Have you considered a career in Teaching in Cornwall?
Category: Recruitment
Publish date: 04/01/2024
How to get into teaching
A career change into teaching allows you to use the skills and expertise you’ve already developed to inspire our next generation to reach their full potential.
You’ll need a degree and GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) in English and Maths – as well as Science to teach in Primary schools - and qualified teacher status (QTS) to work in the majority of schools in England, including state maintained primary, secondary, and special schools.
There are a number of ways to gain your QTS, from a 9-month Initial Teacher Training course to apprenticeships and an employment-based route.
Knowing where you’d like to specialise
Choosing what age range or subject to teach is the first thing to think about, and we can help you with this based upon your experiences and qualifications.
If you’re looking at Secondary or Post 16 teaching and are concerned about your subject specific knowledge, you may also be able to access a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course before starting. This can help if you have an unrelated degree but relevant professional experience, or you haven’t used your subject knowledge for a while.
If you don’t hold your English, Maths or Science GCSEs, equivalency tests are available.
Progression opportunities
Changing your career into teaching could lead you to teaching Primary, Secondary or post-16 school leavers. You could progress from being a classroom teacher into senior school leadership opportunities, such as headship.
Qualified teacher salaries start from £30,000 per year and increase with experience and role. Currently, there are a range of bursaries available to help with the transition into teaching, including a £40,000 veteran’s bursary during the training phase.
Support available along the way
There is a lot of support available to help you with your transition, from Teach Cornwall, local training providers and the CTP. Teach Cornwall can support you with identifying the correct courses, introducing you to education organisations and assist in guiding you through the application process.
If you’d like to find out more information about entering the teaching profession you can visit the ‘Get into Teaching’ website, where there is information on courses and training bursaries. If you’re thinking about teaching in Cornwall, please email [email protected] or visit our website TeachCornwall.
Hear from a fellow Service leaver
Carl Hughes, a former Royal Navy Logistician submariner - and now training to be a maths teacher says:
“When I left the Navy back in 2022 for a better work-life balance, I knew I wanted to work in education. I contacted Teach Cornwall through an advertised recruitment event and found out about the different routes into teaching and career progression.
"I’ve now started a course where I’m based in schools and receiving a monthly financial bursary. It’s great to work with young people in a career where I can see progression opportunities, and I would thoroughly recommend teaching as a rewarding career path to anyone looking for a new role.”
A wealth of options
That being said, teaching isn’t the only career available in Education. Schools offer a variety of options, with roles including:
- Teaching Assistant
- Office based staff
- Business managers
- Finance administrators
- Site assistants
- Student welfare assistants
So, when considering your next steps, remember that your skills and knowledge might be able to lead you to a career in teaching. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
We’re also looking to attend the CTP South West Peninsula Employment Fair in Saltash on 7th March 2024, so click that link to book and we'll see you there!