Secondary school teacher
Secondary school teachers teach children from 11 to 16, or up to 19 in schools with sixth forms.
Typical Salary
£32,000 – £49,000
per year
Working Hours
37–45
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- prepare teaching materials, set up the classroom and organise displays
- plan and teach lessons and work with small groups of students
- mark work and talk to parents and carers about their children's progress
- manage the work of teaching assistants
- follow safeguarding procedures and work with careers advisers, counsellors, education psychologists and social workers
- organise trips, after school clubs or exam revision classes
- work and attend meetings and training outside of usual working hours
Skills needed
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
- leadership skills
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent verbal communication skills
- maths knowledge
- administration skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
Career progression
With experience you could:
- become a special educational needs teacher, further education teacher or move into pastoral care
- become a specialist leader of education and support teachers in other schools
- move up to be a curriculum leader, head of year, deputy head or headteacher
- work for an exam board, local education authority or work in a gallery or museum as an education officer
- work freelance as a private tutor