Where do I go from here?
This section looks at most of the factors you’ll need to consider when choosing to become a teacher. But is there anything else you need to think about?
Which kind of school are you interested in teaching in?
The kind of school you choose to work in will make a significant difference to the kind of experiences you will face as a teacher. Visit a choice of schools in this section of the site to learn more.
Where are you now?
If you're still at school, think carefully about the degree you're going to take. You can take a course with initial teacher training (ITT) included but you may prefer to study a separate discipline and follow it up with a postgraduate ITT programme.
If you're a student or a recent graduate, think about whether your degree is relevant to the subject you want to teach. If not, you may be able to complete a pre-training course as part of your teacher training.
If you have already had other careers, have a look at the success stories of some teachers who have come to the profession later in life.
And if you have other commitments, such as a family to support, you may be interested in pursuing employment-based ways into teaching, which allow you to continue working and earning throughout your training.
Have you considered what life as a teacher might actually be like?
Meeting the minimum academic requirements is an important part of becoming a teacher, but you should also learn as much as you can about the teaching lifestyle before you make your decision. Getting some experience of being in a classroom is one way of doing this.
