Secondary teacher

Secondary teachers teach students aged between 11 and 19 (or one age group within this range). The work includes preparing and planning lessons, marking work, writing student reports, and attending meetings and parents’ evenings.

Work activities

Secondary teachers teach students aged between 11 and 19. Some teachers work in schools that deal with a smaller age range, such as 11-14, 11-16 or 16-19. Secondary teachers usually specialise in one subject, although some teach a number of related subjects, such as English and drama. Also, teachers must be prepared to cover lessons in other teachers’ subject areas. When teaching older year groups, the secondary teacher is more likely to have a class of students with similar abilities.

Teaching methods can include small group work, projects, discussions and debates. Resources include audio-visual materials, interactive whiteboards, the internet and online learning games. Using a mixture of activities helps to stimulate interest, learning and imagination, develop a variety of skills and meet the needs of students with differing learning styles. Apart from the classroom, lessons can take place in a laboratory, workshop, gym or playing field, for example – depending on the subject being taught. Teachers may also plan and lead field trips.

Other activities include:

Preparing and planning lessons.
Marking work and giving feedback.
Creating or adapting lesson resources.
Going to staff meetings and parents’ evenings.
Setting and enforcing standards of behaviour.
Identifying underachieving pupils and giving extra support.

Often, teachers are also form tutors. This involves taking a register, providing general information and giving guidance. Teachers might supervise the work of one or more teaching assistants.

Personal qualities and skills

As a secondary teacher, you’ll need:

The ability to encourage, motivate and inspire your students.
Excellent communication skills.
Patience and tact.
The ability to maintain discipline and deal with challenging behaviour.
Good organisational and planning skills.
Energy, enthusiasm and self-discipline.
The ability to work well under pressure.
ICT skills.

Pay and opportunities

Teachers in the state education sector are paid on a scale according to their qualifications, experience and responsibilities. The pay rates (per year) are approximate. Qualified teachers start on £30,000 and can progress up to £46,525 over time (2023-24 pay levels). Trainee teachers earn less than this, with training taking a number of years.

Qualified teachers may also be eligible for additional payments on top of their regular salary for specialist work for example as a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) or for other teaching and learning responsibilities.

In the private sector, salaries are generally higher, though they are sometimes linked to state sector pay scales.

Teachers normally work from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. However, most teachers work extra hours – marking work, preparing lessons and going to meetings. They often have to work in the evenings and at weekends to prepare lessons and mark work. They may work very long hours. Although teachers are not usually in school during the spring, summer and winter holidays, they typically have to spend much of this time preparing for the new term.

Employers are state and private schools. There are also opportunities to teach in other countries. Some teachers supplement their income by teaching privately, marking national exams or writing textbooks.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies for classroom teachers are advertised by local authorities and in the local and national press, including the Guardian and the Times Educational Supplement (TES). There are also job boards, for example, eTeach and the Teaching Vacancies service.

Entry routes and training

To become a secondary school teacher, you usually need to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through initial teacher training (ITT). There are several routes. There are a small number of BEd degrees, in a limited range of subjects. These lead to QTS. Depending on the subject, there are also small number of BA/BSc degrees with QTS.

Most people, however, follow a relevant degree with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in the subject they want to teach. Courses are usually one-year full time and two years part-time, and applications are made via UCAS. There are also the employment-based schemes, including School Direct and Teach First programmes, as well as the new teaching apprenticeship scheme. On these salaried routes, you will earn unqualified teacher salary, which in 2023 starts at £20,598.

If you’re not very confident about your subject knowledge or don’t have the qualifications to begin postgraduate training straight away, you might be able take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course first. Most SKE courses are in mathematics, physics and chemistry, but there are a small number in other subjects including design and technology, computer science and modern foreign languages. For more information see the Department for Education website.

Once employed, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) must complete a three-term induction period, usually within a single school year, in order to continue teaching in maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in England and Wales.

There are opportunities for teachers to move into teacher training, advisory work, educational research or schools’ inspection. Teachers can become heads of department, heads of year or co-ordinators of special educational needs or careers leaders.

Teachers of certain subjects – such as maths and science – are often in high demand due to short supply. There may be incentives such as bonuses to encourage people to enter the profession.

Rehabilitation of Offenders: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

All candidates for secondary school teacher training need GCSEs (or recognised equivalent qualifications) at grades 9-4 in English and maths. In England, if you want to teach at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14), you must also have a GCSE (or recognised equivalent qualification) at grades 9-4 in a science subject.

To take a PGCE or to enter a postgraduate employment-based route, you’ll usually need a degree that is related to the subject you want to teach. Some universities ask that degrees contain at least 50% of the subject you wish to teach.

Adult opportunities

If you don’t have the qualifications you need to enter a degree course, you might be able to start one after completing a college or university Access course. You don’t usually need any qualifications to start an Access course, although you should check this with the course provider. Some PGCE courses are available part-time, or by distance learning. Alternatively, you could consider applying to the teaching apprenticeship.

Related careers

Lecturer
Music teacher
Primary teacher
Teacher
Welsh teacher
Youth worker