John Motson (Motty), the football commentator with a thousand facts and figures at his fingertips, once famously said, 'Nearly all the Brazilian supporters are wearing yellow shirts - it's a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour.' Motty features in two of the TTA's adverts: after listening to Paul Gascoigne's rendition of 'Fog on the Tyne' and Chris Waddell and Glen Hoddle's 'Diamond nights', he will be heard dryly commenting that 'people should stick to what they're good at' and that 'teaching is a great way to put your knowledge and skills to good use'.

John Virgo has gained national fame as the co-host, along with top comedian Jim Davidson, of BBC TV's top-rated 'Big Break' game show. A former Chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, John is also a regular commentator and expert on all of the BBC's top snooker broadcasts including the Embassy World Championship. In his advert, Virgo will listen to Chas and Dave's 'Snooker loopy' before also coming to the conclusion that 'people should stick to what they're good at'.

The aim of all three adverts is to communicate the message that teaching allows you to focus on what you're good at. The celebrities involved, the tone of the adverts and the time slots chosen - around sports and news - indicate that the TTA is slanting this campaign towards a male audience.

The forty second slots will be broadcast between June 2nd and 22nd across the following regions: London; Newcastle upon Tyne; Kingston upon Hull; Leeds; Stoke on Trent; Birmingham; Lancaster; Plymouth; Bristol and
Wolverhampton.

Geof Webb, Director of Communications and Marketing, TTA, said:

'We want to encourage more men to bring the knowledge and skills that they are currently using in other careers, to a profession they may not otherwise have thought about. These radio ads enable us to extend our campaign to reach a group that has great potential for teaching and we want to make sure that they are aware of the opportunities that teaching can provide.'

 

For further information about this media release please contact:
Claire Barry / Dan Davies, Financial Dynamics, Tel: 020 7 269 7122 / 7293
email: claire.barry@fd.com / dan.davies@fd.com

For general information about the TTA contact the press office:
Tel: 0207 023 8080 email: pressoffice@teach-tta.gov.uk.

Radio Station Listings

• Virgin FM, London
• Metro Radio/Magic 1152, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• 96.9 Viking FM/Magic 116.1, Kingston-Upon-Hull
• Signal One And Signal's Big AM, Stoke-on-Trent
• 96.4 FM BRMB/Capital Gold Birmingham (includes Wolverhampton
• Bay FM, Lancaster
• Total Plymouth Sound, Plymouth
• GWR FM/Classic Gold (Brunel), Bristol
• Beacon Radio, Wolverhampton
• Talk Sport, National

Notes to editors

• The starting salary for a newly qualified teacher (NQT) is at least £21,500 in inner London and £18,105 elsewhere. The pay scale for good, experienced classroom teachers raises to £39,093 in inner London and £33,150 elsewhere. Classroom teachers may receive additional payments for management and special education needs, and recruitment and retention allowances up to £5,415 per year. The pay scale for head teachers rises to £94,098 in inner London, and £88,155 elsewhere.
• Eligible trainees on postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) courses in England are entitled to a training bursary worth £6,000. Tuition is free. Trainees in priority subjects (mathematics, science, modern languages, English, design and technology, and information and communications technology) are also eligible for a 'golden hello' payment worth £4,000 after successfully completing their induction period. Details are available on the TTA website at http://www.canteach.gov.uk/training/about_teacher_training/funding_while_training.html
• The Government will repay, over time, the student loans of new qualified teachers in the priority subjects (as above). Details are set out on the Department for Education and Skills website at www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachersloans.
• For more information about how to become a teacher, visit the TTA recruitment website teach. Personal advice is available from the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 (in Welsh 0845 6000 992). Minicom 01245 45 43 43). The Graduate Teacher Programme enables people to train to become a teacher while employed in a school.
• Applications for most postgraduate ITT courses are processed through the graduate teacher training registry (GTTR) website. Applications for undergraduate teacher training courses can be made via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Applications for primary teacher training beginning in September 2004 must be submitted by 15 December 2003 to ensure they are sent to applicants' preferred providers.
• 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 to teach and by improving the quality of teacher training and induction.