Secondary Teacher

Also known as:

Teacher, Secondary School

Introduction

Secondary teachers work with students aged between 12 and 18 (or a limited age group within this range). Younger children are generally taught in mixed ability groups whilst older children may be taught in groups of similar abilities. The work includes preparing lessons, marking work, writing student reports, and attending meetings and parents' evenings.

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Work Activities

Secondary school teachers work with students aged between 12 and 18. Teachers usually specialise in one subject, although some teach two subjects in related areas. This may require additional knowledge.

Most teachers teach mixed ability classes. In this situation they use teaching methods to suit a class of students with widely differing abilities, who are learning at different speeds. If teaching older year groups, the teacher is more likely to teach a class of students with similar abilities and interests.

Teachers often combine teaching sessions to the whole class with work in smaller groups, based on practical projects.

Teachers may use text books, work sheets and white boards as well as audio-visual materials and computers to stimulate interest and learning.

As well as subject teaching, most secondary teachers take the register and distribute general information.

Teaching involves preparing lessons and materials, marking students' work, writing student reports, attending meetings and parents' evenings and sometimes supervising extra-curricular activities.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a teacher, you need to be an effective communicator so you can hold the attention of your students and build up a good working relationship with them. However, not all students will respond positively so you will need to use discipline to maintain order.

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Pay and Opportunities

Teachers in Scotland are paid on a national scale. The starting annual salary for a probationer teacher in 2007 will be £19,878. The top of the scale for unpromoted teachers will be £31,707. There is an additional allowance if you teach in a remote area.

A chartered teacher will earn up to £38,868 and a head teacher will earn £39,207 - £76,527 depending on the size of the 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 is being phased in.

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 on 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 now 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 teaching assistant or equivalent work with children or young people.

There are a number of training options:

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 have not 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.

In order to qualify as a secondary teacher you must do a degree course followed by a one year postgraduate course (PGDE).Note that the Universities of Aberdeen and Dundee run part time PGDE courses in a small number of secondary teaching subjects.

• 14% of secondary teachers work part-time.
• Less than 1% have flexible hours.
• 5% work on a temporary basis.

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