Sectors: Teaching

For roles working directly with children and young people- including teaching itself- you should enjoy spending time with teenagers and children and be able to build rapport with them. 

Teachers need excellent time management, organisation skills and the ability to multitask. Communication skills are obviously important, many people focus on the confidence to stand up and speak to a class and explain yourself clearly but don’t overlook the importance of listening to your students to assess their learning and listening to and reflecting on feedback. Adaptability, creativity, patience and a sense of humour will all stand you in good stead! 

For roles tackling educational disadvantage, you should have an interest in and knowledge of social inequality, and a belief in the potential of education to transform lives. 

Working or volunteering at youth camps, play schemes, sports clubs or with youth community groups such as the Scouts is a good way of building work experience with children and young people. 

For teaching, work shadowing in a school is an excellent way to build knowledge- and a pre-requisite for some teacher training.  

Some help is given on the Get into Teaching website 

If you’re a UK student, contacting your old school can be effective 

The Brilliant Club focuses on mobilising people who are studying for or already completed PhDs to tutor in schools through their Scholars programme  

Teach First runs taster programmes, particularly for STEM students 

Working as a Teaching Assistant  is an excellent way to better understand the school environment. 

Extra-curricular activities such as sport and music may be valued in primary schools. 

Tutoring is a good source of experience; vacancies and potential employers can be found via Handshake. 

To work in many schools in England, you need QTS (qualified teacher status). It's also valued in many settings where it's not an official requirement (for example academies, international or independent schools). You can train for this in a number of ways; 

• PGCE and School Direct  apply through UCAS
• University of Cambridge PGCE has its own events mailing list.
• SCITTs (school-centred initial teacher training) where you apply direct to the SCITT partnership or school
• Some independent schools have their own accredited teacher training
• Teach First and Ark Teacher Training
• The Brilliant Club’s Researchers in Schools programme is focused on teacher training for people with PhDs
• Now Teach provides teacher training for alumni with significant experience. 

If you have relevant experience, you may be able to begin teaching in further education without QTS but once you've started, it's common to work towards a qualification 

For teacher training 

UCAS for PGCEs and School Direct routes 

Multiple SCITT partnerships in various regions of the UK 

The Brilliant Club’s Researchers in Schools programme - for PhDs. They also sponsor visas. 

HMC (Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ conference) for independent schools 

Teach First 

Other educational vacancies and graduate schemes include City Year, Into University and up Reach, which all offer work placements and/or graduate schemes around Widening Access to Higher Education 

If you have a particular interest in education in the development sector, reliefweb.int has an education filter and inee.org is dedicated to education in emergencies and disaster relief. 

If you are an Education or social sciences researcher looking to translate your research into a startup or freelancing, CRoSS, (Commercialisation of Research out of Social Sciences) is University of Cambridge platform for social innovators from disciplines including arts, design, humanities, policy, economics and social sciences.  

Some larger consultancy organisations have departments that focus on public sector and some focus entirely on education, particularly with an international focus. Find out more on our consultancy webpages . Be aware that firms covering education as one of their many foci may not guarantee to place you in this department and you may apply through a typical recruitment process with a business focus 

Apply early for teaching in popular subjects such as History, English and primary, as they fill up most quickly. On the other hand, traditionally shortage subjects like Maths, Science or Geography can be less competitive and you may be eligible to apply with an A Level or equivalent in those subjects, even if your degree is in something else. This can be a good training route as those subjects usually have bursaries but expect schools to want you to teach those subjects once you’re employed!  

In your applications you should reflect on any previous experience with children and young people; you should show that you care about and can develop good rapport with them. Demonstrate a passion for your subject- particularly at secondary level. Pragmatism and realism about the pressures of the job is valued. 

Prospects.ac.uk has a useful guide for those who have completed teacher training and are applying for teaching jobs.  

The Faculty of Education holds an open day each year for its PGCE programme 

You can find teaching-specific Careers Service events via the ‘events’ page on Handshake 

The University of Cambridge has a particularly active Widening Participation outreach programme in schools. The colleges employ schools’ liaison officers, which are great roles for recent graduates wanting to get experience in educational outreach. Watch a 5 min video interview with a Schools Liaison Officer to find out more.  

Keep up to date with Educational news by following TES  (Times Educational Supplement) and Guardian Education.

What to do next

Now you have looked at this page, think about your next steps. Everyone's journey is different. There are many ways to move forward. Here are some actions you could take now:

• Look for roles using the resources above.
• Talk to alumni working in this field via Handshake or LinkedIn.
• Talk to a Careers Consultant - book a 1:1 appointment through Handshake.
• Attend events - watch for relevant events.
• Ready to apply? Use the CV and cover letter guide to draft a CV or an application. Most schools and teacher training programmes use application forms in recruitment.
• Write a speculative application to get work experience or work shadowing in schools.