Three quick and easy ways to get into teaching
Want to help shape future generations? You should be a teacher…
Whether it’s through nurturing academic excellence or supporting a young person through a difficult time; a career in teaching is rewarding in a number of ways. It also comes with many career development opportunities, the ability to manage your own workload, and the support of a large team who are all driving for the same outcomes.
We spoke to Train Aid, a course provider run by people with experience in teaching, to find out three of the fastest (and easiest) ways to get into teaching:
Get a post-16 qualification
If you don’t want to work with children under 16, then a Post-16 qualification may be the best option for you.
The Post-16 teaching qualification route is one of the quickest ways to get into teaching, with the least financial burden. In addition, teachers in this area are high in demand, meaning you’ll be gaining invaluable skills that could open up a number of opportunities.
This Level 3 Award in Education and Training from Train Aid is available to study on a part-time basis, and on completion, will allow you to run your own training courses and deliver accredited qualifications (when attached to an awarding body).
The classroom course takes just three days to complete and ends with a practical teaching assessment. Train Aid also provides the option of a flexible payment plan that spreads the price over three months.
Once you’ve completed your Level 3 training and have found teaching employment, the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training and Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training will allow you to advance your skills and grow as a teacher. They’re also both completely online, making it easy to fit around your work.
Many colleges appoint teachers on small contracts that allow you to develop your skills in one area before you take on more responsibilities, allowing you to build your expertise at a pace that suits you best.
Become a Teaching Assistant and/or volunteer
Many people think that a Teaching Assistant is only there to support a teacher in their work, but this is only one small facet of the job.
Other core duties for a Teaching Assistant include working one-on-one with students to help them to cope with the pressures of the school day, running small group interventions in literacy or numeracy, and carrying out wellbeing activities in a bid to improve pupil progression.
So how can you get started? Because there are no specific entry requirements, anyone with a passion for helping young people can apply to work as a Teaching Assistant.
However, there are a number of Teaching Assistant qualifications that will make you more employable, and may give you a better chance at success. Taking a course could also provide you with experience and knowledge that you can apply directly to a role in teaching.
The best first step is to contact local schools and ask if they would offer you some volunteering experience. This will not only help you decide which age group you’d like to work with, it’ll also give you the practical experience you need to figure out which type of school is best for you.
Many schools will be pleased to take on a volunteer, and may even offer employment when a vacancy arises. Once you’ve secured a role, you’ll need to get a full DBS check carried out before volunteering or starting work.
Study TEFL or TESOL
If you’re looking to teach English as a foreign language, and/or you’re interested in teaching abroad, a TEFL or TESOL course could be for you.
This is an excellent path into teaching and will allow you to go overseas and work with other nationalities.
What is TEFL? TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and comes in different skill levels so that you can complete your training in stages. The basic TEFL training starts with a minimum of 20 hours of learning, but you can study up to 170 hours to achieve the most advanced qualification. When it comes to jobs, employers will stipulate the minimum training they will accept, so it’s worth doing a more advanced course if you want more opportunities.
What is TESOL? TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which includes teaching it as a foreign and second language. As with TEFL, there are various courses you can undertake, but the skill level required will be job dependent. The more advanced your skills, the more abundant your job prospects will be.
If you’re interested in a TEFL or TESOL course, then you’ll need to commit between 20 and 170 hours, depending on the level of the qualification you choose.
There are many online courses that you can complete in your own time, so it’s a great way to qualify while still working. What’s more, you’ll gain practical teaching experience alongside an internationally recognised qualification.
So you can enjoy travelling and working, all while helping young people learn English.
Why study with Train Aid?
Set up and run by a team of people who have a background in teaching further education, Train Aid offers a number of education and training qualifications that will help you to learn how to teach and assess in your own environments.
Because of their hands-on experience in the education sector, you can be sure you’re learning exactly what you need to know to be a great teacher.
Other benefits of studying with Train Aid include:
- Distance learning, Webinar and classroom courses available
- Gain a nationally accredited teaching/assessing qualification
- Monthly courses so you don’t need to wait
- Three day, in house course followed by support to complete assignments at home
- The choice of being assessed at work or in the classroom
- Payment plans to help manage the cost of training
To find out more about a career in teaching, talk to Train Aid today.
