February 14, 2023, by Jackie Thompson

It’s So Rewarding. Could Teaching Be the Job for You?

By Freya Hemmings, Geography with Business student

On Thursday 9 February, the Careers team hosted one of their Spotlight On events, this time the focus was on a career of teaching. It was designed to inform people of the various routes into teaching as well as guest speakers who gave insights into how they entered the profession and what being a teacher is really like.

Gaining some experience

The guest speakers advised that for anyone wanting to get into the profession, school experience is key! This gives you that hands-on experience, that not only can boost your CV but can cement why teaching might be for you. This is something I did last year and it gave me valid insights into the teaching world. It’s so rewarding to see students understand something you have helped them with.

You can find out more about school experience on the GOV.UK website. Experience doesn’t have to just be in school, there are so many other examples such as working at a youth group or tutoring. If you have that desire to make a positive difference in young people’s lives, teaching could be the job for you.

The guest speakers also highlighted the skills you need to be successful in the role. These included: time management, organisation, and leadership but at the core of it all, it’s the love for the role.

Routes into teaching

The guest speakers each took a different route into teaching, If you are thinking about teaching, there are various routes you can take. These include:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) – Gareth is currently on the PGCE primary programme at the university. This route is divided between university-based learning and school placements. The University of Nottingham has amazing primary and secondary PGCE courses.
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)  – Sam trained with Ark Teacher Training and has been a history teacher for five years. He is now Head of Year 13 and recently completed the Subject Leadership Development Programme with the Historical Association (2021). His various roles in teaching highlight what a progressive career it is.
• Teach First – Chloe was the guest speaker from Teach First. This is a different route from the others as it is a two-year course. The programme is a fully- funded salaried graduate scheme.

It’s coming to that time of year when many final-year students will start to think about their next steps once they have graduated. This event really highlighted what an insightful and rewarding job teaching is.

Funding available

Each year the Department of Education is able to give out bursaries and scholarships for some courses. For the upcoming academic year, people wanting to train in secondary chemistry, computing maths, and physics can be granted a £27,000 tax-free bursary. £25,000 for geography and languages. £20,000 for biology and design and technology and £15,000 for English.

If you want to find out more information, sign up for Getting into Teaching tailored updates.

Next teaching event is on Tuesday 21 February

If you missed this event, don’t worry! On Tuesday 21 February, the university is holding an Investigate Teaching East Midlands Regional Event.

This event will bring together a range of course providers from the East Midlands so students can find out the different courses on offer in this region. As well as representatives from the Department of Education who will be able to answer any broader questions and give general advice and support. This would be an amazing opportunity to find out if teaching is the next step for you. And what better place than to stay in the East Midlands! If you are interested, register your attendance now!

As well as the links in this blog, check out our teaching page and book an appointment with an adviser if you have any questions about your next step.

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