Primary Teacher

Also known as:

Teacher, Primary School

Introduction

Primary teachers work with children aged between 4 and 12. They teach most subjects to one mixed ability class. The work includes preparing lessons, directing and supervising all classroom activities, marking the children's work, writing reports, and attending meetings and parents' evenings.

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Work Activities

Primary school teachers teach children aged between 4 and 12 (or a limited age group within this range). They usually teach most subjects to one class of children of roughly the same age but with differing abilities and interests.

The subject areas they cover include:
• language and communication skills
• maths
• environmental studies
• expressive arts
• health education
• ICT
• personal and social development
• physical education
• religious and moral education
• Scottish culture.

Because they teach 'mixed ability' groups, primary teachers employ a variety of teaching methods, enabling each pupil to learn in an appropriate way and at an appropriate speed. Teaching methods include whole class work, small group work, project work, learning through experience, demonstrations and play. They also encourage the children to research topics themselves, always providing whatever support and back-up is required, and they help pupils on an individual basis as required.

Teachers use a variety of aids to support their teaching, including textbooks, workbooks, audio-visual aids and computers as well as material that they have prepared themselves. They set assignments, projects and tests, carry out continuous assessment and mark pupils' work and exams.

At all times they must maintain good order in the classroom and deal speedily and effectively with discipline issues.

Away from the classroom, primary teachers carry out a wide range of other duties, including preparing lessons, taking pupils on educational trips and outings, doing administrative work such as keeping records and writing reports, attending staff meetings and preparing for and attending parent-teacher meetings.

Some primary school teachers go on to teach in the nursery school sector, working with children under the age of 5.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a primary teacher, you must be able to communicate effectively with children with a wide range of abilities, be able to interest and involve them and encourage them to learn and develop. To do this, you must be enthusiastic, energetic, flexible and patient and be prepared to look for and try out innovative approaches.

In addition, you must be able to be firm and to enforce discipline in an acceptable way, when necessary. An understanding of child behaviour and development will assist with this, as it will with all aspects of the teaching process. You must be able to stay calm when under pressure and when dealing with any disruptive pupils. A good sense of humour is important.

You need to be well organised and approach your classroom work in a methodical and systematic way. A lot of the time you will be working on your own with your class, but you will also be part of the wider school community, so teamworking skills are important too.

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Pay and Opportunities

Teachers in Scotland are paid on a national salary scale. The starting annual salary for a probationer teacher from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 is £20,937. The top of the scale for unpromoted teachers is £33,399. There is an additional allowance if you teach in a remote school or on certain islands.

A chartered teacher can earn up to £40,941 and a head teacher can earn from £41298 to £80,607, depending on the size of school.

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

Teachers normally work a 35-hour week. However, most teachers work extra hours: marking work, preparing lessons and so on. In Scotland, a maximum classroom contact time of 22.5 hours per week has been introduced.

There are opportunities throughout the UK in both the state and private education sectors. There may also be opportunities to teach overseas.

Vacancies are advertised in local authority vacancy sheets and websites and in the local and national press: The Scotsman, The Herald, The Guardian, The Times Educational Supplement Scotland and The Teacher.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Relevant work experience is frequently expected, either within a school as a volunteer classroom assistant or equivalent work with children.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Teaching) could be the way in.

These courses are designed for people who haven't followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

They can lead to relevant degree courses.

• 26% of primary and early years teachers work part-time.
• 15% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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