and advise on the best possible solution for you.