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Between 2006 and 2009, 1.5% of employed doctoral graduates, or 205 employed doctoral graduates, are known to have been working as secondary education teaching professionals six months after graduation.

Job description

Secondary teachers are found within the ‘other teaching occupations' job cluster.

A secondary school teacher teaches one or more national curriculum subjects to pupils aged 11-16, or up to 19 in schools with sixth forms. Teachers may use creativity, humour and imagination to develop schemes of work and to plan lessons in order to foster a healthy culture of learning within the classroom and to generate the most effective interactions with pupils.

Teachers encourage, monitor and record the progress of individual pupils, and devise and tailor resources accordingly. They must also keep up to date with developments in their subject area, new resources, methods and national objectives. Teachers liaise and network with other professionals, parents and carers both informally and formally.

Typical work activities

Typical work activities include:

  • Planning, preparing and delivering lessons to a range of classes including putting up displays in the classroom, marking work, giving appropriate feedback and maintaining records of pupils' progress and development
  • Selecting and using a range of different learning resources and equipment, researching new topic areas, maintaining up-to-date subject knowledge and then devising and writing new curriculum materials
  • Undertaking pastoral duties, such as taking on the role of form tutor, and supporting pupils on an individual basis through academic or personal difficulties
  • Preparing pupils for qualifications including external examinations and administering and invigilating them, including: in England and Wales, GCSE and A-levels; and in Scotland, Standard Grades (S Grades) and Higher Grades (H Grades);
  • Managing pupil behaviour in the classroom and on school premises, and applying appropriate and effective measures in cases of misbehaviour;
  • Supervising and supporting the work of teaching assistants, trainee teachers and newly qualified teachers (NQTs)
  • Participating in and organising extracurricular activities, such as outings, social activities and sporting events
  • Participating in departmental meetings, parents' evenings and whole school training events. Liaising with other professionals, such as learning mentors, careers advisers, educational psychologists and education welfare officers
  • Undergoing regular observations and participating in regular in-service training (INSET) as part of continuing professional development (CPD)

Entry requirements

Unless your first/ doctoral qualification gives you QTS (qualified teacher status in England and Wales) or TQ (teaching qualification in Scotland), you will need further training (essential to teach in the local authority sector).

There are several options for training routes open to those interested in becoming a Secondary Education teacher. Briefly, these include:

  • Full-time, part-time or modular Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education (PGCE) (or Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Scotland)
  • School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT). Schools devise their own training programme in partnership with their local education authority (LEA) and a higher education institution (HEI)
  • The Registered teacher programme (RTP). This is a two-year programme combining classroom work and the completion of a degree which confers QTS. Places are limited and the focus is on shortage subjects
  • In England and Wales, candidates with one or two years of higher education may take a shortened two-year degree with QTS. You can apply via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
  • The Teach First scheme gives the opportunity to teach for two years and then either stay in teaching or move on to roles in the public sector or business
  • The Graduate teacher programme (GTP). Graduates are employed as unqualified teachers and paid a salary. This is a highly competitive scheme for those with considerable relevant experience
  • Candidates with a teaching qualification from an EU country can apply to the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) for accreditation
  • The Overseas teacher training programme (OTTP) offers non-EU overseas-trained teachers the opportunity to gain QTS while working as teachers
  • Independent schools may employ teachers without QTS although, in practice, this is uncommon

Salary

  • Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland start on the main salary scale, which rises incrementally from £20,627 to £30,148 (salary data collected November 2008). The exact starting point depends on qualifications, relevant prior experience and the responsibilities of the post. In Scotland, salaries range from £19,878 to £31,707 (salary data collected November 2008). In addition, there is a Distant Learning Allowance of £1,536 and Remote Schools Allowance of £971 or £1,791.
  • Experienced teachers may become advanced skills teachers (in England and Wales) or chartered teachers (in Scotland), or may move into management roles. These roles attract considerable salary increases.

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates from 2006-9 working in this occupation were known to be employed in the secondary education sector six months after graduation.

Disciplinary background

The most common disciplinary backgrounds for doctoral graduates (2006-2009) entering secondary education teaching were:

Career stories

Marie

Secondary school teacher now a lecturer in higher education

"I want a job that's out of an office, where I'm sort of out and about all day, where I face different challenges, where I meet kind of different people, where I get to teach a range of children and that's also challenging, that's got loads of variety about it which it has, one minute you're on the sports field, the next minute you're in the classroom."

Other relevant profiles include:

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