The event, which will also give current and former teachers the chance to find out about the increased number of training places and the latest job opportunities, is sponsored by the teacher training agency (TTA) and comes at a time when more than 35,000 people have started training for qualified teacher status (QTS) across all Government-supported courses this academic year.

TILE will be packed with expert advice from educational professionals and current teachers, who will be able to talk through the variety of training and job opportunities available in the capital… and how to get them. To reflect this, TILE will be divided into four zones:

The training lane (training opportunities)

This zone will provide comprehensive information on the qualifications required to enter teaching, the different types of training opportunities available and details on training courses in London.

Get a capital job (teaching jobs)

Details of how to get a job in the capital will be available at the event, with all London LEAs represented. Newly qualified teachers, overseas trained teachers and current teachers will be able to seek advice from trained staff who can help visitors find the right job.

Back to your future (for those returning to teaching)

This zone is aimed at those returning to teaching, perhaps having taken time out to raise a family, or those who have left the profession but who may now have second thoughts. Providers offering returner courses will be available at the event to offer advice to those wishing to return to the classroom on how the courses will help them update their skills.

Talking teaching

A seminar programme running throughout the event, offering detailed information on various aspects of training and teaching in London today, such as applying for a teaching job, how applicants can maximize their CV, or what it's really like in the classroom. Due to the popularity of the seminars, this year's event will see several newcomers which will focus on:

• The Graduate Teacher Programme
• Overseas qualifications
• Overseas trained teachers
• Funding for teacher training

Mary Doherty, the TTA's Director of Teacher Supply and Recruitment urges people who are interested in teaching to attend TILE 2003. 'Teaching offers people an exciting and intellectually stimulating career. No two days or two young people are the same, which means that the teaching experience is creative and varied. As a truly modern profession, teaching competes with other careers and offers improved pay and career opportunities to match. Salaries start from £20,700 in inner London, and there is now better classroom support alongside the established benefits of teaching, such as good holidays. Teaching offers the chance to work with a subject you enjoy and the opportunity to make a real contribution to society. There's never been a better time to teach in London. Also, graduates who go on to teach english, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, design and technology or ICT can now apply to have their student loans re-paid over time, via the Government's Repayment of Teacher Loans initiative. '

The TTA's exhibition stand at TILE will offer a wide range of advice on how to start teacher training with details on the different routes into teaching, the funding support available and the attractive bonuses and incentives on offer for eligible teachers once they qualify.

Event details are as follows:-

Further information

For further information and to register for TILE please visit the TILE website: http://www.canteach.gov.uk/tile2003/, email ttatile@hillandknowlton.com or call the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991

To find out more about the opportunities within the profession browse the TTA website at: www.canteach.gov.uk, or call the Teaching Information Line: 0845 6000 991

Notes to editors

TILE 2003 forms part of Evening Standard's 'Jobscene and The Graduate & Professional Recruitment Fair.'

Information about how to become a teacher is available from the TTA website, www.canteach.gov.uk. Personal advice is available from the Teaching Information Line (tel: 0845 6000 991). Applications for teacher training places can be made on-line through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry.

About the Teacher Training Agency

1. The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) was established under the Education Act 1994. Its purpose is to raise standards in schools by attracting able and committed people into teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training.
2. Salaries for Newly Qualified Teachers in London start at £17,595 (with £3,105 extra in inner London). The scale for classroom teachers rises to £32,217, plus London allowances.
3. Trainee teachers undertaking an accredited Initial Teacher Training course in England or Wales leading to a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) may be eligible for a bursary worth £6,000 (tax free). Golden Hellos, worth £4,000 (taxable), are paid to eligible teachers in the shortage subjects after they have successfully completed their induction period, normally at the end of their first year.
4. Details of the Repayment of Teachers' Loans (RTL) Scheme are set out on the Department for Education and Skills Website Teacher Net. The scheme will operate initially as a pilot in the academic years 2002/3, 2003/4 and 2004/5.
5. New teachers who have started teaching english, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, design and technology and ICT with loans arranged through the student loans company only, will be able to have their student loans paid off over ten years for full-time teachers with income contingent loans, or around five to seven years for those with mortgage style loans. The full amount of outstanding loans will be repaid if the teacher works full-time and remains in an eligible post in line with the requirements of the scheme. For those who have studied in London for four years, the Government believes this could mean a saving of more than £13,000. For those who studied outside London, the benefit could be £10,500. Part-time teachers will receive pro-rata benefit. The scheme will cover supply teachers if they have a fixed term contract of at least eight weeks with a school, college or local education authority.
6. TILE 2003 forms part of Evening Standard's 'Jobscene and The Graduate & Professional Recruitment Fair.' 

Media enquiries

TTA Press Office Tel: 020 703 8080
Out of hours: 07771 934629
e-mail: pressoffice@teach-tta.gov.uk

TTA Media support team

Claire Barry / Dan Davies
Tel. 020 7269 7122/7293
e-mail: claire.barry@fd.com / dan.davies@fd.com