Special educational needs (SEN) teacher

In this role you could:

• plan and teach lessons, work with small groups and individual students
•  prepare teaching materials, take registers and write reports
•  help students develop confidence, independence and encourage them to learn
•  manage behaviour, mark work and talk to parents and carers about their children's progress
•  work with specialist teaching services, medical staff, counsellors and psychologists
•  organise trips, attend workshops and run training for other teaching staff on special educational needs issues

• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• sensitivity and understanding
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
• knowledge of English language
• to be flexible and open to change
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll need further specialist qualifications to teach students with hearing impairment, vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment.

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

With experience you could:

• become a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and manage the special educational needs strategy at a school
•  move into management roles like head of department, key stage co-ordinator, deputy head or headteacher
•  use your specialist skills and knowledge and become a special needs assessment officer at a local council
•  become a higher education lecturer
•  move into teacher training, private training or tutoring